What's Going On: APM’s 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival, FreshStartPHL – Helping Renters Bridge the Gap, Transparency & Tech in Food - Philadelphia Community Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to what's going on a show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
We'll be talking to a couple of innovators who are
reimagining transparency and tech in the food and beverage space
with their company Pick Your Packer. We'll talk about a
new program that helps working Philadelphian's take the next step
towards secure housing. But first today, we're joined by Emily Cordero,
who's director of Communications for pederg Kenyos in Marja, better

(00:30):
known as APM. APM is a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia
that's been serving the Latino community and more for fifty
five years. Emily is here to talk about the twenty
first annual Sugar Cane Festival, a joyful celebration of Puerto
Rican heritage, food, music, and community happening on Saturday, June fourteenth,
from twelve to four pm at sixth Street and Susquehanna Avenue. Emily,

(00:54):
for those who've never been, what is the Sugar Cane
Festival all about? And why is it so meaningful to
the kmuremmunity.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Thank you so much for that great introduction of Lorraine.
We're so happy to be here with you today. It
has so many meanings with everybody in the community. We've
been around for fifty five years, as you said, and
it means setting aside apart a day just to honor
your heritage where you're coming from community. So it means

(01:22):
just one day out of the many that you can
just relax and be with people who who share your
same heritage and thoughts and beliefs on your culture. So
we're so excited, super excited. We're having Victoria coming from
Puerto Rico, folksinger from Puerto Rico, a very known one,
so we're very excited to have her. And we just
did the Bad Bonny contest, and you know that the

(01:44):
Bad Bony album has been incredibly successful and shedding some light,
shedding some knowledge about what Puerto Rico is going through
right now. We're super pumped for this one. We're super
pumped every year, Lorraine, but this year we're so super
rout of the fact that we were able to do
so much with this you know, contest and that Bunny

(02:04):
and the winner's going to be with us that day,
so we're super excited to share that same excitement.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, it's a wonderful event and we're really looking forward
to being there. I wonder if you can tell us
a little bit about the historical and cultural significance of
sugarcane and how it inspired this festival.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
It's been around for so many years, more than twenty years,
and it basically came The idea came about because there
were sugar crop workers that work in the refineries here
in Philadelphia. So we're honoring that era, that period when
they were here working in the refinery straight from Puerto Rico.

(02:43):
So it's an honor of those people that were working here.
So yeah, that's why it's called Sugarcane Festival, because it's
an honor of them.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yeah, and I wonder if you can tell us more
about how this festival connects with apm's broader mission of
community empowerment.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
It's what we bring, is what we live for, is
what we wake up every day to come to do
to impact people that way. We have financial literacy, we
have preschools, we have adoption and faster care, and within
those programs, it's very important for us to instill the
importance of community and culture. So we're celebrating that day,

(03:20):
we're celebrating the work that we do within the people
here and are our clients. That's the whole you know point.
Culture is very important to many people, and so why
not celebrate the fact that all year round we're helping
all these people and we're just basically with them hand
in hand, helping them buy their first house. You know,
I get chills, and I get I get so excited
because that's what we do want a living today basis.

(03:43):
So we get to see them in person again in
the festival a more relaxed environment, and shake their hands
and hug them and tell them, hey, we're here for you.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
You know, this is for you too.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's free to the public, Learne. So we were happy
to just you know, share that culture and happiness and
the community that we built.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, APM does so much for the community. I can
speak from a very personal standpoint because there's a family
that we love very much that APM helped them not
only move out of one of the toughest drug areas
in which they had to constantly deal with the dealers
and the needles and everything else, and they got to

(04:22):
move into a new house which they were able to afford,
but they wouldn't have been able to afford it had
it not been for APM. So I will always be
forever grateful to APM for helping this family that we
love so much. APM does so much more. It certainly
is very Latino facing, but you do cover the community,

(04:42):
so everyone is welcome to participate, not only in the
sugar cane festival, but all of the very many resources
and campaigns and aspects of our community that you can provide,
whether it's housing, financial, literacy, see all the different things.
So it's APM is for everyone, right.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
It is.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
We started off with four veterans, Puerto Rican veterans, just
offering services to Hispanics and Puerto Ricans, but now fifty
five years later, we'll offer everybody. We have been all along,
but people because of our name APM as SOCIALCI and
Puerto Rican Mancha, they associated just with the Latino community.
But I just want to say and reiterate that it's

