GGG Q3 2019 Newsletter

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T O B E PA R T O F E V E R Y F O O D E X P E R I E N C E atalanta + camerican + de medici + finica + khi + jf braun + swiss chalet fine foods + tipico

UPDATE 2019-Q3

HIGHLIGHTS 02

TARIFF UPDATE

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BEEMSTER GO DUTCH PROMO

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ATALANTA SALES UPDATE

I SS U E 3

GO

Dutch

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

F R O M TO M GELLER T

TA RIF F U P DATE As you may have heard, the US imposed tariffs against the EU in response to the WTO ruling that the EU is subsidizing Airbus. The WTO ruled that this amount was $7.5 Billion.

However, we do feel we are well-positioned to mitigate the impact this has on our business.

We are fortunate to be in a strong US dollar environment and are working closely with suppliers and customers to lessen effect this has. We will continue to fight

The tariffs imposed include many food products, including this issue, in coordination with wine, spirits, cheese and olives, our trade associations to apply and olive oil. On October 18th, pressure to reverse this. this new duty of 25% went into effect.

Thank you in advance

We do not know how long these for Generating tariffs will be in effect, nor is it a Teamwork and guarantee that the rate does not Exceeding Expectations! change, or the list of the products impacted changes.

FRO M ANDY GELLERT

PR OC E SS I M P R OV E M E N T TE AM S The Process Improvements Teams continue to be a successful example of our employees embracing the GGG Core Values.

• They demonstrate Teamwork

• Amy Cook and Marlene Hampton encouraged their team to Exceed Expectations by improving the RMA process.

• The teams Lead by Example as they search to identify improvements throughout the organization.

• Yannick Meijer inspired his team to be Innovative, resulting in a new Pricing/Cost Worksheet.

and increase Communication by developing cross-functional groups.

Most of all, they Taste Success as these Process Improvements help us grow and be more successful.

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M V P RE COG N ITIO N ATALANTA JUSTIN MCMANUS

EXC E E D E X P ECTATI O NS

CAMERICAN MAVIR VILLAMIZAR

LE AD BY E XAMP LE ATALANTA SANDRA NENO

CAMERICAN MARIA CHONA BUSTOS

LI V E BY I N N OVATI O N ATALANTA CRISTINA SOTOLONGO

CAMERICAN GLORIA CHARLES

ATALANTA MARISSA DEMAIO

ATALANTA ED ARCE

KHI MARITZA DA COSTA

GENERATE TEA MWORK F R O M JO HN N ATH A N

E M P LOYE E E NG AG E ME NT R ESUL TS Atalanta employees were provided an opportunity to give their feedback in a survey earlier in the year.

87% of employees participated.

81% are satisfied at work.

81% intend to stay at Atalanta more than three years.

Employees like their job and feel both challenged and stimulated. There is great pride in our products. The company is very positive about GGG Values.

There were three areas we could improve: 1. Improve Policies, Practices and Procedures.

HR updated and released a

new Employee Handbook that is located on the “H” drive and the ADP homepage. We developed and delivered training on performance management so there is clarity for evaluation and career advancement. Departments are beginning to establish standard operating procedures. Finally, HR will be attending department meetings to answer questions about policies and procedures.

2. Improve Communication.

Leadership is holding Town Hall meetings, two in 2019. We are piloting a communication app, called StandOut with Sales, Operations, IT,

Marketing, and HR. IT introduced a network/ project management app, Podio, to facilitate better communication within and across departments. Other examples of communication initiatives include the GERP and GGG newsletters.

3. Training and Development.

HR has been researching on-line technical and soft skill training solutions. We expect to make a decision soon and have it available to employees. Food Service Sales, Retail Sales and IT have all initiated training.

IT recently hired Susan Justiniano, IT Training Specialist, who is now scheduling training for GGG employees. Department

heads have reviewed their survey results and have developed action plans to address their opportunities.

In summary, a lot has been accomplished since the survey. With everyone’s help and participation, we can make Atalanta an even more engaging place to work. We will survey again next year to measure the results.

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F RO M SHEN LU

G E RP PROJEC T O N TRAC K The team received three formal RFPs (Request for Proposals) from our top vendors: BLINCO, INFOR, and ORACLE. They will now go through the process of reviewing the RFPs and vetting the vendors.

GERP is making timely progress. Thanks to everyone who contributes to the GERP project!

