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GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com Retailer News RETAILER NEWS 1 4 BRIEFS A Taste of History BY RICHARD THOMPSON On Highway 202, just across the valley from Chateau Ste. Michelle, in the northern woodland region of Washington, stands the Sky River Mead and Honey Wine Meadery. Nestled comfortably off the scenic green- way of the Sammamish River Trail since 2012, this award-winning Washington meadery has tantalized customers with its line of quality meads and honey wines – in- cluding its flagship product, SOLAS – through its tasting rooms, community en- gagement and guiding principle that "in life, you get to make your own cubicle." "We only make mead." says Denice In- galls, President and Wine Maker at Sky River, "We keep it simple and try not to make it too complicated. We like to keep things relaxed." First opening in 1997 in the foothills of Stevens Pass in the Cascade Moun- tain Range, Sky River Meadery debuted its first bottle, SOLAS, in 1999, but eventually moved to the Woodinville Winery district in Washington in 2012 to what Ingalls considers to be "a little Washington Napa Valley," as interest in mead grew. It was in this region that Ingalls and her sister, Glenda Downs, who joined the company in 2005, grew up, valuing the craft of working with honey as an ingredi- ent in gourmet breads and home breweries. "If there was any place to reintroduce [mead], it would be Seattle." says Ingalls, "We found a building, started with a blank slate and got the ball rolling by making a nice tasting room." The space is so big, ac- cording to Ingalls, that the sister team sub- lets space in the two-building facility to a couple local grape wineries, Icon Sellers and Pleasant Hills, that serve out of their facility. Both Ingalls and her sister took an un- orthodox path into the mead business, but now that they've found it, they wouldn't give it up for the world. Ingalls graduated from Pepperdine University in California, earning a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and after years of working alongside her fa- ther-in-law who ran the operations of a honey packing plant, remembered learning of mead in an Old English literature course she took years before, starting her journey into mead making, she says. Now she is in- volved in every step of the process, from se- lecting the honeys that will be used and dealing with the hefty paperwork that comes with running any business to collab- orating on packaging and teaching cus- tomers about mead itself. Downs graduated from Western Wash- ington University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Non-Profit Administration and Fine Arts, and worked in the restaurant and marketing industry. Currently handling outside sales, Downs is responsible for sales and marketing, social media, the tasting room and the company website, sharing her knowledge of mead making with cus- tomers as she learns. Sky River offers 10 different varieties of mead – with nine currently available – that range from traditional honeyed meads to fruit-inspired honey wines for those who are looking for a beverage that isn't as nat- urally sweet. The Sky River Sweet Mead is reminiscent of a fine German Riesling and is enjoyed as a delicate aperitif whose flavor notes are heightened with a touch of cinnamon, nut- meg or cardamon. The Sky River Semi- Sweet Mead hints of pear and is best served with the herbal flavors of pan-Asian and Mediterranean dishes, while the Sky River Dry Mead's subtle honey flavor pairs per- fectly with Thai and Indian cuisine. A 750 ml bottle costs $14.50, but a half case or a full case is also ready for purchase for $87 (six bottles) and $174 (12 bottles). The traditional Brochet Mead that Sky River offers has a darker, richer quality due to the honey being caramelized before fer- mentation and exhibits a shadowy, sweet and alluring experience that is great on a summer evening, according to Ingalls. The Ginger mead has a sassy ginger note that harmonizes with the honey base into a fresh taste that zings with a spicy finish. "Our Rose mead is the 'boudoir' wine, lus- cious and indulgent, and pairs beautifully with meals where there are a lot of pista- chios, like Persian and Middle Eastern foods," says Ingalls. Both the Sky River Ginger Mead and the Brochet Mead are available in a 750 ml bottle for $16.95, $101.70 for a half case and $203.40 for a full case of 12 bottles. The Rose Mead starts at $17.95 for a 375 ml bottle and $107.70 and $215.40 for a half and full case re- spectively. SOLAS, the meadery's flagship mead, is a tribute to Old World meads. Using saturated, smoky whiskey barrels from Dry Fly™ Dis- tillery, SOLAS is a very sweet mead that combines honey and wheat whiskey flavors and is definitely an indulgence that should be sipped. Available for $25.95 per 750 ml bottle, $155.70 per half case and $311.40 for a full case. The Sky River Raspberry Honey Wine has warm honey notes that are offset by the lush raspberry flavor, making for a versatile beverage that pairs well with a pork roast and berry chutney or a very rich cheese cake. The Sky River Blackberry Honey Wine goes well with salmon, cheesecake or even