(05:27):
for everybody. Yeah, piggybacking off your statement about you know
the story, How blessed am I to hear that story
from you. Thank you so much for sharing that, because
this is that those stories that keep us going. Behavioral
health is so important, and we do have a behavioral
health team who help the people that don't know where
to go to. Mental health is so important, and we're

(05:49):
having a campaign directed and geared two helping people basically
get in tuned with their mental health is a stigma
in the community, so we have a really big show
coming out on Telemundo about that.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
Absolutely, And I think the other thing too is although
APM is for everybody, you are culturally competent, so you're
able to provide services that really do speak to people's
backgrounds and culture. And so it's one thing to provide services,
but to be culturally competent is so important, particularly in

(06:24):
communities where people don't speak in fluent English or there
are other barriers to getting the kinds of services that
they require and they need and that you provide. So
that's what's so special about APM. It is for everyone,
but it also provides culturally competent resources and services for
so many people in the community. Emily, if people want

(06:47):
more information, not only about the Sugarcane Festival, which again
is Saturday, June fourteenth, from twelve noon to four at
sixth Street in Susquehanna Avenue, please come. The food is awesome,
the music is fantastic. Of course, our iHeartRadio station Rumba
one oh six' one will be there as well. How
can people find more information about that and all the

(07:07):
great resources that APM provides.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
The website is APMFELA dot org. That's APM p h
I LA dot org. You can also call two sixty
seven two nine six seven two zero zero and they'll
connect you to any of our programs that are listed
in the APM website.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Absolutely wonderful.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Emily Cordero, Directive Communications for APM for All. They are
a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia serving the Latino community and
more for fifty five years. Thank you so much for
joining us, Emily.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
Always you're listening to what's going on. We'll be talking
about a new program that helps working Philadelphis take the
next step towards secure housing. I'm joined by David Thomas,
President and CEO of pH d C, Philadelphia full Service
Community Development Organization.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
He's going to tell us.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
About fresh Start PHL, a new pilot program that helps
renters cover the cost of moving into a new home.
So Dave, always great to see you. What is fresh
Start PHL and how does it support renters in Philadelphia.

Speaker 4 (08:18):
It's always great to be here.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
Fresh Start Field is a pilot program that really focuses
on the cost to move. As you know, Philadelphia, like
many places, the cost of living is challenging. Affordability is
becoming much more difficult here in Philadelphia in particular. You know,
we administered an emergency rental assistance program from during the

(08:41):
COVID time, and we certainly learned a lot about the
challenges that folks are facing nowhere out of COVID. Those
challenges have not diminished. I'd probably argue that they've gotten
tremendously greater since the time before COVID.

Speaker 4 (08:55):
So the city.

Speaker 5 (08:56):
Along with PhDc work together to put together the program
called fresh Start. Fresh Starters is designed to bridge the
gap for those that may be able to afford the
monthly rents but can't get over the hurdle to even
get into the unit. You know, we're talking about first month,
last month security deposit. I mean, if you just think

(09:18):
about it conceptually, if a two bedroom apartment it's fifteen
hundred dollars a month, you have to come up with
literally five thousand dollars to get into that unit. So
our program is designed to help you get over that hurdle.
We're offering first, last, and security deposit as well as
moving expenses because we know that that also hinders people's

(09:38):
ability and oftentimes people have to decide, you know, when
they make that move, they get into a unit, they
have to move, the cost to move is there, and.

Speaker 4 (09:46):
Then their Facebook challenges.

Speaker 5 (09:48):
We're paying that monthly rent that comes soon thereafter, right,
so we believe that this is an opportunity for folks
to get exactly what we call it the first start.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, that's great because that deposit, that first month, last month,
and then security deposit can really add up. And even
if you can afford that rent per month, having to
come up with all that cash upfront can be such
a strain.

Speaker 2 (10:14):
Who qualifies for Fresh Start PHL.

Speaker 5 (10:17):
Like with all of our programs that we administer here
in the city, there's always an income limitation. This program
is no different. It's a pilot program right now. Our
funding is limited. I will tell you so please. I
want to encourage your listeners that don't hesitate get in
the queue. If you're looking for a place to move,
you're looking for a place to get.