G G G IT OF F ERS A N EW EM PL OY EE TRAI N I N G PROG R AM In September, GGG IT rolled out PODIO, a project/task management cloud application for IT and Marketing. This application is also available to other departments who are interested in using this online tool to streamline project management. IT is offering scheduled training from September through December 2019.

GGG IT Lunch and Learn Sessions with Zoom Audio & Video Conferencing are now being offered. The Lunch and Learn sessions for the 4th quarter will also include Podio overview and Excel 2016 training. For inquiries on existing IT Training contact helpdesk@gellertglobalgroup.com or the GGG IT Intranet Portal: https://bit.ly/2GpY4No

GELLFAM / FIVE GUYS OPENS 30TH LOCATION FIVE GUYS is proud to announce that the Salem, New Hampshire location opened on Saturday, September 14. The Salem location is the 1,619 store to open in the system and the 30th store location for Gellfam.

GELLFAM / FIVE GUYS WINS EMPLOYMENT LEADERSHIP AWARD FIVE GUYS was Voted #1 in all of New Hampshire for the Employment Leadership Award and received the award from the Governor on October 17.

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GGG GIVING DONATES 175 BACKPACKS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE For the first time, GGG GIVING organized donations for back-to-school. Partnering with Staples and United Way, GGG companies donated 175 supply-filled backpacks to underprivileged kids nationwide.

Thank you to all the volunteers!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE GGG MOVE MORE WELLNESS CHALLENGE! GGG WELLNESS held its second annual fitness challenge from June 1- July 15. More than 110 GGG employees participated in this event!

1st Place Team: UNSTOPPABLE: Javier Marez, Emil Rufolo, Aristol Melchor, Ines Delgado, Maggie Luna, and Monica Calderon.

Gift – Airpods 2nd Place Team: FROM FAT TO FIT: Yannick Meijer, Bob Gellert, Sonia Mejia, Maria Arias, Lauren Robinson, and Gabriela Zender.

Gift – $75 NIKE gift card 3rd Place Team: NO NAME TEAM: Carmen Gonzalez, Marc Eisenson, Oz Hernandez, Paul Blake, Shareena Roman Guiao, and Thomas Gellert.

Gift – Hydroflask water bottle

GGG WELLNESS LOUNGE NOW OPEN! Amy Gellert, along with the GGG Wellness committee, created a calm and comfortable lounge in the GGG main headquarters in Elizabeth. It is a great place to take a break and relax. In September, most GGG locations offered an Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation.

Mini chair massage therapy coming in December!

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

BEEMSTER LAUNCHES IN PUBLIX The Beemster “Go Dutch” promotion was launched in October to 1,200+ stores at Publix. Marissa DeMaio, Atalanta Director of Marketing, developed this program in collaboration with the retail sales team, account specialist and Beemster.

This is the most significant promotion that has ever been launched at a GGG company and required a team to execute. A great example of LIVE BY INNOVATION!

CELEBRITY ® GOAT CHEESE & LENBERG FARMS ™ WIN AWARDS AT THE AMERICAN CHEESE SOCIETY CONFERENCE Celebrity® Goat Cheese Original won 2nd place among fresh rind-less goat’s milk cheeses, its third award in the last several years. Celebrity® Goat Salted Butter won 3rd place in the goat’s milk butter category.

From Lenberg Farms™, Ashlyn, a creamy chèvre made from Canadian goat’s milk enveloped in a delicate white, bloomy rind, and bisected by a layer of vegetable ash, took home 3rd place among soft ripened cheese made from goat’s milk. Tania won 2nd place for sheep’s milk cheeses aged over 60 days. Aged for six months, Tania develops a semi-firm, smooth texture and a mellow flavor with earthy undertones.

GO

h c t u D

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BELTON FARM CHEESES WIN BIG AT THE INTERNATIONAL CHEESE AND DAIRY AWARDS Belton Farm received a total of 61 awards and 13 trophies including, for the 9th year in a row, the National Westminster Trophy for the highest number of points overall, gaining Belton recognition for their consistent cheese quality.

Held since 1897, the International Cheese and Dairy Awards had more than 5,000 cheeses entered in 300 categories and featured 240 expert judges.

Among the winning products that are available in the US: White Fox, which received the Red Tractor Assured Food Standards Award, the Champion Cheese for Children, and gold and silver awards. White Fox is a creamy, rich Aged White Leicester cheese.

Red Fox, a Red Leicester cheese with a wonderful crunch, was awarded The Cheese Company Trophy, which goes to the champion modern British cheese and gold and silver awards.

Double Gloucester Onion & Chives took home the Michelstown Cup, awarded to the best cheese with additives, as well as a gold award.