just on its own. "This [honey wine] goes well with food or without food," says Ingalls. Both honey wines retail for $15.50 for a 750 ml bottle, $93.00 per half case and $186 for a case of 12 bottles. Ingalls speaks with a folksy wisdom when talking about why people purchase her mead, "We're the grandaddy of the mead world....We're still out plugging be- cause we know what we're doing." GN Stop & Shop Continues Conversion of Former A&P Stores The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC has been converting the 25 A&P stores acquired as a result of A&P's bankruptcy. While the extent of the remodels and addition of new amenities will vary by store, each store will reopen as a Stop & Shop store and be refreshed with modern decor, updated refrigeration systems, new lighting, state- of-the-art technology, and other improvements. New and vibrant signage will show Stop & Shop's low prices and exciting promotions. Stop & Shop's signature fresh departments, including the produce, bakery, meat and seafood departments, will be featured throughout the converted stores as key destinations. Other exciting offers include an extensive assortment of natural and organic products, including over 1,400 Nature's Promise products as well as gluten-free and special diet selections. Wounded Warrior Project Now a Southeastern Grocers Official Charity Partner Southeastern Grocers has actively listened to its customers and associates, and it is abundantly clear that they have tremendous respect and appreciation for Wounded Warrior Project. This passion for the cause has led Southeastern Grocers to name WWP as an Official Charity Partner for 2016, enabling future initiatives to increase awareness and support for WWP across all BI- LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores throughout the Southeast. The stores will be joining together to raise funds and needed attention for the Wounded Warrior Project Independence Program. The Independence Program (IP) was created in 2011 to help injured service members and veterans design their own path from surviving to thriving. IP is a partnership between WWP, the warrior and their family, which is uniquely structured to adapt to the warrior's ever-changing needs. IP pairs warriors who rely on their families and caregivers because of moderate-to-severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries or other neurological conditions with a specialized case manager to develop a personalized plan to restore meaningful levels of activity and purpose into their daily lives. In many instances, for the cost of one month in an in-patient institutionalized brain injury rehabilitation program, the WWP Independence Program can provide a year's worth of community- based support on a weekly basis to an individual wounded veteran. Meijer Unveils Its First Supercenter to Use All-LED Lighting As part of a $50 million extensive remodeling project for four supercenters in the Dayton market, Meijer announced that its Beavercreek, Ohio, store is the company's first to feature all-LED lighting, saving more than a half million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The GE LEDs being used inside the store are 30 percent more efficient and have a lifespan that is 50 percent longer than traditional lighting. Additionally, GE's exterior lighting is 70 percent more efficient than lighting typically used in retail settings. In total, the all-LED lighting system will save an estimated 600,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Six months after launching its Meijer Curb- side program at the Knapp's Corner store, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer has expanded the convenient shopping service to eight additional stores in Michi- gan and Ohio. "Our customers are always looking for ways to maximize their time and we're de- lighted to expand Meijer Curbside in Michigan and Ohio," said Michael Ross, Vice President of Digital Shopping and Customer Marketing. "We believe the com- bination of listening to our customers' needs and providing a convenient digital shopping solution provides customers with time to do other things." Meijer Curbside began in April at the Knapp's Corner store in Grand Rapids as a pilot program that grew each week with more than 75 percent of weekly orders now coming from repeat customers. The pro- gram enlists 15 specially-trained team members to hand select every item in a cus- tomer's order and shop according to special instructions and personal preferences. Customers shop for roughly 60,000 of the most commonly shopped grocery and general merchandise items and place or- ders online at Meijer.com/Curbside. Then customers select a preferred pick-up time between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. For or- ders of one to 12 items, customers can pick them up in as little as one hour. For orders of 13 or more items, customers can schedule pickup in about three hours. Orders can be placed up to three days in advance. The program will be duplicated at the new stores where Meijer Curbside will be offered, including waiving the service fee for 30 days. Following the initial phase, the service will cost $4.95 per order. GN Meijer Expands Bricks and Clicks Presence