Speaker 4 (10:37):
That fresh start. I encourage you to apply for these funds.

Speaker 5 (10:41):
The income requirements to give an example, my family four
has to.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Make less than ninety five thousand dollars. That's not too high,
but it's not too low either.

Speaker 5 (10:53):
Yeah, y, it's a good sweet spot where we can
provide the necessary resources for those families to to get
a footing and get stabilized here in our city.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Now, we understand that landlords have to agree to accept
the funding. Can you walk us through how that part
of the process works.

Speaker 5 (11:10):
So, just like through our tenant eviction foreclosure program, tend
the eviction process, landlords have to agrease. So, for instance,
landlord has to have a license, has to be licensed landlord.
We need a signed lease. Landlord has to for the
most part give us a term that shows that the
lease is for a year that is not very much

(11:32):
more different different than that again, your license, because we
often have situations where landlords are not licensed in Philadelphia.
That's a big problem in Philadelphia. We also do an
inspection of the unit to make sure that the unit
is habitable. We don't want to give money to people
to move into a property that is inhabitable. We're trying
to be very thoughtful in terms of how we go
about that. But other than that, there isn't much more

(11:53):
of a hurdle than those things right there.

Speaker 4 (11:55):
But folks are interested, they can go apply at.

Speaker 5 (11:58):
PhDc pH Dcphiller dot org ps and Paul hs and
Harry Ds and David cs in corporation.

Speaker 4 (12:09):
Phila, p h I l A dot org all one word.

Speaker 1 (12:14):
Okay, So, since this is a pilot program, what are
the next steps once funding runs out and how can
residents or supporters help advocate for its continuation.

Speaker 5 (12:24):
Well, that's a good point. As with many pilot programs. Obviously,
the longevity of a program is is this use is
this need residents? If we see that the need is
greater than what we anticipated, that program probably will have
a longevity to it. If that program doesn't get too
much attraction, obviously that program gets reworked and we come
up with some other avenue to address. So some of

(12:46):
the challenges that we've seen, quite honestly, is finding units.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
Okay, interesting, Yeah.

Speaker 5 (12:52):
Folks are having difficulty finding units that they can afford, right, Okay,
So even though we have the resources to help you
get in that to make sure that you can pay
that monthly, and so folks are having difficulty finding those
units in areas that they have desires to live. We
have a bold initiative by this administration.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
This mayor. We have a home initiative.

Speaker 5 (13:11):
We're trying to put more units on online, We're trying
to preserve more units, so hopefully we'll be able to
fill that void that we see exists today in terms
of finding available units. So we have a multitude of
programs that this Mayor is boldly putting forward. And I
do believe that if this program catches fire like many
of our programs have, they've already we the administration, the

(13:34):
Council have already committed to keeping the program. I'm going
it has a very good chance of growing and continuing.
And again, if it doesn't necessarily meet the need, we
make adjustments and we meet the challenge.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
That's awesome.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
It's obviously something very needed, and it's interesting that you
mentioned that when the challenges is finding the affordable units.
So we're very excited to hear what the mayor is
planning in terms of providing more affordable housing for low
and middle income individuals here in Philadelphia. Where can people
go to apply and how can they stay updated on

(14:10):
other housing and community resources offered by pH DC.

Speaker 5 (14:14):
Yes, thank you for that, because we do have a
great deal of programs available for our residents. You know,
we have grant programs for home repair. We have grant
programs to help modify the home for people having difficulty
getting around with physical disabilities. We have a mental improvement
program for landlords who want to make improvements to units

(14:37):
that are being rented at affordable rates to our residents
here in Philadelphia. That is a forgivable loan predicated on
you making that unit available and affordable for a period
of time. So we have a lot and your listeners
can visit our website at pH DC Philip. That's one
word pH d C Phillip, p h I L A

(14:59):
dot or for fresh Start for Forward Slash Fresh Start
phil Fresh Start Pill. That's for the first Start program
and for all the other programs. You can simply do
the same thing forward Slash.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
You can get.

Speaker 5 (15:17):
Forward Slash Rental Improvement fun RIF Forward Slash VSRP for
the basis of the repair program, or you just go
to my website and browse the web page and to
direct you to the areas soon I'll have a web
automated system that allows folks to go online, pull up
a menu of assortment of programs and it will allow

(15:40):
you to answer certain questions and we'll point you in
the direction of all the programs that you will.

