“stopping by our friends at Good Earth Natural Foods [in Fairfax] along the way,” says Nessel. These visits reveal how North Bay stores like Oliver’s Markets in Sonoma County and Sunshine Foods in St. Helena help North Bay producers. Serving as a brick-and-mortar showplace for new North Bay foods might be enough. Yet North Bay grocers do even more when they create or allow informative displays that explain the origin and key staff of local producers. Large venues like the San Francisco Ferry Building also sometimes bring their teams to North Bay stores. “Many years ago, we did a team-building event and stopped at a variety of shops who were headquartered in the North Bay. It was transformative to my team. They were so impressed with the flavors, the practices of each business and how close everything was,” says Connors. Producers’ stories, from plant-based dairy to mushrooms North Bay producers have an easier path to explain their company when they have a long history and several lines of product, as Manzana Products Co. in Sebastopol. Newer companies and companies that offer only a few products can learn from these businesses’ practices. Sharing stories is one of the most effective strategies to teach consumers. A producer can feature the products, ingredients, origin and methods to make the products. Stories are also a way to put faces to the names of founders and other key staff. One of the ways that Miyoko’s Creamery, a plant-based butter and cheese producer in Petaluma, tells a small part of its story is by placing “made locally” signs near its products in North Bay grocery stores. “[There are also] call-outs of our products on some menus saying “using Miyoko’s vegan cheese.” All information is pointed back to our website,” says Stuart Kronauge, CEO of Miyoko’s Creamery. Miyoko’s currently distributes its products to Grocery Outlet, Lucky, Nugget Markets, Raley’s, Safeway, Sprouts, Target and Whole Foods locations throughout the Bay Area. The company also sells to independent natural and specialty retailers. “We want to continue to expand in conventional grocery and local restaurants and bakeries,” says Kronauge. Providing information to a grocer’s staff is another method of engaging customers. One of Bi-Rite’s favorite ways to share producer and product information is through staff education. “We have regular ‘taste it’ sessions where staff get to try items. [There they] learn about where they’re made, who makes them and why they’re so delicious. Any time a staff member can personally describe how something tastes or is inspired by a producer’s story, they’re naturally more excited to share that experience and information with our guests. It’s those honest conversations that we love having with our guests,” says Nessel. Mycopia Specialty Mushrooms, a Sebastopol-based producer founded in 1977, has a long history of distribution and partnership in the Bay Area. Mycopia products can be found at Mollie Stone's, Nugget Markets, Sprouts, Whole Foods and independent natural food stores throughout the Bay Area, says Justin Reyes, manager of sales and marketing at Mycopia, “Our most popular item is our 8-ounce Chef's Sampler retail pack that contains an assortment of three types of specialty mushrooms. Our maitake, aka Hen of the Woods [mushroom], is also some of the best around,” says Reyes. Mycopia works closely with its wholesale and retail partners to provide information and recipes that utilize its mushrooms. The company shares recipes that work well for professional chefs and home cooks. A North Bay producer can even see an advantage in sharing aspects
1 . Share information online. “The best way to connect and introduce yourself and your products to our team is through the submission form on our website,” says Jamie Nessel, director of product and purchasing for the Bi-Rite family of businesses. 2. Encourage North Bay customers to share the products with friends, family and colleagues throughout the Bay Area. This may include developing and sharing recipes that feature specific North Bay products, like Gravenstein apples. 3. Become involved in promoting local agriculture. “When you know the nuts and bolts of what’s going on, you speak with knowledge about local producers,” says Joe Pozzi, owner of Pozzi Ranch Lambs in Valley Ford . 4. Find different angles to share stories about the origin of the products and the people who make them. Personal histories tie the products to the North Bay and encourage customers to buy from the region overall. 5. Partner with local alcoholic beverage producers, including wineries, breweries and distilleries, that are interested in recommending North Bay products as good pairing options. 5 tips for North Bay producers to extend their reach
—Jessica Zimmer
great food brands from the North Bay. These have been incredibly solid, reliable relationships that go back many, many years,” says Nessel. She adds Bi-Rite’s customers love local products in general and are excited to have multiple options from the North Bay. “We’re always on the hunt for hot new local products,” says Nessel. Independent grocers like Berkeley Bowl and Bi-Rite Markets become familiar with new items in different ways. Most of Berkeley Bowl’s new products are introduced to the company through food shows like the Good Food Mercantile San Francisco , which is typically held in September, and Natural Products Expo West, an annual food show in Anaheim that is typically held in March. Berkeley Bowl also sees vendors reach out through distributors, partners and existing vendors. “Sometimes employees will even bring items they like to the attention of our buying team. However, for smaller vendors it can be challenging to gain attention among the noise at a big show. Participation in some of these shows as a vendor can be prohibitive. For our stores specifically, we have a vendor-submission page on our website that allows vendors to submit their product information for consideration,” says Dixon. The Bi-Rite team attends the Good Food Mercantile San Francisco as well. Yet it also goes on “discovery tours” outside San Francisco, such as one of its recent trips in Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera and Tiburon,
46 NorthBaybiz
October 2024
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