Joseph Chiovera Departs Couche-Tard

LAVAL, Quebec -- Two years after being brought on by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. to lead its fresh-food growth strategy, sources confirm that Joseph Chiovera has recently left his role as the company's vice president of foodservice.

Chiovera joined Couche-Tard in January 2011, charged with creating a strategic plan to guide the company's foodservice focus at its Circle K convenience stores in the United States.

"The more risk you take, the more reward there is. We [at Circle K] realize what needs to happen. We want to blaze a trail with perishables in the c-store channel," Chiovera said during last year's National Restaurant Association (NRA) show, where he was a presenter.

U.S. c-stores can learn much from European c-stores, where the perishable food chain is highly advanced and purchasing perishables in c-stores is "second nature," Chiovera added in his NRA Show presentation. "The European invasion is coming, and it's the right thing for us."

While there is no word on what Chiovera's next move is, he is a foodservice veteran, having come to Couche-Tard from 7-Eleven Inc., where he served as senior director of fresh foods. Chiovera joined 7-Eleven in early 2008 as part of the company’s strategy to enhance its foodservice offering. His category responsibilities there included fresh sandwiches, cold snacks, salads and entrees, along with the operations of 7-Eleven’s multiple commissaries.

Prior to 7-Eleven, Chiovera spent roughly eight years with ExxonMobil On the Run, where he served as its U.S. concept development manager after having held a number of marketing and operations positions. He also previously worked four years for Sheetz Inc. as director of product and concept development and eight years at Marriott International Inc. in similar positions.

He holds an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and a bachelor’s degree in Foodservice Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.