Speaker 4 (15:44):
Be auligible for.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
Oh that's fantastic, I can't wait to see that. Of course,
you can also go again as you mentioned pH dcphilla
dot org, slash backslash fresh Start PHL and you can
also follow at PHL planned on all the social media.
Great work out there a PhDc to make a housing

(16:05):
affordable for all we needed, and you guys are doing
some great work to help people afford having that first
and last month of rent and that safety deposit, that
security deposit that can be such a huge barrier for
so many people trying to get into affordable housing. So
we thank you for this pilot program. Hopefully our listeners

(16:28):
are hearing it and will apply because we want to
make sure that all that money gets spent in the
ways that it's supposed to be. So Dave Thomas, thank
you so much for joining us, President and CEO of PhDc,
Philadelphia's full service community development organization.

Speaker 2 (16:42):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (16:43):
Thank you thanks again, holding here from your listeners. Let's
get that money on the stool.

Speaker 1 (16:50):
When you buy food at the grocery store or wherever
you get groceries or any types of food products, you
really don't think twice about where it came from, how
it got to the store, and what the implications are
of how it got to the store. So we're going
to dig a little bit into the background. We're going
to drill down. We're going to get down and dirty

(17:12):
about consumer goods and the complex consumer package goods landscape.
Now that sounds like a mouthful, but we have two
people here who are going to explain that all to us.
We're diving into the evolving world of consumer goods, and
two innovators who are reimagining transparency and tech in the
food and beverage space are joining us today. Alessandra Oste,

(17:33):
Chief Marketing Officer and Avery Dante, chief Technology Officer, A
pick your packer, a platform helping brands navigate that complex
consumer package goods landscape.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
That is a.

Speaker 1 (17:44):
Mouthful with clarity, data and AI driven insights. So we're
going to be talking about that behind the scenes aspect
of food, the food that we eat, and joining us
now is Avery and Alisandra. So I'm going to start
with you Avery, quick overview. What is Pick your Packer
and what inspired its creation?

Speaker 6 (18:05):
Thank you, Loraine, So I Pick your Packer. We're building
the fastest way to connect with supply chain partners in
the food and beverage industry. So we've created a tool
that brands and manufacturers can use to connect with each
other and bolster supply chain well.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Supply chain is a big phrase that we're hearing a
lot about these days, especially with tariffs. And I've already
experienced the challenges of the supply chain when it's taken
me three months to get a particular item for my house.
So supply chain is something that even though we don't
really think about, it really does impact us very much.
So and I wonder Alessandra, if you could talk a

(18:42):
little bit about supply chain visibility and what the impact
is of supply chain challenges, how that's shaping the food
and beverage industry.

Speaker 7 (18:54):
So what's interesting is supply chain challenges have been around
for a very long time because of our international relationships.
What I love about the tear of conversation. Although it
is a really stressful time, it still continues to be stressful.
Is that now supply chain is at the forefront of
your everyday consumer. So now consumers go into whole foods

(19:15):
and if they see a high cup in prices, they're
going to be a little more aware of where it
comes from and why. But what's interesting is the relationship,
and that's what we tend to look at a lot
between the consumer, the brand, and then the manufacturers. And
the way I like to think about it is the
brand is the advocate in the middleman for the consumer.
The consumer is the one with the megaphone says I

(19:37):
want these healthy, functional ingredients. I am sick, I am
not well, how are you going to help me? Brands
are like I hear you. I will change my quote
unquote supply chain. I'll switch from seed oils to olive oil.
And then the brand talks to the manufacturer and they
have to kind of get that all in order and
work together to make that happen.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
The very interesting now global tariffs are many brands. They've
always had an impact on what we buy at the store.
What are you hearing from your clients about cost and
risk management? Avery you want to take.

Speaker 6 (20:10):
That one, Well, it's very interesting because a large percentage
of food in America is made domestically, but there are
specific ingredients and supplies that do come overseas. And our
clients are saying that they are worried of the effects
that I We'll have on prices, and they are very
grateful for tools like Pick your Packer to be able

(20:32):
to take advantage of AI and contemporary technology to help
support themselves in these type of environus where they have
to change really quickly.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
Well, I wonder if we can just get a little
more details into that. So, Okay, here's a brand. They
are making juice and they are saying, Okay, we got
all these challenges here.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
How does Pick your Packer help them?

