LYNN — Kettle Cuisine CEO Liam McClennon wants to make sure the “unsung heroes” working to keep grocery shelves stocked during the coronavirus pandemic are not forgotten.
Although many businesses have been forced to temporarily shut down due to virus restrictions, many Kettle Cuisine employees are still reporting to work as usual.
That’s because the wholesale soup manufacturer has been deemed “essential,” as employees are working to keep grocery store shelves stocked with their product, which includes handcrafted soups, sauces, sides and entrees.
In addition, Kettle Cuisine soups are being donated to food banks and served at My Brother’s Table, a Lynn-based soup kitchen, on a daily basis.
Whether someone is driving a truck to deliver food to a market, or growing it, McClennon said those services provided in a food supply chain are “absolutely critical,” especially with such high demand during the current state of emergency.
“Clearly there’s a crisis with healthcare, but I think there are a ton of unsung heroes around here preventing a crisis around the food supply chain and keeping the grocery shelves stocked,” said McClennon. “Here in Lynn, a bunch of people are working very hard and are extremely committed to continuing to come in and do their job in what’s a stressful time for everyone.”
Lynn’s Kettle Cuisine factory, located on the Lynnway, employs about 400 people, many of whom are still working on-site.
Although factory employees understand the importance of their role, there’s still a lot of anxiety around coming to work amidst city- and state-wide lockdown orders, social distancing in workspaces, and the COVID-19 outbreak in general, McClennon said.
Some employees who have elderly parents and family members, or are pregnant, have decided not to come to work due to virus concerns, McClennon said.
He said those concerns are understandable, but cited a number of safety precautions that have been implemented at the factory, including temperature checks, additional food sanitation and deep cleaning of work spaces, social distancing, and ordering most office employees to work from home.
But overall, McClennon said there’s a sense among employees that their behind the scenes work is absolutely necessary.
“Everyone here understands there’s a higher purpose to coming to work, which is keeping America fed, keeping those grocery stores stocked,” he said. “We’re focusing on the spike that all of the rush to stores has created.”
However, that increased retail demand has not offset the profit loss Kettle Cuisine has endured because restaurants and bars have been forced to shutter temporarily during the pandemic. McClennon said their business model, which is typically split between retail and food service, has completely shifted to the former.
“We’ve lost a lot of revenue,” said McClennon. “Retail has been stronger, but it’s not strong enough to offset the sheer volume collapse that has happened.”
With such a large risk around just going out in public during the pandemic, McClennon is encouraging people to thank those who are still going to work at grocery stores, along with other food service providers.
“I think they all deserve our appreciation and it’s nice when you’re shopping at the supermarket to be thanking the people who are in there,” said McClennon. “A thank-you goes a long way, but I also think it’s important that policy makers and all of the different stakeholders in government recognize and realize that food manufacturing (and) selling of food is vital.”