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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PROFILE Giving Back With all the local support Le Beau receives, Omran returns the favor with an active role in community outreach and contributing to causes he values, including local charities and environmental clean-up. Le Beau gives customers several opportunities to participate in fundraising efforts. Jars at the checkout counter encourage spare change donations, which the store matches and delivers quarterly to San Francisco nonprofit Glide, whose services include free meals for the hungry, support for victims of domestic abuse and afford- able access to health-care services. Omran and his staff throw an annual Customer Appreciation Day, an all-day barbecue with foods straight from the market, which this year partnered with a fundraising effort at nearby Huntington Park to raise money for a new playground structure. The popularity of the event's hot-dog and other food-eating competitions has inspired plans for a monthly baking contest; winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to Le Beau and $50 to donate to a charity of their choice. In an ongoing effort to reduce waste, Omran has honed in on his own business, identifying a prime culprit: plastics, and consum- ers' dependency on them. The market launched a free bag giveaway program to encourage carrying reusable bags, and Omran is work- ing with Green Bag to initiate another similar program. Taking it a step further, he hopes to convince the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to allow markets to charge for every plastic bag given to shoppers. He declares it a simple solution that will quickly change customers' habits, and he's willing to take on the initial complaints. "After six months of griping, they'll be totally fine with it," he asserts. "And we can make a huge difference with something as simple as that." Going for Bulk To keep his store afloat, avoiding the fates of several other spe- cialty grocers in the Bay Area—A.G. Ferrari and Andronico's among them—Omran is seeking new ways to innovate and keep ahead of the competition. Currently, the market has plans to dedicate 18 feet of space to introduce about 150 bulk products in the next quarter. This department will feature olive oil and vinegar dispensers as well as bins for grains, pasta, flour, dried fruits and nuts. Omran emphasizes the end result for the customer: higher- quality products at lower prices. He's already begun selling Mason (continued on p. 125) Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 685 64 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com