Speaker 7 (20:56):
Great question. So what we do is help manufacturers and
brands have second, third, and fourth options for their supply chain.
So say I need cac so cocao is something that
is typically always important like coffee. So if I need
cacao and I have a chocolate bar, I mean you
did have the juice example, but coco is on the

(21:17):
brain right now. So and I need cacao for my
line of chocolate bars, I need to make sure I
have four suppliers that can do that for me at
any time, because what happens with supply chain and tariffs
is there may be an insane hike up in price.
So this is what the effects are. So say I
have to buy cacao and it's ten cents more, right,

(21:38):
So now all of a sudden, my bar costs ten
cents more to make, right, because that's what I'm being
billed by the manufacturer who supplied these ingredients. So then
I have a choice do I eat that or do
I allow my consumers to pay the ten cents more.
So a lot of the times the brands are like, okay,
I'm just going to pay that. I'm going to eat that.
I want to keep my bar the same price. What
can happen, though, is I can say I can't afford that,

(22:00):
I need my consumers to pay for that, And now
consumers are faced with do I want to continue to
buy this bar or do I want to buy a
different one? Or what people don't know is retailers a
lot of the time set the price. They're like, Okay,
my target audience will only pay this much for a
chocolate bar. You can't charge them eight dollars for a
chocolate bar. That's ridiculous. So there is a cap and

(22:21):
checks and balances along the way. So it is really
difficult when you just have one option. So if you
go on PIP pick your Packer. We like saying PIP
because it's cute. So if you go on PIP, what
you can do is you can find these manufacturers that
are incredibly elusive on Google. You go on Google, you
look for let's just talk about ingredients right now, Cacao suppliers.

(22:41):
You're going to have to go through fifty different websites,
fifty different contact forms and reach out to each one
one by one. Our app our application allows you to
do that in seconds, if not minutes.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
Wow, that's great.

Speaker 1 (22:54):
It sounds like it's very convenient and gives a lot
of these manufacturers more options, which is really important. Right now,
everybody talks about AI and how it's impacting every.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
Aspect of our lives.

Speaker 1 (23:08):
How do you integrate AI into your work and how
does that impact your day to day business operations and
what do you see as the future.

Speaker 6 (23:17):
Well, to be honest, I utilize AI not only in work,
but even in my personal life. I pick your packer.
We utilized AI models to pretty much let people who
use that app, just speak to it and say it
in natural language, and then we connect it with our database.
And we have created a graph database that connects manufacturers
based on what they provide and the services they provide

(23:39):
and the supplies that they provide and the relationships between
those supplies and between the manufacturers. How I use a
day to day, I've actually created a personal GPT coach
that I use to kind of like mentor and help
me throughout, whether it's being a co founder, whether it's
being a son, or whether it's being a brother. And
I just use it as like a soundboard to share

(23:59):
how I feel, and I can tell it how I
want to be spoken to and how I want to
be held accountable, and it gives me the flexibility to
create a safe space where I can be honest and
be vulnerable, but also get actionable insights and feedback.

Speaker 1 (24:15):
That's very interesting. Now you've talked about this as an
era of the Age of truth. What does that mean
for companies trying to build trust with today's consumers, Because
now I think we're maybe a little more aware of
the impact of additives and chemicals, et cetera in our food.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
So tell us more about.

Speaker 7 (24:32):
That it means don't lie at all costs because you
will be found out. So it's interesting when I think
about what it used to be like to go to
the grocery store when I was little and thinking about marketing,
It's like you would see words like natural or fat
free or sugar free, and now you're actually seeing different marketing.
You're seeing twenty grams of protein, you're seeing three grams

(24:54):
of sugar, and that is just a small indicator of
the type of truth that we're talking about. Well, the
truth is also being intertwined currently with legislation, so you
have states and I think soon the entire country that
are taking look at ingredients and being like, okay, Europe
hasn't been doing this for this long. Now it's time
for us to catch up. Moms are seeing that their

(25:16):
children have issues with attention or energy and they're saying, Okay,
how can I help my child via food. So when
it comes to the age of transparency, it's twofold. It's
one I think people having this kind of radar for
lies now, and two it's the passion behind it, where

(25:36):
people want to be healthy and they have the resources
to look into what you're talking about. So you can't
just tell me something has maltodextrin and assume that I
won't look it up if I'm not feeling well, if
I'm someone who's sick, and a stat that I really
like to hold on to and it's not a set
that I necessarily love but it's useful, is one three
Americans over the age of eighteen are pre diabetic, which

(25:59):
means forty percent of Americans adults are on their way
to type two diabetes. So we're not feeling great, but
we're not going to take it laying down, and we
have the resources to look into.

