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NFRA will present Gold and Silver Penguin awards during October convention in San Diego.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has announced the winners of the Golden Penguin Awards for its 2018 March Frozen Food Month promotion. The March promotion helped the industry drive traffic in the frozen food aisles and increase sales for many categories and brands. NFRA has awarded 39 Gold Awards and 23 Silver Awards. In addition, five companies will be revealed as Top Marketers during the NFRA Convention in San Diego. The complete list of winners is at the end of this story.

The Gold award winners will be recognized throughout a Networking Reception on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 at NFRA’s Convention, and the Top Marketer awards will be presented. Silver awards are typically presented at the local level at appropriate frozen food association meetings.

In an effort to create a renewed level of prestige and recognition for this flagship awards program, NFRA made significant changes to the Golden Penguin Awards program in 2016. New categories that better reflect today’s marketing practices, a streamlined online entry system, a numeric scoring platform and a redesigned award provided a fresh opportunity for companies to be nationally recognized for excellence in merchandising and marketing frozen and refrigerated foods.

Participants could choose from eleven categories including: In-Store Display, In-Store Event, Community Involvement, Social Media Campaign, Traditional Marketing, Private Brand Campaign and Overall Marketing Campaign with sub-categories for – Retailer, Wholesaler, Manufacturer, Sales Agent and Local Association. Plus, the Top Marketer Awards honor the best of the best. The highest scoring entry in each of the Overall Marketing Campaign sub-categories will be named the Top Marketer.

Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and local associations of any size (retail and military) could enter any category applicable to their business. Entries were judged on their own merit taking into consideration organization size and/or program budget. Companies can participate in the Golden Penguin competition for NFRA’s other promotions for June Dairy Month and Ice Cream & Novelties.

 

GOLD WINNERS

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

ACME Markets, Philadelphia, Pa.

Chris’ Food Center Sandstone, Sandstone, Minn.

Frozen and Refrigerated Foods of Central Florida, Riverview, Fla.

North Florida Frozen Refrigerated Foods Assn., Jacksonville, Fla.

 

IN-STORE DISPLAY

ACME Markets 7961, Philadelphia, Pa.

B&G Foods, Parsippany, N.J.

Chris’ Food Center Sandstone, Sandstone, Minn.

Assisting Company: Kemps, St. Paul, Minn.

The Pictsweet Company, Bells, Tenn.

   Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

The Pictsweet Company/Bashas 15

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

The Pictsweet Company/Safeway 3334

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

Safeway 1491, Phoenix, Ariz.

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

Woodman’s Food Market, Menomonee Falls, Wis.

Assisting Company: Kemps, Cedarburg, Wis.

 

IN-STORE EVENT

Chris’ Food Center Sandstone, Sandstone, Minn.

Woodman’s Food Market, Waukesha, Wis.

Assisting Company: Kemps, Cedarburg, Wis.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

LOCAL ASSOCIATION

Frozen & Refrigerated Food Council of Northern California, Tres Pinos, Calif.

Frozen & Refrigerated Foods of Central Florida, Riverview, Fla.

 

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

MANUFACTURER

Ateeco Inc., Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Shenandoah, Pa.

B&G Foods, Parsippany, N.J.

Cape Cod Select Premium Cranberries, Carver, Mass.

The Pictsweet Company, Bells, Tenn.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

RETAILER

ACME Markets, Philadelphia, Pa.

Albertsons Southwest Division, Phoenix, Ariz.

Smart & Final Stores, Commerce, Calif.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

SALES AGENT

Douglas Sales, Piscataway, N.J.

IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

WHOLESALER

1. Lee Flowers and Company, Lake City, S.C.

 

PRIVATE BRAND CAMPAIGN

Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Smart & Final Stores, Commerce, Calif.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Smart & Final Stores, Commerce, Calif.

 

TRADITIONAL MARKETING

The Pictsweet Company, Bells, Tenn.

Smart & Final Stores, Commerce, Calif.

Supervalu, Commerce, Calif.

 

SILVER WINNERS

 

IN-STORE DISPLAY

Albertsons 169, Boise, Idaho

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Denver, Colo.

B&G Foods, Parsippany, N.J.

OSCWEBco, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Safeway 1548, Greenwood Village, Colo.

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Denver, Colo.

Safeway 1983, Phoenix, Ariz.

Assisting Company: IMPACT GROUP, Phoenix, Ariz.

Smart & Final Stores, Commerce, Calif.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

MANUFACTURER

Graeter’s Ice Cream, Cincinnati, Ohio

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

RETAILER

Harris Teeter, Matthews, N.C.

Price Chopper/Market 32, Schenectady, N.Y.

Safeway Eastern Division, Philadelphia, Pa.

 

OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

WHOLESALER

Associated Grocers, Baton Rouge, La.

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, Kan.

Bozzuto’s, Inc., Cheshire, Conn.

C&S Wholesale, Robesonia, Pa.

SPARTANNASH, Grand Rapids, Mich.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

ACME Markets, Philadelphia, Pa.

Safeway Eastern Division, Philadelphia, Pa.

 

TRADITIONAL MARKETING

Bozzuto’s, Inc., Cheshire, Conn.

KVAT Food Stores, Abingdon, Va.

Tony’s Fresh Market, Kansas City, Mo.