MAQUOKETA, Iowa - Iowa is once again home to the best grocery bagger in the nation.
Trevor DeForest, 35, of Maquoketa won the national title at the National Grocery Association's Best Bagger competition in Las Vegas on February 12th.
DeForest raced against other state champions from across the country to bag identical grocery orders of approximately 35 commonly purchased items into three reusable grocery bags. Competitors were scored on speed, weight distribution among bags, and proper item arrangement.
It is the seventh time someone from the state of Iowa has won the competition. The last time Iowa was home to the champion of bagging was in 2000.
DeForest has close to 21 years of bagging experience and works as assistant manager at the Fairway in Maquoketa, where his duties still include bagging groceries.
"I was 14. I got hired actually by my dad who was the manager at the store at the time," DeForest told WQAD.
At Maquoketa's Fairway, he's a supermarket standout.
"I've never been home with cracked eggs or smashed bread. That's the important part," says one of DeForest's regular customers.
DeForest has an Associate’s Degree from Des Moines Area Community College and began working at the Fairway in Osceola at the age of 14 as a part-time bagger and stocker.
The bagging champion also received a check for $10,000.
