Evergreen Fancy Foods plans ‘sample sale’

By selling handmade chocolate roses to Spokane specialty gift shops, Craig Grossman began his now more than 20-year career as a fancy food broker for the Northwest.

“I took these chocolate roses to stores and gift shops in the area and they said, ‘Oh, that’s cool. We’ll buy some of those. So what else do you have?’ But that was all I had then,” says Grossman. “So I thought maybe I should get some other stuff to sell. That’s how I started, and then gradually I got more and more products in top lines.”

Now called Evergreen Fancy Foods, Grossman has more than 50 product lines in mainly four categories. There are packaged specialty foods, such as pastas, teas, olive oils and barbecue sauce. Candies and chocolates, natural foods and organic items are also offered, as are body care and nonfood gifts such as aprons, candles and soaps.

Twice a year, Grossman hosts a “salesman’s sample sale” from his South Side home garage.

This is a means for people to try specialty foods without having to spend a lot of money, he believes, and a way to give back to the community that usually has to pay full retail prices at the stores.

“We have a huge variety at the sample sale because there are discontinued items, or samples that are a little bit shopworn, or that will soon be outdated,” says Grossman. “We do trade shows twice a year, so our suppliers usually send us a lot of samples for the shows. We always have a lot left over. I can’t eat it all. And I can only give so much to friends and family. My girlfriend gets a lot.”

It’s a very unique sale that attracts many “foodies,” states Grossman, and it’s different every time, as their product lines come and go. They have a mailing list of more than 150 people, with many folks that wouldn’t miss it.

The big sellers are the huckleberry items, always popular in the Northwest and for tourists, the private label products, chocolate and Italian food such as aged balsamic vinegar. The price range is wide, from the miniature chocolates to the fine grapeseed oil made in the Tri Cities area. And Grossman is always on the lookout for the newest food fads.

“One of my themes now is Leading Edge Foods for the Northwest,” says Grossman. “We try and stay right on top of the latest trends in bringing foods to the market. So our latest is gluten-free items, which are really popular right now. Crackers, pastas, even gluten-free ice cream cones. We also have a real popular line of sugar-free chocolate bars.”

Grossman finds new products by going to the food show in San Francisco every year, through specialty food newsletters, and by people requesting him to sell their merchandise. His products are sold at specialty retailers such as health food stores, farmers’ markets and wineries. As main sales representative, Grossman covers all of eastern Washington, three quarters of Idaho and western Montana.

“It’s a fun business. I have to say that I enjoy working with all the interesting people,” says Grossman. “Most of my buyers are independent business owners themselves, so I work with a lot of creative entrepreneurial types. I enjoy that.”