Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Summer Fancy Food Show 4212 gourmet snack crackers excellent for pairing with butter, cheese, or soup visit partners at Sff booth #4212 www.partnerscrackers.com NON GMO Brothers Bitters. Mulvihill will feature a cocktail recipe, and put all the craft ingredi- ents to make the drink together on the shelf. At South Water Kitchen, Rook uses locally produced spirits and liqueurs as well as artisanal mixers and bitters to craft his cocktails, information that is prominently noted on the drinks menu. "At Riverside Foods, we are tight on space for craft," says Boutsikakis. He sees that as an advantage, though, with faster turnover of stock for peak freshness. The store also sells craft kegs and mix-and- match six-packs, which Boutsikakis says are getting popular as an opportunity to try a variety of beers. Offer familiar features. "Leverage 'gate- way beers,'" Fahey suggests, "those in styles that might be familiar or not off-putting to a macro lager drinker." "It helps to have go-to recommendations for drafts that are within people's comfort zones stylistically," says Rook. South Water Kitchen always has craft lager on tap for apprehensive consumers who usually drink macro lagers, and a stout for Guinness drink- ers. "Those beers are a good way to introduce macro drinkers to microbrews." Consider growing growlers. Peco's Liquors was a pioneer in the growler busi- ness. Mulvihill started out with eight draft taps and quickly expanded to 16. After just six months, the growler station was the No. 1–selling category in the store. Peco's charg- es $5 for the growler container; fills average between $10.99 and $20.99. Although can- nibalization of package sales was an initial concern, that hasn't been a problem. "A lot of customers come in, check out the growler board, pick out what they want on tap, but then they also grab a six-pack," he says. "We get two rings out of one customer." Understanding the Audience Whether introducing craft spirits or amping up independent beer offerings, the mission should be the same. "Consumers want to know the craft story, how the product is made, and what it's made from," says the American Craft Spirits Association's Jensen. The target market, too, is clear. "The biggest audience for craft beverages is mil- lennials—sophisticated consumers who are concerned with authenticity and integrity, quite experimental, and not at all brand loyal," Jensen says. Capturing this genera- tion's attention will be critical to success with craft beverage sales. Thomas Henry Strenk is a beverage- focused freelance writer. 28 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com