DEL DESTINO HUMMUS WON PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD AT THE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SERVICES ASSOCIATION EXPO Our grocery and sales team exhibited at the IFSA Expo in September in Los Angeles, CA. This threeday event was packed with industry leaders and decision-makers working to elevate the on board experience.

Del Destino Hummus is recognized for its shelfstability (it has an 18-month shelf life), all-natural ingredients.

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

ATALANTA TOWN HALL & PICNIC Atalanta kicked off their second Town Hall meeting this September at the JF Braun property in Elizabeth. The Leadership team gave updates on 2019 key objectives and recognized the new MVP GGG Core Values recipients. After, everyone enjoyed lunch and games for the afternoon.

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ATA L A N TA

YEAR TO DATE 2019 SALES CHEESE DEPARTMENT +4.5 %

F OO D SE RV I C E SAL E S M E N TO R P R OG R AM L AU N C H E D

Cherene Adrion is developing a mentoring program for the Foodservice Sales Team. The goal is to partner a new Atalanta professional with a mentor who can help acclimate them to our corporate culture, operating procedures, and provide general advice and guidance. The mentor/mentee relationship offers growth and development for the mentor as well.

DEMEDICI IMPORTS +28% FOODSERVICE SALES +2.2% $4.6MM

• Mentoring is an exchange of knowledge gained through personal experiences.

• Mentoring is designed to build individual relationships between experienced employees and employees striving to succeed within Atalanta.

RETAIL SALES +5.8% $4.8MM

• Mentoring is structured to identify and meet the developmental and professional growth needs of the sales professionals within Atalanta.

CLUB SALES +2.5% $8.8MM

ATAL AN TA V E N DO R O F T H E YE AR AT U N O PIZZERIA

• SWI S S C H A L E T FU L L Y IN T E R GRAT E D • B E E MS T E R W I N AT P U BL I X

In September, Beverly Sciullo, National Accounts Manager, on behalf of Atalanta, received Vendor of the Year from Uno Pizzeria.

Amy Cook, Director of National Accounts, states, “We only started to sell the 113-unit chain based out of Massachusetts in 2017. Beverly has built a great relationship with Uno’s culinary team. I also know there was a lot of teamwork and coordination in selling this chain initially, especially with the fresh mozzarella. We sell the account cheese and grocery!”

Congratulations, Beverly and the National Accounts Team!

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

RETAIL TEAM INITIATIVES BEEMSTER “Go Dutch” Publix Launch & Training:

On going training with AR: • Largest Merchandising Roll Out For Retail • Over 1200 Publix Stores will have the “Go Dutch” • Proper and timely completion of Promos in the Program Promo Module • Team collaboration between Account Specialists, • Timely and accurate clearing of deductions Retail Sales, Marketing & Beemster • Provided three training sessions to Publix Retail Customer Service Initiatives: Merchandising Teams • Cross training of all Retail Customer Service Reps Retail Sales Meeting Canada | September 2019: in the Gellert South office • Cross training between Retail Customer Service • Team visited our Canadian Suppliers: Mariposa and Cruise Ship Customer Service Dairy and Quality Cheese • Ensuring our customers always have a

• Cheese Pairing Seminars knowledgeable internal customer service person • Met with Finica sales team to collaborate and to contact exchange ideas on the retails markets

DEMO’S FOR D E M E DIC I! KINGS Food Markets cooking class in Short Hills, NJ. The class featured Emanuela Stucchi Prientti, our supplier and owner of Badia a Coltibuono Estate in Tuscany, Italy. Emanuela taught the class how to make home made ravioli, sauce and foccacia using the estate’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and our best seller!

Holiday Foods Show with distributor Perrone & Sons and CL Smart in July!

NEW D EM ED ICI CO O KBO O K CO M ING SO O N!

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SWISS CHALET HOSTS FOODSERVICE SALES MEETING In August, the Foodservice Sales Team held their meeting at Swiss Chalet headquarters in Miami, FL.

LRN BRAND MANAGER MAKES COVER OF LA ROSE NOIRE JOURNAL Elizabeth Patel, LRN Brand Manager, headlines the latest issue of the La Rose Noire Journal. She was interviewed in a Q&A about her personal and professional life. Congratulations!

GROCERY DEPARTMENT

M E NÚ’ S CHE F M AUR I Z I O R E T UR NS TO I TALY After eight years supporting Gellert Global Group as the Corporate Chef Maurizio Ferrari for MENÚ, Chef Maurizio returns to Italy to continue working with MENÚ. We wish him all the success and will miss him!

