Growing the Season
By Michelle Moran
Here’s a chance to marry two of my favorite things – gourmet and garden – into great
merchandising stories for the spring. It’s an easy story to tell, from spring planting to
summer pickling and fall canning. As consumers continue to search out local foods and
fresh product, gourmet retailers can grow along with the season, from merchandising
stories and hosting local farmers’ markets to specialty cooking classes.
As the term locavore continues to grow
and head toward the mainstream – at
least in the restaurant scene it is – locally
grown and fresh product will continue to
be the goal of gourmet consumers. The
more educated you and your staff are on
these trends, the better equipped you’ll
be to fall into the niche of local expert.
So, get ready to bring the garden into
your store, from specialty seeds and simple herb statements to providing product
that helps your consumers make the most
of the growing season – whether they are
heading to their backyards or the local
farmers’ market.
Here’s some great merchandise to wrap
into your in-store stories.
Chop ‘n Prep
by Casabella
800-841-4140
www.casabella.com
Casabella debuts two innovative, elegant bamboo cutting
boards: Chop ‘n Prep™ bamboo cutting board with four
cutting boards; and Chop ‘n Prep™ bamboo cutting board
with prep tray. The durable, eco-friendly bamboo boards
are 14-inches-by-10-inches, and stand on non-slip feet
that hold the boards firmly and securely in position. The
Chop ‘n Prep with tray features a removable tray that
slides out from under the board, as well as an angled
outer edge so food can be pushed into a pot. Available
summer 2012.
MSRP: $35
EcoSmart Products
by Architec
800-659-9786
www.architecproducts.com
The Polyflax™ Serving Bowl and
Serving Spoons deliver a new level
of sophisticated design to the world
of eco housewares. They feature the
patented Polyflax™ and Polypaper™
material developed by EcoSmart™ by
Architec. Made from recycled translucent polypropylene with flax husk or
cellulose content suspended inside, the
material produces an amazing-looking
surface that is unique to each bowl
and spoon. The bowls and spoons are
manufactured in the United States
by a zero-waste eco factory that
generates a portion of its own power.
Available July.
MSRP: Serving Bowl, $19.99 to
$24.99; Serving Spoons, $9.99
