Tastes Like
“Shoppers are always impressed when we mention how close many of the purveyors are. Educating through events, partnering with shops and offering special tastes are great ways to get the word out on North Bay products,” says Jane Connors, general manager of the San Francisco Ferry Building. For example, the list of North Bay foods at the Ferry Building includes meats from Fatted Calf, which also has a location in Napa; sweet and savory empanadas from El Porteño, which too also has a location in Napa; raw, cold-pressed juices and kombucha from Juice House Co., which has locations in Benicia, Emeryville, Napa and Petaluma; and oysters from Hog Island Oyster Company, which has locations in Marshall, Napa, Petaluma and the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. “Perhaps the next trend is food tasting tours of a region, a map of essential shops or places to taste the flavors of the North Bay. I love the idea of a Taste the North Bay ferry ride. Of course [this would start] at the Ferry Building with a healthy offering from Juice House and an El Porteño empanada,” says Connors. Joe Pozzi, owner of Pozzi Ranch Lambs in Valley Ford, says product demos, on-site tours and visits to stores are time-tested tools that other North Bay producers can borrow. “After you showcase a great product, the challenge becomes coordination. How can you get the product to the buyer on time, in excellent
From left, a charcuterie board from Fatted Calf in Napa; products from Juice House Co. in Petaluma, available at the San Francisco Ferry Building.
in independent grocery stores like Guerra Quality Meats in San Francisco as well as markets in Lake and Mendocino counties. Although it is difficult to estimate the amount of North Bay foods sold and the income they generate, it is easy to confirm that the North Bay makes an enormous contribution to the Bay Area’s culinary scene. The North Bay contributes to both the quality and quantity of raw ingredients available to chefs and home cooks across the Bay Area. For example, Berkeley Bowl, an independent grocer with two large stores in Berkeley, purchases from roughly 270 vendors in the North Bay. The list is mostly composed of companies that make or distribute wine. But names of vendors also include other prepared product makers, from Biotic Beverages LLC in Occidental—a maker of organic kvass, a fermented dairy drink—to Judy’s Breadsticks in Mill Valley, which makes bread and breadsticks. In addition, the list includes suppliers of raw ingredients, such as Bay Area Bee Company in Bolinas, which produces honey, and Sebastopol Berry Farm, which grows everything from blueberries to orange raspberries. A number of companies on the list sell several lines of products, like Marin Sun Farms in Petaluma. This business produces eggs, poultry and a range of grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, including goat and pork. Berkeley Bowl sources from the North Bay to offer locally made products to customers in support of other small businesses and local communities. “At Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, we also do our best to engage in practices that are environmentally responsible and supportive of our community. That means sourcing our products locally when possible, to reduce our impact on the environment that is associated with transporting products around the country,” says Chi Dixon, marketing and communications manager for Berkeley Bowl. Berkeley Bowl’s partners include Stemple Creek Ranch, a Tomales ranch that provides the stores with grass-fed and grass-finished beef, and Clover Sonoma, a Petaluma company that is one of the store’s
condition? Then you need to maintain that relationship. My advice is to find time to hear from the people who have direct contact with the customers, like the grocer’s butcher. That way you know what feedback the customers give and how they’re using the product,” says Pozzi. How Bay Area grocers view North Bay products There is no set list of all the foods North Bay companies provide the Bay Area. Producers are always adjusting their offerings and scope of distribution. There is also not a set volume of foods that producers supply. This depends on the quality of their harvests, shifts in demand, the price of fuel and transportation and seasonal availability of the ingredients producers use. Yet the array of North Bay products that are distributed throughout
the Bay Area is extremely diverse. It includes overnight oats made by Luv Snacks in Napa, crabs caught by Bodega Bay fishermen, edible flowers from Sebastopol Microgreens and pies made by Kozlowski Farms in Forestville. The latter product, a long-time favorite in the North Bay, is now also available
Joe Pozzi, owner of Pozzi Ranch Lambs in Valley Ford. [Photo courtesy Pozzi Ranch Lambs]
44 NorthBaybiz
October 2024
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