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.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/55461
sonal panini, such as The Red Goat, which features Cherry Glen goat cheese, roasted red peppers and fresh arugula. The café serves La Colombe coffee and vegan cakes and cupcakes. Valery is quick to note that the baked goods being vegan is happen- stance, not agenda. "I'm not vegan and I think they're awesome, so why not?" Filling Shelves, Fulfilling Goals Valery built the store's selection with a Venn diagram of her customer base in mind. "I look for the locavore customer, I look for the gourmet customer, I look for the conve- nience customer," she says. "A product that fits into all those categories is great, but not everything is going to." With these criteria, Valery has established a strong emphasis on organic and local products; nearly three-quarters of the stock bears one or both of these qualities. But labels aren't everything: Valery often looks to the source to gauge a product. "I'm more interested in the issue of sustainability—of [suppliers] continuing to produce food locally, to keep the farmers around Baltimore farming." Milk & Honey's produce department, for example, consists of mostly local and organic varieties, with the STORE STATS Milk & Honey Market 816 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 410.685.6455 milkandhoneybaltimore.com Year Established: 2010 Total Area: 1,700 square feet Retail Area: 1,400 square feet SKUs: approximately 1,000 Staff: 7 full-time, 4 part-time Sales Breakdown Prepared Foods: 50% Coffee: 25% Grocery (includes meat/cheese, beverages and bread/bakery): 25% MARCH 2012 29 4 new natural grain products stacked with health benefi ts and fl avor. These delicious selections feature heart-healthy nutrients, high fiber, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Learn more about our exotic new Calrose Rice, Royal Blends or Jasmati Brown Rice at Expo West, Booth #2669 or RiceSelect.com. exception of some from urban farms that haven't yet received certification, including Gateway Farms and the nearby Hoop Farm. And the market-café practices what it preaches. The grocery side offers a local brand of milk that's antibiotic- and hor- mone-free, and it's the same milk used for the café's coffee bar. "It's not like we're just selling [it] and using something that's not as good in our coffee," Valery says. Further, the café's menu boasts a friendly reminder: "Everything in our sandwiches is also avail- able in our grocery store." Tailoring the Product Mix For its size, the grocery side holds a compre- hensive array of products, covering meats, cheeses, dairy, produce and packaged and frozen goods. In the meat department, best sellers include Maryland-based Roseda Beef and Gunpowder Bison; also on offer are pastured eggs and sustainably harvest- ed fish from Alaska. In packaged goods, Infused Spreads jams, Michele's Granola and DiBruno Bros. sauces are popular picks. Frozen-dessert favorites include Taharka Brothers Ice Cream and Prigel Family Creamery ice cream. One niche that Milk & Honey has covered is the gluten-free market—and with good reason. "There's a hospital around the corner that has a big celiac center, so we're having more requests for more gluten-free things," Valery explains. Bob's Red Mill grains and cereals are among the prod- ucts whose presence has grown to meet those requests. Adapting to the Community "In the beginning, I would get all types of different produce that was so fabulous and in season—and people didn't buy it," Valery says. In turn she relented, sticking to more basic offerings, such as romaine, and