This month we’re diving into the diversity of local vendors who bring us and their communities their best. We love supporting these minority artisans and helping their dreams go major!
Local Pride!
Celebrate Pride Month with some of our sweet LGBTQ partners!
Leona’s Lactose-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches
At Leona’s, in Pittsburgh’s East End, partners Christa and Katie make locally sourced, lactose-free ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies — everything made from scratch on-site. “I have never seen such remarkable sales for a local product,” says Paul Abbott, our specialty grocery buyer. “And, honestly, I totally get it. Their ice cream sandwiches are untouchable.”
Chill Pop Shop
Located in Cleveland, Chill Pop’s belief is that dessert does not have to be bad for you, and that sweet treats can be better for you AND taste totally delicious. Their natural frozen fruit pops consist of the highest quality, cleanest ingredients featuring flavors that are totally hip and unique.
We Love Local!
In a continued celebration of Juneteenth, we bring you some of our fabulous African American local partners!
PowerBites!
“As the parent of a toddler,” says Sharif Rasheed, a Pittsburgh entrepreneur, “I was seeking a healthy snack my son would like.” Sharif tried his hand at creating a soft granola bar and succeeded! Healthier flavor is the cornerstone of PowerBites!’ popularity.
Uncle Jammy’s Sauces & Rubs
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Uncle Jammy’s Sauces was 14 years in the making (in several kitchens). The brainchild of Jamal Etienne-Harrigan, Uncle Jammy’s sauces speak to a love for one-of-a-kind flavors. With names like Your Arrogance Amuses Me BBQ and What a Wonderful Wing Rub, you know they are his!
Ghana Supreme Sauce
Nana Kwamena Takyi-Micah arrived from Ghana in 2010 to study at Hiram College. As a participant in Entrepreneurship Immersion Week, he created his authentic Ghana Supreme Sauce Marinade, a versatile tomato-based sauce that can be used as a cooking sauce, salsa, marinara and cocktail sauce—all based on his mother’s recipe. Look for his breakthrough medium and mild sauces in our Cleveland stores!
Holmes Applesauce
At the age of 15, Shaker Heights, Ohio native Ethan Holmes launched Holmes Made Foods LLC with his grandfather’s applesauce recipe. Acquiring raw materials as Christmas gifts, he built his brand of all-natural applesauce made with only real, NATURAL ingredients, no added sweeteners or GMO's. Today, we are thrilled to carry his Original, Apple Pie Cinnamon and Strawberry Peach applesauces in our Cleveland stores!
Akron Honey
Akron Honey began when Brent Wesley (Wesley the Keeper) bought a lot down the street from his home. Here, he founded an apiary and began producing “urban” honey with a flavor unique to community environment. He also creates flavors with the addition of bourbon-aged wood, habaneros and vanilla bean pods. For Wesley, flavor is the focus: the flavor of the honey and the flavor it can add to everything!
