The Food Industry Association Honors ShopRite of Hunterdon County President Joseph Colalillo with Sidney R. Rabb Award for Statesmanship

Colalillo recognized by FMI for excellence in serving his customers, community and the grocery industry

Keasbey, NJ (February 13, 2025) – The Food Industry Association, known as FMI, recognized ShopRite of Hunterdon County President Joseph Colalillo for his decades of leadership and inspiring success by presenting him with the Sidney R. Rabb Award for Statesmanship, a 2025 Executive Leadership Award, during FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference Awards luncheon on January 31.

Colalillo was one of eight outstanding food industry executives to receive Leadership Awards during FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference in Florida.

“The Executive Leadership Award winners are being deservedly celebrated for their unwavering commitment to excellence, collaboration and mentoring the next generation of food industry professionals, setting a benchmark for all of us,” said FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. “These leaders have earned the respect and admiration of their peers by demonstrating extraordinary vision and resilience in navigating today’s dynamic marketplace.”

In its awards announcement, FMI highlighted the important role Colalillo has played both as head of his family-owned business, ShopRite of Hunterdon County, and in the supermarket industry as a respected leader and former chairman of Wakefern Food Corp., the nation’s largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative. A second-generation grocer and Wakefern member, Colalillo owns and operates five ShopRite stores located in Flemington, Greenwich and Clinton, NJ, and Yardley and Bethlehem, PA, employing 1,300 retail associates. He also served as chairman of Wakefern Food Corp. from 2005 to 2023.

FMI cited Colalillo’s commitment to the supermarket industry, customers and the communities where his stores operate. He’s credited with helping his retail teams excel and supporting local organizations and hunger-fighting initiatives, including ShopRite Partners In Caring. ShopRite of Hunterdon County also sponsors the annual Run for Hunger 5k in Flemington, NJ, which has raised nearly $700,000 over the years for Norwescap’s Food Bank, and provides support to America’s Grow-A-Row.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by FMI with the Sidney R. Rabb Award for Statesmanship, and I accept this on behalf of my family, our associates, our Cooperative Members, our Wakefern staff and the FMI staff who supported and enabled me over the years to work on industry initiatives. Without their support, I could not have made a difference,” said Colalillo.

FMI has recognized Colalillo in the past as an entrepreneurial leader who helped develop consumer-facing technologies, seafood sustainability programs, and associate engagement and health and wellness initiatives in ShopRite stores. He has served on several FMI committees, including its Food Safety and Executive committees, as well as its board. A past member of the New Jersey Food Council’s Board of Directors, Colalillo also received the Food Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for his contribution to the food industry and service to the community.

About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative comprises member families that today independently own and operate hundreds of supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market, Di Bruno Bros. banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.