New York – Fairway Market, with stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, is organizing a campaign dedicated to authentic Greek products, launching at its stores this September. The popular chain has partnered with Olive Roots, a Greek boutique specialty food sourcing company, on a Country Program that will give its customers the chance to discover a variety of authentic foods many of which are sourced from small producers.
Estate olive oils, artisanal cheeses, heavenly raw honeys, delicious jams, baking mixes, & Mediterranean snacks are only a few of the product categories that one will be able to find across all Fairway stores this Fall. “I am looking forward to our Greece & Cyprus country program to see the success of the new brands we selected.” said Chris Garzino, Fairway Market’s Director of Specialty. “Many of the brands will be new to the U.S. and I believe they will give our customers a greater feel into the Greek culture.”
Recognized for its sourcing capabilities, Olive Roots specializes in bringing “scalable authenticity” to the US market. “Until now it was almost impossible to find many of these products at US shelves, unless you visited Greek ethnic market shops,” said Katerina Barka, Olive Roots Founder & CEO.
This is the fourth year that Fairway runs a country promo program. After France, Switzerland and Israel, the popular chain decided to dedicate the fourth year to Greece and Cyprus following Olive Roots’ proposal. “This is the first time we decided to work with a sourcing partner local to the program country. The change has made the entire effort completely seamless in large part to the Olive Roots organization.” said Chris Garzino, who travelled to Greece in order to meet with over 40 producers sourced by Olive Roots.
Olive Roots’ Country Program with Fairway was endorsed by various prestigious organizations including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Governments of Greece and Cyprus and their National Tourism Organizations aiming to promote the two countries as culinary destinations.
Fairway will kick off the Greek Program on September 26th with a breakfast at their Red Hook store which will be followed by a three-week promo period including publicity, in-store demonstrations and sampling events. Fairway will also offer to its customers two trip giveaways, one to Greece and one to Cyprus. “The trips will offer an unforgettable experience of Greece and Cyprus to the winners”, said Barka.
Barka is optimistic that more chains will follow Fairway’s example of increasing their Greek product offering. “Americans love Greek foods because they are healthy, simple and of course delicious. Our mission is to improve and highlight the Greek category for many more stores across the US.”
The Program is supported by: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD), the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek Tourism Organization, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus, the City of Athens, Hilton Athens and the Cyprus Agrotourism Company.
