We have about 2 months to add over 130 new items to our store. A tall order, I know…so we’d love your recommendations. Any great local goods in your area? Hidden gems that deserve national spotlight? Throw some ideas our way!
We’ve done 2 rounds of product tasting this summer and we’ve added roughly 55 new items so far, but we still have a ways to go.
Leave a comment or send us an email if you know of some items that should not be missed!
Also, I will be in the Bay Area, Sonoma, NYC, Denver and all over WA state this month scouting for some gems. Let me know if you have any tips in those areas.
You guys ought to see if you can get your hands on some sorghum syrup (aka sorghum molasses). It’s undergoing something of a revival here and I think it’d be perfect for something like Marx Foods. Plus it’s freaking amazing–there’s really nothing like the flavor. 🙂
http://gardenandgun.com/article/sorghum-syrup-revival Further reading 🙂 (If you’ve never had it, I can get my hands on a jar for you)
Thanks, Melissa. I’d like to check that out. If you know of any producers, please send me their name. Otherwise, my researcher can hunt them down. Thanks!
Your customers might enjoy the following:
http://www.achadinha.com for a great variety of fresh cheese curds and feta. Their crazy curds (hot Hilda) are wonderful.
And the following olive oils are terrific especially the Meyer lemon and blood orange ones.
http://www.calolea.com
Any chance finding quavaberries (fresh or frozen) – these are often used in the Caribbean for making Guavaberry liquor by infusing in a bottle of rum. It is a great flavor. This is not quava fruit but a tiny berry from a bush/tree found in the Caribbean.
Scott, I haven’t heard of guava berries, but we will do some research and see what we can find. Also, thanks for the Achadinha tip. We will check that out.
Here is a great salami/sausage company http://www.framani.com. We’ve enjoyed their products years, your customers will like them too.
We were just on St. Croix, US Virgin Island on vacation for the 7th time. We scoured every grocery store on the island looking for Miss Anna’s Caribbean Shake – a spice rub. Miss Anna’s hot sauces ( http://www.missannashotsauce.com/ ) are well known in the VI and virtually every resturaunt has them on the table, as well as every grocery. The shake we found 2 yrs ago but not since. We were at a resturaunt that had an item on the menu with it and asked where they got it from. Their resturaunt supplier carried it. We asked if they could order us a case and they did. My bosses admin even asked me before we left for 2 bottles if we found it as I had given her a bottle and she loved it.
We’ve tried on a variety of foods but shines on seafood (especially halibut cheeks, and wild salmon) – brings out the flavor of the seafood and the spice.
Check out the Pine Ridge Barbecue & Dipping Sauce, it also comes in Jalapeno. It is my recipe that I developed and then later sold to the Herbadashery who is still producing it today and they do offer wholesale. http://herbadashery.com/sauces.php
Thanks, Scott & Milisa — We are going to reach out and request samples.
I know a lot of people forage for rose hips here on the Vineyard, as well as beach plums. I’d love to get a supplier of soursop puree (guanabana in Spanish). Cassava crackers are difficult to find in the Northeast and not very known around the US but so simple and delicious dipped in coffee. Hope this helps!
Thanks Marnely! Those two items sound great … we’re going to try to find them and get some samples.
Here is a wonderful upstart company – https://luckydoghotsauce.com. GREAT hot sauces you should contact. I’m impressed with their hot sauces. They are going locally,ground up – so worth checking out. I actually found them today at local farmers market – tried all 3 of their sauces at home and really liked them. Will continue to watch and try as they grow.
Check out this chipotle paste in tube. I created this product after wasting several chipotle peppers in a can. So easy to have chipotle flavor on hand at all times. http://www.olofoods.com