We're delighted to welcome as our guest for this week's episode Bob Veilleux, vice president of produce and floral operations at Vallarta Supermarkets. Bob’s previous stops have included Gelson’s, Gerrity’s, El Rio Grande Latin Markets, LaMontanita Co-op, and Sprouts. In this conversation, Bob and The Produce Retail Podcast host Ashley Nickle discuss how Vallarta has shifted how it goes to market in produce; the role of name brands in their departments; the consumer research findings that informed their changes in specs; how relevant his previous experience with Latin markets has been in this role; which retailers Vallarta views as competition; how they invest in customer service as another differentiator; how they educate not only members of the produce team but also operations through field trips and trade shows; what they're prioritizing in the produce departments of the new stores they're opening; the importance of high-end fixtures in those stores; what impacts they are seeing from tariffs and how Bob approaches the uncertainty of that situation; how shoppers are looking at price versus quality in the current economic environment; how he got his start in the industry 38 years ago; how his time as a store manager and store director shaped his approach to leadership and why he considers those roles the most important in the grocery store today. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!

For more discussions featuring executive perspective, check out this playlist dedicated to conversations with current and former vice presidents of produce, directors of produce, and other executive roles. 

More Playlists

• Merchandising & Marketing 

• Leadership & Training

• Produce Manager Perspective

Podcast Background

This podcast is designed to cover all things produce retail: strategy, partnerships, planning, training, leadership, communication, merchandising and beyond. Scroll through our episodes list to find conversations with vice presidents and directors of produce, merchandisers, produce managers, retail dietitians and more.

Get Involved

The Produce Retail Podcast is hosted by Ashley Nickle, a former trade journalist turned consultant. Have an idea for a topic or a guest? Give her a shout on LinkedIn.