The aisle might look calm, but the work behind it moves fast. We sit down with Emily Detwiler, Vice President of AWG Brands at Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), to unpack how private brands become a competitive edge for independent grocers—and how empathetic leadership keeps teams performing at their best. Emily shares a candid path from high school cashier to executive, spanning CPG analytics, fresh meat marketing, and wholesale strategy, with one throughline: say yes to stretch roles and learn quickly.

We dig into the mechanics of winning private labels across Best Choice and Always Save—partnering with manufacturers, shaping assortments with category managers, and aligning brand positioning for retailers and their shoppers. Emily explains how storytelling with data drives decisions at the shelf, from price architecture to packaging. She also opens up about the realities of work and family, offering practical tactics like outsourcing low-value tasks and building strong carpools so she can be present at baseball games and swim meets without letting her team down.

The conversation gets timely with a major reform: removing synthetic dyes by 2026. Emily outlines the steps to reformulate at scale, manage costs and quality, and keep communication clear for store owners and operators. We also look ahead at AI, ecommerce, and click and collect, emphasizing a people-first approach to technology that enhances forecasting, content, and customer experience without losing the human touch. Along the way, we highlight the power of mentorship and associations like WGA, WISE, PLMA, and FMI to accelerate careers—especially for women—through shared learning and real-world projects.

If you care about independent grocery, private brand strategy, and practical leadership you can use tomorrow, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with a colleague who loves the industry, and leave a review to help more people find Grocery from Her Seat.

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Grocery From Her Seat, Insights for Independent Grocers has been selected as one of the Top 35 Independent Women Podcasts on the web.
https://podcast.feedspot.com/independent_women_podcasts/

Host: Kristin Popp
Production: Rachael Melot, SWA.Marketing