Oser Communications Group

SPECIALTY RETAILERS GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com 11 Specialty Retailers BRIEFS Online Cooking Supply Retailer WhatsUpCooks Opens for Holiday Shopping Season Florida-based retailer of cooking supplies, Cookie Connections LLC, announced the opening of its new online store just in time for holiday shopping: www.whatsupcooks.com. The new online store at whatsupcooks.com offers a vast array of kitchen essentials for both home kitchens and commercial kitchens. Product types currently include but are not limited to cookware, containers, knives and kitchen tools, including whisks, spatulas, slicers, choppers, scales and all-inclusive sets. The company plans to add to its inventory in the future as new high-quality products are introduced. Items purchased can be shipped anywhere in the United States and all major credit cards, including PayPal accounts, are accepted. The site's homepage will be displaying limited time offers over the next few months, and all customers are reminded to order in advance for the holidays, as order processing and shipping may take longer than usual. Salt & Straw Spreads Holiday Cheer with Winter Ice Cream Flavors To celebrate the holiday season, Oregon-based gourmet ice cream company Salt & Straw is bringing the flavor of traditional holiday dishes into everyone's favorite treat. The company is putting its own unique spin on classics such as pecan pie, figgy pudding and roasted chestnuts by using the best ingredients Oregon has to offer. Salt & Straw Ice Cream is a small batch ice cream company that partners with local artisans, producers and farmers to create unique gourmet flavors. The company's ice cream is handmade using only all-natural cream from local farms. The flavors showcase the best local, organic and sustainable ingredients. Pints, holiday gift packs and pick-your-own variety packs are available for those looking for the perfect gift, unique family treat or frozen stocking stuffer. Packs are available for nationwide shipping. Each pack contains five pints and costs $65 plus shipping. For more information, visit www.saltandstraw.com. Natural Grocers Expands Across Oregon Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage® opened new locations in Beaverton and Bend, Ore. The Beaverton store is located at 12155 SW Broadway St. The store in Bend is located at 3188 North Highway 97. "We have always seen Oregon as a natural fit for us, with its focus on active and healthy lifestyles and its keen awareness of issues around sustainable agriculture and healthy food," said Kemper Isely, Co-President of Natural Grocers. "We're looking forward to putting down deep roots in Beaverton and Bend." Colorado-based Natural Grocers offers free health coaching to its customers, including individualized nutrition sessions, meal planning and other guidance about nutrition and health. Every Natural Grocers supports a full time credentialed Nutritional Health Coach, and all staff are trained to help shoppers find products and resources to support optimal health. The company also offers free seminars, guest speakers and cooking demonstrations for the community. Fruit Center Marketplace: Come for the Produce and Stock Up on Everything Else BY LUCAS WITMAN For anyone unfamiliar with the two Boston-area Fruit Center Marketplace stores, it is important to establish one thing right off the bat: These stores are about much more than just fruit. What once began as a small produce business has today grown into two full-sized specialty grocery stores where consumers can go to fulfill all of their grocery needs. Although many South Boston residents still flock to Fruit Center Marketplace to stock up on high-quality fruits and vegetables, others are filling their carts with everything from gourmet specialty goods to prepared meals to pantry staples. Fruit Center Marketplace began 40 years ago, when company founder Don Mignosa started a small produce business in the Boston suburb of Weymouth. Although that store has since closed, Mignosa's second Fruit Center Marketplace location, opened in Hingham in the late '70s, still stands today. The Hingham store has since been joined by a second location just 10 miles away in Milton. Although Fruit Center Marketplace has evolved significantly since its founding four decades ago, one thing that has remained constant over time is the company's commitment to providing its customers with the best quality produce available in the area. According to Marketing Director Mike Dwyer, the energy the company's produce buyers expend on sourcing high-quality items is what sets Fruit Center Marketplace's fruits and veggies apart from the ones available at standard grocery stores. "They go to the wholesale market six days a week. They are seeing the produce firsthand choosing exactly what they want and choosing the quality," Dwyer said. "They are able to get great quality at a really good price." Still, it is certainly not just the produce that attracts customers to Fruit Center Marketplace. Today, the stores offer an extensive product selection, divided into a number of different departments, including grocery, deli, meat, fish, wine, salad bar, flowers, gourmet and cheese. "We are a pretty full range grocery store," Dwyer said. "We have folks that just come in for the produce but there's also people that do their weekly shopping here." As a local, community-based retail company, one of the unique draws of Fruit Center Marketplace is its commitment to offering customers a diverse selection of locally produced goods. The company offers local produce, when available, but also local bakery items, cheeses and gourmet products. "We focus a lot on local. It's one of the things our customers make the most comments about," said Diane Nolan, Gourmet Department Manager. "You can probably find locally made products in pretty much every department," Dwyer said. This holiday season, many Boston-area residents will be flocking to Fruit Center Marketplace in search of unique gifts. Over the years, the company's gift basket business has grown exponentially. "We have a huge gift basket department," Nolan said. "It started off with just a couple of baskets. We are up to close to 1,000 baskets a year." For those who are planning end-of-year get-togethers with friends and family, the prepared foods sections at both Fruit Center Marketplace stores offer an eclectic array of gourmet meals and side dishes that round out a holiday table with a minimum of fuss. "You can get everything from a sliced meatloaf with potatoes all the way up to salmon," Nolan said. The company even offers its own sushi, prepared fresh daily on the floor of the Milton store. This year, in honor of the company's 40th anniversary, Fruit Center Marketplace treated customers to a special series of cooking demonstrations and instructional events taught by local chefs from area restaurants. "We had always done cooking and wine demos in our Milton store. We reached out to many chefs here in the South Shore and we were very fortunate to have done 20 events featuring 20 different chefs," Dwyer said. According to him, the event series has been an extremely popular one, and it has been a boon both to the store and to the community itself. "It's been a great partnership. Not only have our customers learned from and gotten tips from these welltrained and creative chefs, but the restaurants themselves have gotten publicity." This focus on community is one that drives much of what Fruit Center Marketplace does. Involvement in and contribution to the communities of the Boston South Shore area is extremely important to the company. Last year, Fruit Center Marketplace supported more than 100 local charities and organizations. In the spirit of community involvement, the company has done everything from providing gift cards for raffles to sponsoring road races to supporting local schools. Through the company's partnership with schools alone, it was able to raise $11,000 last year for 20 local institutions. BRIAN SAMUELS When asked what truly sets Fruit Center Marketplace apart from other grocery and specialty stores in the Boston area, both Dwyer and Nolan answer unflinchingly: It's the company's dedicated staff. "It's definitely customer service," Nolan said. "We are one of the best when it comes to customer service…It's a pleasure for customers to come in." Some of the staff at Fruit Center Marketplace have been with the company for more than 30 years. For the staff, serving the stores' customers is truly a labor of love. As Fruit Center Marketplace's Marketing Director, Dwyer compliments the stores' staff on making his job a particularly easy one. "The staff is just outstanding. They genuinely care about the products. They genuinely care about the customers," he said. "I don't have to work harder to get people to come into the store. The staff does it for me." For more information on Fruit Center Marketplace, including upcoming events and promotions, visit www.fruitcenter marketplace.com. GN

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