It is a rare occurrence that one can compete at the annual Best Bagger competition at the Iowa State Fair and win on his or her first attempt. However, that is exactly what Cresco Fareway employee Jacob Laursen did at the 2011 Iowa Best Bagger Contest on Friday, August 12.   

“Jacob is a testament of what this competition is all about,” said Jerry Fleagle, president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, which hosts the event annually at the Iowa State Fair. “Bagging groceries is a skill, and like every other skill, you must perfect it to excel in it.”

Laursen, a 23-year-old native of Storm Lake, was awarded a first place prize of $500 for winning the state competition. He will now represent Iowa at the 2011 National Grocers Association Best Bagger Contest in Las Vegas February 12-15, 2012, with a chance to win an additional $10,000. The 7-year grocery bagger will attempt to be the sixth person from Iowa to win a national title and the first since 2000. All five previous national winners were also Fareway employees.

“Preparation for this event takes place every day at work, in order to take care of customers. I always have a lot of fun bagging – and competing against other Fareway employees in the final championship round was a highlight,” shares Laursen. “I’d like to thank my manager, Bob Murphy. He has been an inspiration to me.”

Placing second and third behind Laursen in the competition were Almir Beganovic and Kyle Hovden, respectively. Beganovic is employed at the Fareway Store in Decorah while Hovden works at the Fareway Store in Humboldt. The two earned cash prizes of $250 and $150 for taking second and third. A fourth place prize of $100 was won by Hiawatha Fareway employee Tyler Gentz.  

A total of 17 individuals took part in the annual event, which was celebrating its 24^th anniversary. Contestants bagged identical grocery orders consisting of approximately 40 commonly purchased items into three plastic grocery bags. They were scored and ranked primarily on speed and weight distribution between bags, but individual style and proper item arrangement were also taken into account.

Reusable bags were used this year in the Iowa Best Bagger Contest for the third time. They were incorporated into the final, which consisted of two heats – one with plastic bags and one with reusables.

WHO Channel 13 Anchor/Reporter Erin Kiernan, KCCI Channel 8 Reporter Jackie Schmellin and 92.5 KJJY Co-Morning Show Host Eddie Hatfield all competed in the Celebrity Best Bagger competition this year!  Always a crowd-pleasing event, Kiernan won the battle and will contribute $250 to the charity of her choice, Children's Cancer Connection, as a donation from Fareway Stores, Inc.

The event was sponsored by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, National Grocers Association, Coca-Cola North America, Midwest Packaging/Hilex Poly, Roberts Dairy, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Cookies Food Products and City Carton Recycling.

All the non-perishable food items used in the competition were donated to the Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines.