This time around I’ve got a little bit of a mix of food industry and tech sprinkled in.
 
 
Since I had lived in Western NY for a good chunk of time (RIT, then on to some startups, and on to the big yellow box) this article caught my eye when I saw the name Wegmans. That was one thing that I missed when I moved to the westcoast, there weren’t any (and still pretty much not) any grocery stores like Weggies. The selection of products and service is what made them great. And they had that food hall feel with large prepared food areas, long before the new ‘trend’ that is coming around now (not in groceries but dedicated food halls).
(link on pymnts.com)
 
 
Amazon Go – the checkout-less konbini store – You’ve probably heard about this in the mainstream media news, amzn trying out a checkout-less convenience store for quick grab-n-go items. Technology tracks you and the items thru the store and as you walk out, it charges your account.

Others might rush to replicate it, but there are times that human interaction is what is wanted. The experience is what will leave the impression. Example, in an Apple store there are concierges and geniuses at the bar.
(link on Forbes)
In this article, they bring up a very interesting idea, what if amzn was to license or give away the underlying technology? Ever the trojan horse.
 
 
Will legal cannabis farming lead the innovations in the tradtional food growing industry? Kind of reminds me of how the porn industry can get a lot of the credit for advancing video and technology/internet industries, as they had the higher margins to invest in the R&D of the technologies.
(link on Bloomberg)
 
 
and one more from Forbes – Snap Kitchen in Texas, take away healthy, handmade meals
If Whole Foods and 7-Eleven Had a Baby, It Would Be Snap Kitchen
Looks very interesting, something to keep an eye on:
(link on Forbes)
 
 
[so that was my 2nd installment of Caught My Attention, I’m starting to get on a roll. As time goes on, I’m sure I’ll get some kinks out and fix a few things to make it smoother for me and easier on you. Heading up for a day to the Fancy Foods Show, so maybe some reporting from there next time.]