Speaker 1 (26:10):
It and avery. What it sounds like is that you're
not just simply matching manufacturers with any old ingredients. You're
really making some distinctions in terms of matching people with
honest and with clarity and letting people know, you know,
this doesn't have arsenic in it, this has you know,

(26:31):
this has something really good that's going to make you
feel better and more healthy. So, in other words, you
vet these various supply chain entities to make sure that
they're not just folks who are just putting out a
product that isn't necessarily safe.

Speaker 6 (26:47):
Yes, so the manufacturers that get on our platform, we
do vet them and we love meeting them one on
one because through meeting them, we just learn more about
the industry and learn more about their needs and what
they can provide. And it feels like every day we're
learning something new. And it just goes to show how
complex supply chain is and how complex food is, and

(27:09):
it's one of the most important industries to be in.
And it's so funny that it took so long for
me to learn what really goes into it. And it's
so interesting to know that a lot of people just
don't know what goes into creating their food or where
their food comes from. Speaking back to what Ali said,
I would go to the grocery store and back in
the day and like look at a product and really

(27:30):
just think that, you know, they just had a factory
and they just shipped it from the factory directly to
the grocery store. And now we're learning there's four different
stops along the way, four different businesses that are interacting
with your product before you get it, and it's mind blowing.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
So finally, Alessandra's anyone listening out there. I mean, like,
the average consumer may not be interested in pickyrpacker dot com.
But who are you targeting? Who are you hoping will
come to you and utilize your service?

Speaker 7 (28:00):
Yes, so our ideal customer is the procurement team, which
sounds very jargony, but essentially it means the people. Let's
take Sieta chips, right, So it's the people at Sieta
who are in charge of getting the products together. So
can I need a chip, I need a special type
of flour, I need special type of salt, vinegar, everything.

(28:21):
So the people, those professionals that are in charge of
putting the pieces together, that's who we're targeting. However, at
the same time, we're very aware and very passionate about
the community of emerging brands. We're hearing the call of
the consumer saying I want healthy, I want fusions, I
want variety. And so what we feel passionate about is

(28:43):
a lot of those people are people of color. They're Latinos, right,
they're Haitians, they're Middle Eastern, they're Southeast Asian. Of their
taking their ingredients and recipes have been passed down and
modernizing them for the modern day consumer. So it's easy
to put in our food. If you are one of
those people, please feel free to reach out. We have

(29:03):
a large community that are maybe able to help you,
talk to you, guide you. So yes, our app right
now is for procurement teams, but our community is for
everybody in food and beverage who has a really good.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
Idea wonderful and if people want more information, where do
they go.

Speaker 7 (29:23):
They should go to? I would say the best places
are LinkedIn. We're really active on there, so find us
on LinkedIn. Pick your Packer our website Pick Yourpacker dot com.
I'm personally really active, we both are, so feel free
to reach out to us at anytime.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
Well, I wish you the best of luck.

Speaker 1 (29:37):
You're a very dynamic, young, diverse team doing some very
important work, and that is jumping into the evolving world
of consumer goods, making sure that these various manufacturers are
able to have access to resources that will help them
create products that are good for you and healthy, and

(29:59):
they have some transparency in the age of truth. So
I want to thank you both for joining us. Alessandra Aste,
chief marketing Officer and Avery Dante, chief Technology officer for
Pick your Packer, Thank you, Thank you. You can listen
to all of today's interviews by going to our station,
website and typing in keyword community. You can also listen

(30:20):
on the iHeartRadio app yey Words Philadelphia Community Podcast. Follow
me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine
Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to our community
and media that empowers.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
What will you stand for? You've been listening to what's
going on?

Speaker 1 (30:36):
ED.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Thank you

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}What's Going On: APM’s 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival, FreshStartPHL – Helping Renters Bridge the Gap, Transparency & Tech in Food