Ciao Maurizio!

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CHEESE & SPECIALTY DELI DEPARTMENT ALESSANDRO CARPENEDO FEATURE ON THE COVER OF CHEESE CONNOISSEUR

VEGAN CHEESE -SHEESE PLACED AT SPROUTS! Atalanta has sold the first order of Vegan Cheese- Sheese to Sprouts, Denise Kramer’s account. Hannah Thompson and Denise have worked tirelessly on this! The initial order is 660 cases.

LIDL TARGETS OVER 50 CHEESE ITEMS FOR 2020 Ben Feigenbutz received great news from Lidl that over 50 cheese items have been targeted by Lidl for U.S. distribution starting Q2 2020.

Great job, Ben!

The new issue of Cheese Connoisseur has Alessandro Carpenedo on the Cover. Atalanta has been importing La Casearia Carpenedo products for many years. Currently, we sell around $200K a year of La Caseria cheeses. In 2020 the business is projected to increase. For the full article, visit Atalanta’s Facebook page.

ANDREA BERTI EARNS CERTIFICATE FROM ACS From the American Cheese Society, “The American Cheese Society (ACS) is honored to present Andrea Berti with the title of ACS Certified Cheese Professional. We commend your commitment to the cheese profession and your desire to continually improve upon your knowledge and skills.”

Andrea joins Atalanta’s elite group of individuals that can proudly call themselves ACS CCPs. This group includes: Sam Kane, Kathryn Ziesemer, Katarina Carlson and Hannah Thompson.

Congratulations Andrea!

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ATAL A NTA

N EW H I R E S! Q 3 20 1 9

SAMANTHA LOPES: Business Development Coordinator Cheese Department

KYNDAL GREEN: Shipping & Receiving Auditor

NICOLE DELUCA: Associate Business Development Coordinator (part-time) Cheese Department

HAROLD BLACKSHER: Warehouse Associate

WENDY ISRAEL: Territory Sales Representative TRINECE GAFFNEY: Account Specialist CHRISTINE SWEENEY: Area Sales Manager DENISE NAVEDO: Warehouse Administrator NYJER EVANS: Customer Service Representative ROBERT MCCARTHY: Warehouse Manager Night Shift ELSA LAI: Senior Quality Control Specialist

ANGEL FLORES: Warehouse Associate RAYMOND CARDENALES: Warehouse Associate MEAGAN TUTTLE: Swiss Chalet Houston Sales Representative TOMMY MAUTH: Swiss Chalet Orlando Sales Representative KEN SUH: Supply Chain Analyst ROQUE FRANCISCO: Warehouse Associate ANGEL GONZALEZ: Demand Planning Analyst MIKE BRITO: Accounts Receivable Analyst

ERICK GUZMAN: Warehouse Associate XAVIER DIXON: Shipping & Receiving Auditor

P ROMOTIO NS & NEW RO L ES ANNA AR ON O F F WI NS T H E

ARL ENE G IRA RD I: BU Y ER- S U P P LY CH A IN PATRICIA D IA Z: WA REH O U S E A D MIN IS T RAT IV E SUPE RV I SOR SIMO N VA LD ERRA MA : D EMA N D P LA N N IN G A N ALYST

GO L DE N A PPL E

HR RECOGNIZES OUTSTANDING ACTION PLANS FROM MANAGERS In February of 2019, HR Atalanta launched a company-wide engagement survey. Thank you to those who participated in providing valuable feedback. As a result, we have asked managers to come up with action plans to help increase engagement, and we would like to recognize two employees for creating an outstanding action plan: ED ARCE Ed plans to improve communication with each employee. He wants to understand how they like to be managed and to learn of any issues they may be facing. He plans to have continuous communication regarding their goals and to mentor them on how to obtain those goals. Ed plans to have weekly updates on his team’s progress using the new KPI Board that is displayed in the C.A. warehouse. The KPI Board will allow for open discussions of how team goals are set and what the current score is. Ed plans to challenge each team member with new roles by having them join Learn Team events, so they are part of the solution/process.

DEAN COHAGAN Since the engagement survey results, Dean has created a new organizational structure for his team, which will make it easier to focus on an individual’s career plans. This new structure will ensure all team members are getting more one-on-one time as well as proper feedback on performance. Dean also created two new roles that will allow for growth opportunities and future advancement within the organization. He plans to build documented policies and procedures, so the team has confidence in the expectations. He also plans to work on training manuals to ensure onboarding is a more seamless process.

