June 2011 issue

Med in America

Oldways is an organization that's been dear to my heart for more than a decade. It has been promoting the Mediterranean diet for more than 20 years, and in May, it launched Med in America, a brand new Web-based journey through the United States, to discover who else is talking up the Med diet, and how they're spreading the word about this easy-to-adopt lifestyle. From cooking schools and cafés to cardiologists, and from fast food to festivals, Oldways is collecting great stories; let them know yours by e-mailing medinamerica@oldwayspt.org . This month, our very own Foreign Correspondent, as I fondly refer to him, James Mellgren provides us with a quick snapshot of the Mediterranean diet and its influence on retail in the United States. I'll let him tell the rest of the story.

And speaking of stories, we've got a lot of great information coming your way beyond this issue. Our Summer Fancy Food Show Bulletin is just weeks away, quickly followed by our July issue with the secrets to consumer demographics and shopping trends. Understanding the generational drivers behind consumer choices has never been more critical. In today's new technology-driven world, how should you be marketing and promoting your brand to the younger consumer? What types of products do you need to be stocking to appeal both to the aging baby boomer and the fresh twentysomething? How will doting grandparents impact the marketplace as children become the focus of their shopping trips? And finally, what does the “back-to-basics” approach of consumers who are pushing aside the “stuff” in their lives and looking for more meaning bode for retailers? Are there new categories to discover? Stay tuned!

We'll follow up that story with our own discoveries at the Summer Fancy Food Show in August - with an interesting generational approach to covering the show so you can identify trends for customers of all ages. Of course fourth-quarter gift ideas are right around the corner, along with back-to-school ideas and spooky new gifts for Halloween.

But probably what I am most excited about is the immediate future for Gourmet Business and calling on all of our readers and retailers to get involved. During my tenure in the gourmet world, I have developed dozens of trips and educational opportunities for specialty retailers. I will continue that role with Gourmet Business and am now in the midst of putting together a group of advisors from the specialty food and kitchenware world. If you are a retailer with a passion for the business, always looking to grow and learn, please e-mail me at mmoran@gourmetbusiness.com to get involved. I promise you will not be disappointed. We'll be holding quarterly meetings - both in person and virtual - as well as working with our partner countries on educational trips, new product testing and more.

And finally, I will be heading to New York in August to showcase what an enormous role cross-merchandising has in the specialty retail world. And here again I am asking for your help. What I would love to see are great displays retailers from across the country have created in their own stores. Those display photos will be used in a presentation to attendees at the New York International Gift Fair/Gourmet Housewares Show. So get creative and e-mail them to me by July 20th. We'll provide access to the presentation online as well.

Until then, I look forward to seeing you in the aisles.

Cheers!