Grocery Goldmine: Everything’s Kosher Now!
An interview with John Litras, manager of the grocery department at Supersol
Q: What’s kosher nowadays that wasn’t before?
A: Now they have just about everything kosher! About five or six years ago, the Asian foods took off. Italian companies became kosher, too, particularly their specialty pasta sauces. Their research showed there’s a market for these items among kosher consumers.
Q: Do these specialty items—like ethnic food ingredients—sell well?
A: It depends on what locale you’re in. In some places, they do extremely well and in others they sit on the shelf. You have to know your clientele. Every community seems to have its brand preferences, too. In some neighborhoods, only the Jewish companies will sell; in others, the big name brands do better.
Q: What’s one of the most expensive specialty items sold at Supersol?
A: Pomegranate juice! I can tell when a new recipe has been printed in Jewish newspapers and calls for an unusual ingredient, like pomegranate juice—suddenly I have 150 people coming in here asking, “Do you have any pomegranate juice?” Then the item becomes a staple in the store.
Q: What specialty foods are most requested?
A: Asian items with name brands that have good kosher certifications are the most popular.
Q: Are Jewish brands more expensive than name brands?
A: Not necessarily. Big name brands are usually more expensive and sometimes don’t sell as well because a lot of them are dairy.
Q: What’s most important to today’s shopper?
A: Convenience is a big, big thing. Even flip-top tuna cans are more popular! Prepackaged, quick and easy items sell fast. In today’s world, disposability is very important, too. Disposable foil tins and paper goods are on most shopping lists.
Q: How has the Passover market changed over the last 20 years?
A: How hasn’t it changed? Things nobody ever dreamed would be kosher for Passover are available now. You can get pizza mix, muffin mix and mustard, to name just a few. The best sellers are still candy and chips. Listen, you can find just about anything you want kosher for Passover—but I don’t guarantee how it’s going to taste!
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