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CAMERICAN & KHI NEW HIRES CAMERICAN NEW HIRES WEI ZHU: Customer Support Analyst AGATA SKOWRONSKA: Business Development Manager JENNELL BLACKMON: Logistics Coordinator BRIAN SHOEMAKER: Regional Director, Foodservice Sales PATRICIA VITIELLO: Customer Account Specialist FRANK RIVERA: Software Engineer

VIRU CELEBRATES 25 YEARS In August GGG members, including George G. Gellert, Josh Gellert, Eric Larson, Daniel Sanchez and Sandra Casey, had the honor of being part of Viru S.A. 25th anniversary celebration in Trujillo, Peru. VIRU hosted a full-day event for friends, employees, and suppliers. The day included a tour of their facilities, farming fields and planting avocado trees and ended in a fabulous cocktail party at the historical the Chan Chan Archaeological ruins. It was a memorable celebration!

CAMERICAN ANNIVERSARIES MARION RUFF: February 2019 – 30 years ARTHUR SHANKIN: March 2019 – 40 years JAY BRESLOW: April 2019 - 30 years FRAN DEGREGORIO: May 2019 – 20 years NANCY CHEN: June 2019 - 5 years MARI CHIRIFF: August 2019 -35 years JOSH GELLERT: August 2019 – 10 years MELISSA SABOL: September 2019 -10 years

KHI NEW HIRES ANDREA SEIROTTI: Quality Assurance Manager RACQUISH BEDWARD: Logistics Coordinator

KHI ANNIVERSARIES PAOLA CARDENAS: July 2019 – 5 years TRACY STARKS: August 2019 – 5 years MATT JUSTICE: September 2019 – 5 years

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Q3 PAR TEE AT PARAMUS MINI GOLF

ANNUAL CAMERICAN/KHI MEETING The Annual KHI meeting was held in July at the Gathering Spot in Atlanta. The primary goal of the meeting was to bring together our diverse and dynamic group to provide indepth insight of our business, as well as, open dialogue on KHI/Camerican future synergies.

The enthusiasm and positive spirit helped make the annual meeting both productive and fun.

CELEBRATE VEGAN DAY! KHI held a special Vegan Day on September 7th and 14th. Employees brought in home-cooked vegan dishes, and the company gathered to share a healthy vegan lunch.

THE KHI TEAM TOOK AN OUTING TO A SOCCER GAME. GO ATLANTA UNITED!!!

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

FINICA ATTENDS UNFI

TEAM DAY WITH A RETRO TWIST August 14th-15th- Finica took their sales meeting offsite to Nottawasaga Resort. A day of team activities ended with a 70/80’s themed lip-synced battle with the whole group in costume. The following day Volpi presented both their current products and NPD to the Finica team.

ATALANTA AND FINICA SALES MEET September- Atalanta Sales team joined Finica Sales for a day of presentations and tours of our Canadian suppliers Mariposa Dairy in Lindsay and Quality Cheese in Woodbridge.

September 14th and 15th- Finica partnered with UNFI at the Canadian Health Food Association, presenting the Potassium Sorbate free Goat cheeses and artisanal Lenberg Farms Products.

FINICA NEW HIRES MENA CINELLI: Purchasing & Logistics

DO YOU HAVE UNIQUE STORIES TO SHARE? The Giving Team wants to highlight our employees that take time to work with nonprofit organizations, mentor children or volunteer at their local charities. Inspirational stories and acts of kindness can make a difference in the lives of people. We want to share these stories with everyone. Please send information to: givingteam@gellertglobalgroup.com

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP PERSONAL NOTES MAT T J US TI C E F ROM K HI MARRI ED ELI Z AB ETH ON J U L Y 7

H A PPY E N G AG E M E N T !

Atalanta’s Sam Kass was engaged to Gina this August!

CO N G R AT S TO JAYM E P E R EZ F R O M S W I SS C H A LE T W ES T Sofia Perez

ANYONE F OR A RUN?

Atalanta’s Andrea Berti ran his first triathlon!

B E TSY S OL E R RE TI R ES AF T ER 5 0 H A P P Y YE AR S AT ATA L A N TA !

A quote from Betsy, “ I want to thank Atalanta for giving me a wonderful opportunity to work, learn and grow with this organization. Working for this company has contributed to both my personal and professional development. Thanks to all and may you all have many blessings in the future.”

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GELLERT GLOBAL GROUP

T O B E PA R T O F E V E R Y F O O D E X P E R I E N C E