Gourmet News

Faction Food Delivery Uses Driverless Technology

Published December 26, 2022

Faction Technology, Inc., a driverless-technology company offering solutions that solve inefficiencies in micro-logistics and vehicles on demand, announced it is bringing driverless delivery to portions of the San Francisco Bay Area. Faction’s first partner is Cocola Bakery, which is using Faction to reliably deliver to its customers around the metro region.

Deliveries will be made in lightweight, electric vehicles based on three wheel EV platforms from Arcimoto, Inc. and from ElectraMeccanica. Since July, Faction has made regular deliveries to the bakery’s customers and it’s now looking to add additional delivery partners in the coming months.

Equipped with Faction’s DriveLink and TeleAssist technologies, the company’s vehicle fleet combines autonomy with remote human teleoperation to carry out its deliveries. These technologies allow Faction to provide businesses like Cocola Bakery with a delivery service that seamlessly delivers goods via a driverless fleet in an affordable, safe, and predictable way.

“Cocola Bakery and our customers have been ecstatic with the services Faction has provided us so far,” said Amir Aliabadi, CEO of Cocola Bakery. “We are now able to quickly, affordably, and reliably deliver our products to customers around the Bay Area, something we couldn’t easily accomplish before due to inconsistent gig-worker services.”

Through this initial launch, Faction continues to develop the technology powering its remote and driverless delivery solutions. New customer routes are first qualified with vehicles using safety drivers, in addition to being supervised by TeleAssist operators. System performance and road data are collected during every delivery to aid Faction in consistently improving its technology and further expanding its services for Cocola Bakery and future customers.

“Our partnership with Cocola is just the beginning of what we have planned for Faction,” said Faction CEO, Ain McKendrick. “We’re achieving our cost and delivery targets while securing the data necessary to bring Faction and our technology to more partners in the coming year. The next phase is to make our services available to additional commercial customers in the Bay Area – restaurant chains, hardware stores, auto parts stores, and others – to maximize the use of our operating fleet while streamlining delivery in an affordable, reliable, and seamless way.”

Faction is expanding its delivery services within the San Francisco Bay Area, and is currently opening up driverless delivery for other partners starting at under $2 per mile.

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SpartanNash Food Bank Fundraising Raises $400K

Published December 26, 2022

Food solutions company SpartanNash continues to support local food pantries across the country. The company recently raised $313,000 on behalf of the SpartanNash Foundation through in-store fundraising efforts. The SpartanNash Foundation pledged additional funding to make a total donation of $400,000 to help fight food insecurity.

During the fundraisers, store guests and online shoppers were able to make quick, easy donations at checkout or through SpartanNash’s Fast Lane program. Leadership teams at each SpartanNash-owned grocery store were invited to select a recipient community food pantry, so funds raised through this effort stayed local. The SpartanNash Foundation’s $85,000 donation was distributed among food pantries and food banks surrounding the company’s distribution centers around the U.S.

“SpartanNash is committed to providing access to quality nutrition as part of our mission to deliver the ingredients for a better life,” said SpartanNash Senior Vice President of Communications and Executive Director of the SpartanNash Foundation Adrienne Chance. “The holidays can put a strain on household budgets, and with inflation, everyone is feeling their grocery bills get a little tighter. That’s why this year, it was especially important for us to team up with community members to help our neighbors.”

According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including nine million children, in the U.S. are food insecure. Feeding America estimates that for every dollar donated, the organization secures and distributes 10 meals to people facing hunger.

“The commitment from SpartanNash and their loyal customers in the fight to end hunger gets stronger every year,” Great Plains Food Bank Chief Development Officer Marcia Paulson said. “This gift from SpartanNash comes at a crucial time for us and will go a long way in feeding our neighbors in need this holiday season. We cannot thank SpartanNash and their store guests enough for all they do.”

Additionally, as part of SpartanNash’s recent Investor Day, the company donated $25,000 worth of food to Feeding America from its Our Family^® private label brand. The donation came from Our Family’s community outreach program, Our Family Cares.

Since starting this annual fundraiser in 2016, the SpartanNash Foundation has raised more than $2 million to support food pantries. This effort is part of SpartanNash’s commitment to philanthropy and social responsibility. Funds raised during this campaign supplement SpartanNash’s year-round food donations, which also help reduce food waste and fight food insecurity.

SpartanNash is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. As a distributor, wholesaler and retailer with a global supply chain network, SpartanNash customers span a diverse group of national accounts, independent and chain grocers, e-commerce retailers, U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, and the Company’s own brick-and-mortar grocery stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. SpartanNash distributes grocery and household goods, including fresh produce and its Our Family portfolio of products, to locations in all 50 states, in addition to distributing to the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Korea and Japan. To support its distribution business, the Company operates a strategically developed network of large-scale distribution facilities and a nationwide transportation fleet.

In addition, the company owns and operates 147 supermarkets – primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market – and shares its operational insights to drive innovative solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 strong and growing.

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Loftus Appointed Sun-Maid President, COO

Published December 22, 2022

Sun-Maid Growers of California has appointed Steve Loftus as Sun-Maid president and chief operating officer, reporting to Harry Overly, executive chairman of the board. In this newly created role, all functional areas within Sun-Maid will report directly to Loftus as he will be accountable to the daily operations of the business. A 15-year industry veteran, Loftus is recognized for his ability to build and align cross functional partners around common objectives, delivering short and long term financial and strategic growth goals.

“Steve is an exceptional and proven leader in the food industry, and we’re looking forward to the contributions he will bring to the team as president and COO,” said Overly. “Steve’s strong track record of results and expertise will be a key driver in building our success as we continue to grow, transforming the iconic Sun-Maid brand to be even more relevant to today’s shoppers.”

Loftus is a multi-functional leader who has held various leadership roles at TreeHouse Foods and Kraft Heinz in Finance and General Management. Most recently, he served as the Vice president, general manager of the Condiments Business Unit at TreeHouse Foods, where he led the unit with approximately one billion in revenues across twelve product categories and five production facilities. Prior to that, Loftus was the head of customer finance at TreeHouse Foods, where he was responsible for all product and customer pricing strategies, as well as the company’s AOP planning processes.

In addition to delivering these positive results, Sun-Maid also continues with the integration of Plum PBC, Sun-Maid’s first ever acquisition. In his new role, Loftus will lead the Sun-Maid business as it continues to transform, achieve strong sales, and improve upon all operating metrics.

“I’ve always admired Sun-Maid, and I’m excited to officially join the team as president and chief operating officer to help take the brand to the next level,” added Loftus. “In the new role, I plan to continue accelerating Sun-Maid’s transformation into a consumer and market-focused organization, while executing daily operations that contribute to the company’s growth strategies.”

Loftus will replace Braden Bender, who has been serving as Sun-Maid’s interim president since September and is returning to his role as chief financial officer.

Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is a farmer’s cooperative of 600 grower families with vineyards in California’s Central Valley. From childhood to adulthood and generation to generation, Sun-Maid’s innovative snacks continue to feed imaginations one little red box at a time – because when imagination is used for good, there’s nothing more delicious! And while some things change, our real, minimally processed and consistently good ingredients haven’t. Always starting with a whole fruit you can see and taste, Sun-Maid continues to offer a trusted go-to snack that’s simple, healthy and versatile – imagine that!

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