When shoppers step into Krehbiels Meat Market & Deli on East Kansas Avenue, there’s a good chance they will walk away with a Kansas-made product, whether they realize it or not.
Since the store’s opening in 2005, owner Homer Krehbiel has worked diligently to stock the shelves of his store with products manufactured in Kansas, by Kansas residents.
“We are always trying to support other state and local products,” he said. “I think it’s important to support and feature other local products when we can.”
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are an estimated 242,500 small businesses in the state of Kansas. Businesses like Krehbiels, which have a store-front and established clientele can offer small or in-home businesses the much-needed shelf-space and opportunity to catch the eyes of consumers, while companies that produce niche products can help attract customers to existing stores and build their customer base.
Kansas businesses partnering with one another is often a win-win for both parties and is a move many local entrepreneurs say helps business grow.
“We've found retail consumers who patronize specialty food retailers like Krehbiels Meats in McPherson, Scott's Hometown Foods in Lindsborg or a store like Smith's Market in Hutchinson, are much more discriminating about the taste and origin of their food than the average chain grocery store customer whose primary focus is price,” said Blacksmith Coffee Roasters owner Mark Galloway, whose products appear on Krehbiels’ shelves. “The independent stores have a loyal customer base, who trust them and consequently, that gives credibility to the products on the merchant's shelves.
‘That's one strength an independent local food retailer has over a national chain.”
For Galloway, networking with other, local retailers is a key part of the business’ sales strategy and a starting point for getting his product into larger retailers.
“As a Kansas (and McPherson County) food product manufacturer, I honestly believe that independent food retailers are a critical component of the local economy,” Galloway said. “Whether it's an upscale meat market like Krehbiels or a small independent grocery store like we have in McPherson County in Marquette, Inman, Moundridge, Canton and Lindsborg, when local producers partner with local retailers, they help their community keep local dollars at home.”
For Galloway, getting his products into a small, niche store, like Krehbiels, can help him not only land new customers but can also be a good for step for marketing and expansion to the aisles of Dillons or Wal-Mart.
The Old Muffin Factory owner, Les Mason, said the Internet can be a great tool for reaching customers but shelf space is essential to building a wholesale customer base.
Mason, whose company is based in McPherson and products can be found at Krehbiels and The Cake Lady, has expanded his upscale muffin and cookie mixes into more than 800 stores nation-wide. The ability to work with retailers both locally and nationally is a critical component of his business model, Mason said.
And his local presence has helped put the McPherson market in the company’s top 10 best-performing markets.
Mason’s company has furthered the spirit of local cooperation by partnering with Cereal Food Processors for all of the company’s wheat flour.
“Consumers buying the mixes support local retailers, local industry and local farmers,” Mason said.
Galloway and Krehbiel are both members of Simply Kansas, a Kansas Department of Commerce program dedicated to the promotion and marketing of products grown and produced in Kansas. The organization currently has 115 member companies and works with its members to successfully market their products and expand their customer base. This month, Simply Kansas is highlighting Krehbiels for its dedication to Kansas products.
Krehbiel said he is always looking to expand his list of Kansas-made products and is constantly receiving requests, calls and product samples for in-state companies looking for shelves to place their products on.
By stocking local products, Krehbiel is able to market his meat market as carrying not only local and specialty meats but also local and specialty food products such as glass-bottled Hildebrand Farms milk from Junction City and Good Shepherd turkeys from rural Marquette. He advertises those products because he knows they draw new customers into his store and that is one of the benefits of partnering with other Kansas producers, Krehbiel said. The local-product business model has proven successful for Krehbiels and other small food retailers in the area and is being duplicated, to the advantage of retailers and local producers, across the nation.
And small producers can given their customers additional opportunities and locations to purchase their goods.
McPherson County —
