Business Beat: Dave’s Fresh Marketplace is IGA USA Retailer of the Year  

The Independent Grocers Alliance has announced Dave Cesario, owner of Dave’s Fresh Marketplace in East Greenwich, Rhode Island as IGA USA Retailers of the Year. 

The Retailer of the Year awards are the highest honors IGA bestows upon its retailer members. They are presented annually to grocers who have best provided leadership and excellence in their communities.  

Cesario will be recognized at the IGA Awards of Excellence Ceremony on Monday, February 24, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The store was nominated by their Licensed Distribution Center Bozzuto’s, Inc.  

IGA CEO John Ross and Senior Vice President Retail and Business Development Doug Fritsch will visit Dave’s Fresh Marketplace on January 13, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. to get a firsthand feel for how the retailer interacts with employees, customers, and the community. Local media are encouraged to attend, as Ross, Fritsch, and Cesario will be available for interviews during the visit. 

Based on information gathered during the store visits, the committee will then select one IGA USA Retailer of the Year to receive the IGA International Retailer of the Year award, which will be awarded on stage at the IGA Awards of Excellence Ceremony. Fellow IGA Retailers of the Year from other countries in addition to select Red Oval partners and wholesalers will also be honored at the event. 

Dave’s Fresh Marketplace is the largest independent grocer in Rhode Island, with 10 unique locations in seven diverse communities serving over 140,000 customers each week. Since 1969, when Cesario bought a truck and began selling fresh produce on the corner in Warwick, then building a 14×24-foot lean-to for the winter, Cesario has been building his business based on his love of produce. 56 years later, Dave’s Fresh Marketplace is 10 stores strong with a loyal employee base. In fact, his management staff and core group of supervisors and buyers have worked with him for an average of 32 years! 

About the Independent Grocers Alliance (www.iga.com) 

The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926, bringing together independent grocers across the United States to ensure that the trusted, family-owned local grocery store remained strong in the face of growing chain competition. IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of over $43 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 6,300 stores globally, with operations in 46 of the United States and over 25 countries.