Thank you for visiting the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association website. The Association was established in 1909 and today it continues to foster the same mission. The Rhode Island Food Dealers Association is committed to serving the food industry through education, member services and by providing a unified voice for the industry before state and national government, thereby benefiting the industry with knowledge, strength and fellowship.

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COVID-19 UPDATES

Please check our Facebook Page for weekly COVID updates, click here. 

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The RI Food Dealers is a proud member of the the RI Business RI Alliance for Business Resilience!

The Rhode Island Alliance for Business Resilience (the Alliance) is a self-governed public-private partnership focused on improving the resilience of Rhode Island businesses and local communities.

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Click here to see the latest FDA recalls and safety alerts!

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Retail Member of the Month

Shore’s is a fourth-generation market that has been in operation for fifty years.

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Distributor/Supplier Member of the Month

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IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING 2021 EVENTS:

Trade Day 2021 has been canceled.

As a result our next scheduled event will be the 2022 Trade Day, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 21^st of next year. Hopefully, we will see a safer environment and a reduction in COVID related obstacles.

Over the past two year’s the Association has only been able to hold two of its eight scheduled events.  This not only prevents us from interacting with each other, but it also has a financial impact on the association as these are budgeted fundraisers.  If you can consider donating to these events and contributing part of what you may have budgeted it would help offset some of the costs that we have already experienced from the cancellation of these events.

Thanks for your consideration.

Stay Safe

PAST EVENTS

2020 Cliff Johnson-RIFDA Annual Golf Tournament 

Each year, RIFDA works very hard to upgrade and improve our annual tournament. The event format was well received by all; friendly registration, golfer welcome gift, the tournament golf award cash prizes, bigger and better door prize give-a-ways and a (50/50) raffle paying out $600!
Kirkbrae Country Club is a perfect location for an all day event: a boxed lunch was available on the terrace, shot gun start including 3-$1,000 & 1-$10,000 hole in-one cash opportunities, cocktails, dinner, golf awards, prize presentations, and the 50/50 raffle drawing.

Thanks to our members for their outstanding support of the 2020 Cliff Johnson-RIFDA Golf Tournament, it truly was a success!

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2019 Annual Meeting and Holiday Gala  

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The 2019 Rhode Island Food Dealers Association Annual Meeting & Holiday Gala was held this year at the Newport Marriott in Newport, Rhode Island on November 23, 2019. The evening was very well received and very well attended. This event brings RIFDA members together in a festive holiday environment.  The location was wonderful, the food was great, and the grand raffle and door prizes continue to get bigger and better each year.  The music by Bob Tomassone was also very entertaining throughout the cocktail reception and the dinner.  The event was a true success thanks to the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association’s members.  Their support throughout the year is what makes these events happen.

The evening was inspired by a rustic fall theme. The evening was energetic and the ambiance was full of cheer and smiles.  Fun and joy filled the cool November air.

The evening’s schedule started with a cocktail hour and entertainment at 5:30 PM, followed by the Annual Meeting at 7:00 PM. Steve Arthurs, President of RIFDA, gave an overview of the RIFDA’s activities and goals. At the end of the Annual Meeting, scholarship awards were distributed to the winning applicants. This year, RIFDA awarded four $1,000 scholarships to: Constantine Coclin (Coclin Associates), Amanda Lemos (Dave’s Marketplace), Cristofer Santilli (Dave’s Marketplace) and Joseph Sirr (Stop & Shop).

This excitement was followed by the installation of the appointed Officers and Board of Directors.  A surf and turf dinner was served at 7:30 PM. The Newport Marriott did an exceptional job with dinner. The room was full and the guests enjoyed a delectable dinner in an ambient setting.

Coming up next was the centerpiece drawing, door prize raffle, and then the grand prize raffle. The Grand Prize Raffle consisted of 5 packages full of marvelous prizes: a Weekend in Newport, a Weekend in Cape Cod, a Family Package, a Sports Package and a Golf Package…each package was valued around $1,000. There were 30 Door Prizes…and almost everyone won something! Many attendees turned the special occasion into a weekend getaway with hotel accommodations at a group rate.

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RI Business Leaders Day Presented by Senator Jack Reed and Hosted by RIFDA

September 18, 2019

Senate Hart Building, Constitution Avenue & 2^nd Street, NE Washington, D.C., DC 20002

This event is presented by Senator Jack Reed. It is a substantive agenda from a roster of nationally-known speakers with knowledge of the federal policies and debates that support and affect Rhode Island Businesses.

The speakers discuss a broad range of subjects including the economy, commerce, the budget, housing, and national security, along with a host of other public policy issues. Top Cabinet officials, Senators, Congressmen and other government and media professionals offer their insights on these and other current affairs.  The event seeks to provide information on the important issues which impact the economies of both our State and Nation.

This day-long event also includes round trip airfare (or conference only option), ground transportation, catered food & beverage and a post conference reception all in the company of Senator Jack Reed and his staff.

This year the attendees heard from a variety of energetic and dynamic speakers, including: Professor Darrell M. West, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, Margaret Brennan (Moderator of “Face the Nation”), Jelena McWilliams (Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), Elaine Chao (Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Admiral Michael Mullen and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.

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2019 RIFDA Annual Convention

What more could you ask for? A picturesque setting at the Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth, MA, a private beach,  great accommodations, The Bayberry Hills Golf Tournament, upbeat ambiance, welcome reception, excellent food, camaraderie, an open hospitality house, great laughs, Chairman’s Dinner with Exceptional Entertainment, beach front dinners, door prize give-a-ways and much more!

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2019 RIFDA Annual Trade Day

RIFDA hosted their Annual Trade Day on March 21st at Kirkbrae Country Club.  The RIFDA Trade Day featured the state’s Best Bagger Competition and new inductees into their Hall of Fame. The Best Bagger contest is an exciting event and determines the Rhode Island’s Best Bagger who is eligible to compete in the National Grocers Association’s “National Best Bagger Contest” held annually in San Diego.  This year’s event was coordinated and run with the efforts of Dave’s Marketplace and Shaw’s Supermarket.  The Best Bagger contest is always very competitive among the member participants especially this year with 18 contestants, as well as their co-workers who come to cheer them on. This year’s winner was Samantha Falkowski from the Dave’s Marketplace in Coventry.  She will represent Rhode Island in the national competition; Good Luck Samantha!

The evening featured an industry networking cocktail reception, followed by our annual RIFDA Industry Dinner. This year’s dinner program featured our guest speaker, Secretary of State, Nellie M. Gorbea.  The evening’s program concluded with the presentation of the 2019 RI Food Dealers Hall of Fame Inductees.  These included William Candon who was awarded the RIFDA Outstanding Service Award, Mesa Fresca who won the 2019 Spirit of RI Award, and Dino’s Park-n-Shop who was honored as the RI Food Dealers Member of the Year.  All three worthy recipients distinguished themselves by their outstanding performance, their overall success, and their outstanding contributions to the food industry in the state of RI.

The day’s events proved to be both informative and entertaining and the association was excited with the level of interest members displayed. This event serves the food industry of RI well and provides a unique opportunity to network, learn, and celebrate its members in an exciting format.

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