February 15, 2022
Image: Bini Reilly

Welcome to the third installment of our special series, Faces of Ace. Last month, you met Ace’s CEO Tor Newman. This month, you’ll meet Bini Reilly, who helms Ace’s retail division. Read on to learn about her love of music, her retail experience working in food co-ops, her connection to cooking, and more…

Image: John Prine via Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

When Bini isn’t working to bring Ace’s retail customers fresh options, she enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling, dancing (specifically salsa), and attending concerts. “I’m into all types of music,” says Bini. “Most of what I see here locally these days is what is known as Americana. That’s the type of music, but there are so many crossovers now in that genre. You have jazz and bluegrass and some country and lots of rock and roll.”

Image: @patijinich

Bini also finds a lot of joy in cooking. “I love all types of cuisines,” she says. “My family is from Mexico City, and my mother was very passionate about authentic Mexican cuisine. As a kid, I didn’t know what a chimichanga or a burrito was because in central Mexico those are what are known as northern food—it’s what was served in the border states. We ate black beans as a kid, not pinto. I hadn’t tried them until I ate at Taco Bell. That may have been my first introduction to TexMex food.”

Image: @weareveganuary

Bini became a vegetarian in junior high, a decision that was motivated by her beliefs surrounding the ethics of meat production. “When I became a vegetarian forty years ago, there weren’t a lot of educational resources,” says Bini, adding that a lot of the vegetarian foods that could be found in grocery stores were meat-free, processed foods filled with sodium and didn’t taste good. “My mother was very challenged. ‘What can I cook for you?’ she’d say. I had to do a lot of research on my own.”

Image: @greenstar_coop

Bini’s vegetarianism led to her involvement in food co-ops as a high schooler. “Over time I learned the health benefits of eating whole grains, organics, and less processed foods,” remembers Bini. “Most of the things that we sold at the co-op were grains and vegetables. I transitioned my diet dramatically and, over time, educated my entire family about eating healthier.”

Image: @clifbar

After graduating from college, Bini began working as a scientist at the National Institute of Health (NIH). But, eventually, her interest in the natural food world won out. She left the NIH for a position at a local food co-op and then became a broker rep for a company that represented major vegetarian health food brands, like Clif and Tofurky. After that, she worked for the National Co-op Grocers and various grocery stores on the East Coast.

Image: @greenstar_coop

“A lot of my career has been in retail,” says Bini. “And I think like a retailer in many ways. This serves me well for the job that I’m doing now, at Ace, because I understand most of the needs of retailers and the information that they’re looking for, and how to present it in a way that they’re familiar with—which is very different than foodservice.”

Image: @greenstar_coop

Bini’s background in food co-ops, where much of the decision-making was done by consensus, has influenced her leadership skills. “I do believe in empowering the people that you work with by encouraging them to contribute their ideas and perspective,” she says. “When I’ve run companies, I encourage staff to be part of the process and contribute whether you mop the floors or you are balancing the books.”

Bini wants Ace’s customers to know that we are always open to hearing their perspectives and needs—as well as feedback concerning what Ace is doing well and how Ace can improve. “I want people to know that there’s an open ear,” says Bini, “for what their needs might be or any challenges they’re experiencing.”

Thanks so much, Bini!

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