A new twist on in-store tastings
Grocers under the Metro and IGA banners are helping promote local products this summer under a novel in-store tasting program in one of Quebec's best-known northern enclaves.
Run under the auspices of Zone boréale, a branding initiative launched in January by the Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the program features in-store tastings of 14 local specialty food products at a dozen Metro and IGA stores across the region.
Tastings are being held Thursdays to Saturdays during July and August, and feature two complementary food products in both the mornings and afternoons.
They are also set up and run by four Zone boréale team members, all of whom are local college and university students who were hired for their love of food and the region.
"It's a unique initiative," said Nancy Ouellet, a spokesperson for the Table Agroalimentaire SLSJ told Canadian Grocer.
It is one of 14 Tables that have been created across Quebec since 1991, when the provincial agricultural ministry created the concept as a way to organize and promote regionally-produced foods.
According to Ouellet, the tastings have been going on for three years.
This year, however, they are being run under the new Zone boréale brand, which was designed to give items produced by the region's 150 food makers a broader appeal in the marketplace.
Boréale is used to designate northern regions in French, such as aurore boreale (or northern lights).
"Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean is well known, but there's not much there beyond name recognition," said Ouellet. "Boréale is much more expansive and fashionable and known for food products with unique characteristics and properties and tastes."
In addition to the new name and logo, Ouellet said this year's program promises food companies 200 hours of tasting time for their products in return for a $1,200 fee.
Companies include Makabon, a food company that specializes in macarons, and Delices du Lac-Saint-Jean (pictured), which sells an array of products including jams, spreads, chutneys and sauces.
For their part, participating stores promise to stock showcased food products on their shelves from June to January.
According to Ouellette, Metro and IGA are the most enthusiastic supporters, providing both corporate support and danglers to highlight local items.
Metro in particular has been active in such regional initiatives since 2013, when it made a corporate commitment to offer as many regional products as possible on the shelves of its 208 Metro and 90 Super C stores across Quebec.
"They take a risk with us (and) we put on an event in their stores that people enjoy," said Ouellette.
"People really do like to taste," said Luc Guay, assistant manager at Metro Dubé in Delisle, a suburb of Alma, a world-class aluminum production hub on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean.
According to Dubé, better-known everyday items like beer from La Chouape, an award-winning local microbrewery, do well sales-wise.
Sales are harder, he added, for higher-priced speciality food items like blueberry-based dressings and chocolates.
"People here are proud of the region and want to buy locally," said Guay. "But there is always a balance between price and quality."