FreshDirect and the New York Women's Chamber of Commerce, hosted the “Grow Through Grocery!” Virtual Seminar on February 16. The event was targeted to Minority/Women Business Enterprises and formatted into four sections covering merchandising, customer service, marketing, and production and operations, all designed to educate attendees on how to do business with FreshDirect and other large companies.
“At FreshDirect, we have a long-standing commitment of supporting all of our local vendor partners, especially our Black-owned, minority, and female vendor partners to provide counsel and guidance on industry best practices and latest trends,” said Larry Scott Blackmon, vice president of public affairs at FreshDirect, in a statement. “We're proud to have partnered with New York Women's Chamber of Commerce for this virtual event and share knowledge and expertise on what attendees' brands would need to make it to retail, and look forward to continuing to support some of these businesses through the FreshDirect Business Mentorship Program.”
During the virtual event, experts from FreshDirect shared knowledge on topics including sourcing, packaging, social media, and customer service. Breakout sessions were conducted for a deeper dive on each of the areas.
Attendees are encouraged to apply for the FreshDirect Business Mentorship Program, where selected participants will have an opportunity to be mentored by FreshDirect experts who can help them take their business to the next level.
“At NYWCC, we work every day to help women and minority entrepreneurs build their businesses by providing the tools, resources, and access to the opportunities necessary for them to grow their businesses and advance economically,” said Quenia Abreu, president of NYWCC, in a statement.
“For NYWCC, it is all about the inclusion of M/WBEs in business opportunities,” she added. “This is the reason why we are excited to have FreshDirect as one of our partners in our efforts to advance M/WBEs. We look forward to continuing this collaboration through a FreshDirect Mentorship Program to give MWBE firms access to mentors in the food industry that can help them take their business to the next level.”
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