The Produce Retail Podcast

The Produce Retail Podcast is the place for thought leaders in the industry to talk shop. Join us for conversations on strategy, business partnerships, planning, training, leadership, communication, merchandising and much more. We'll have regular guests as well as more occasional visitors, and the goal is always to deliver conversations that inform, inspire and ultimately illuminate opportunities for growth. This podcast is hosted by Ashley Nickle, produce industry enthusiast and founder and CEO of Ashley Nickle Growth Strategies.

The Produce Retail Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Produce Retail Podcast, a business show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #176

  Rouses Markets produce director Blake Lee

  Sep 23, 202638 minS1

  We’re delighted to welcome as our guest in this episode Blake Lee, produce director of Rouses Markets. Blake’s career has also included stints at Bristol Farms, as the director of produce procurement, marketing, merchandising and supply chain; at Sprouts Farmers Market as a produce buyer; and at Henry’s Farmers Market as a produce manager. Blake also spent six years on the supply side of the business, with DLJ Produce, before joining Rouses last year. In this conversation, Blake discusses his first year at Rouses, including converting acquired Winn-Dixie stores; fostering greater connection between produce managers and suppliers, including through a reimagined annual produce managers meeting; his definition of great supplier partnerships; the company’s first-ever Grape Fest; increasing competition in the Louisiana market; how he works to combat turnover; and more. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #175

  An insider view of Mexican avocados with Chico Produce founder (and retail veteran) Rob Ybarra

  Aug 6, 202641 minS1

  We're delighted to have as our guest on this episode Rob Ybarra, founder and CEO of Chico Produce and a 35-year produce retail veteran. Before he moved to the supply side of the industry, Rob spent more than 35 years in produce retail, including stints as director of produce for H-E-B Mexico, Lowe's Pay-N-Save, Coborn’s and Rouses Markets. The focus of this conversation is avocados. When The Produce Retail Podcast host Ashley Nickle read the headlines about big avocado suppliers declaring force majeure in late May, she wanted to talk with Rob about what happened on that occasion as well as discuss Mexican avocados more broadly. In this conversation, Rob talks about standard volatility of supply versus what unfolded earlier this year; how Chico navigated the sudden increase in prices; how he prepared for and responded to sudden supply and price changes when he was on the retail side; what importers and retailers can learn from what happened in May; the seasonality of Mexican avocados and how oil content and dry matter varies; and his outlook and recommendations to retailers for the rest of the 2026. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #174

  Anne-Marie Roerink on changing consumer dynamics and their impact on produce

  Apr 9, 202654 minS1

  <p>We're delighted to have returning to the show a listener favorite, Anne-Marie Roerink! She’s the principal of 210 Analytics and renowned for her fabulous produce presentations, but in the last couple months she’s actually been at events for all different parts of the store, from meat to seafood to frozen to candy. With that in mind, Anne-Marie is the perfect person to talk with about what’s happening with consumers broadly and what it all means for produce. In this episode, we discuss how continued price sensitivity among consumers is translating in produce; the increasing concentration of produce sales...

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  Episode #173

  Kevin Climie, senior director of produce, floral and bulk foods at Fortinos, on store checks, new items, holidays and more

  Apr 2, 202635 minS1

  <p>We're delighted to welcome for this week's episode of the podcast Kevin Climie, senior director of produce, floral and bulk foods at Fortinos. Kevin joins the show to talk about how he chooses locations for store checks — both from a competitive standpoint and on the inspirational side; what's on his checklist to observe when he visits stores; how he looks to learn from other retailers across the country; new items the produce department has offered recently; first-quarter holidays; categories of focus for summer; and more. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! </p><p>See omnystudio.com...

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  Episode #172

  Food City produce operations supervisor Skylar Leonard

  Mar 25, 202643 minS1

  <p>We’re delighted to welcome as our guest on this week’s episode Skylar Leonard, produce operations supervisor for Food City. We last had Skylar on the show in 2023, when he was recognized as one of the best produce managers in the country as part of the International Fresh Produce Association’s Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. In his return, we discuss how he made the transition from managing his own store, to doing that while assisting on special projects, to now overseeing produce operations for 12 stores. We discuss how he allocates his time across stores, what he looks for wh...

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