Kicking off the Holiday with MIRA’s Annual Food and Beverage Show
As Santa Claus is making his list and checking it twice, MIRA members are taking inventory of their products for the holidays.
Members were welcomed into the 24th Annual Holiday Food and Beverage Buying Show at 2 p.m. at the Suburban Collection Showplace on September 26. They eagerly visited with vendors/suppliers at their booths, taste-testing new products and looking for specials that they could feature inside their businesses for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
“There was a great holiday vibe in the room,” said Bill Wild, President, and CEO of MIRA. “The event was the ideal environment for our retailers to spend quality time with our vendors talking about products for their businesses.”
Mary Ann Yono, MIRA Director of Business Relations noted that “So many members said it was a beautiful show and they loved the setup,” said Yono. “They especially loved the tables in the back for the vendors to take orders from their customers and for attendees to sit down, get a bite to eat, and catch up with friends.”
Sponsors included D&B Grocers & Wholesale, Faygo, Home City Ice, Lipari and SpartanNash. “All the Sponsors were much appreciated,” said Yono. “What was really nice was all the 1st time vendors said they were so happy with the entire event and the orders that were placed”.
Every year, MIRA looks for opportunities to make each event better, making note of what members are saying. “We want them to know that we do listen to them when they have an opinion and that’s why next year will be even bigger and better,” said Yono.
For the Denha Family, it was their first time having a display table at the annual Holiday Show. “This show is great,” said Gordon Denha, Co-owner of Denha Tahini. “It’s our first time at the show and it is important that we get in front of retailers and restaurant owners with our product. This show is a great opportunity to be in front of future customers. Denha’s are known for our Tahini. Taste testing it here at the show was a great success. Our tahini is 100 percent sesame based. There are no preservatives. The product is made in northern Iraq, and we import it into the United States and distribute it here.”
Omar Petrus and Joe Yaldoo, always attend the show to talk to MIRA staff members like Mary Ann Yono, to discuss new member benefits but they also like to check out the new products. “I always like to see what new vendors might be at the show,” said Omar Putrus. “It is good for us as retailers to be able to sample products so that we promote them properly and educate our customers.”
Dan Riordan from the Swan Boat Club has been attending the annual Holiday Food & Beverage Show for years, “mainly to check out the different liquors for our bar at the Swan Boat Club,” he said. “This is a great show. There is a wide variety of different products that you have not seen before, and everyone is so friendly. The vendors really do a great job explaining everything to you.”
For some MIRA members, the chance to see and sample products is imperative to what they end up buying for their stores. “Coming to the show is huge,” said Fady Mansour with Benstein Liquor in Commerce Township. “It helps me get familiar with products that I might not know about, and I am a very tangible guy. I need to see, touch, and taste the products so I can better explain them to my customers. I take pictures and I try to figure out what will sell. I also like to negotiate with people and see what is being offered.”
Post the pandemic, many members appreciate the face-to-face meetings and that personal connection at the show is most beneficial for some members. “Love the show because we can check out new products and catch up with our sales reps that we have been working with for years. It is helpful to connect in person,” said Ricky Yono, TJ’s Market in Commerce Township.
As “location, location, location” is the key slogan in real estate, one can say that “product, product, and product” is the marketing line the retailer chants. “At this show, there are a lot of items that I can bring into my store. Rivertown in Detroit is a sister store to Meijer. I attend this show to see new products, talk to vendors, and get to know the sales reps,” said Meon Bartell Rivertown Market in Detroit.
The Gaelic League in Corktown is a popular Detroit based social club that is over 100 years old and focuses on Irish culture. They do not have a retail establishment but carry a liquor license to operate a bar. “I like to have everything in one place,” said Jesse Anaya from the Gaelic League who enjoys attending the Holiday Food and Beverage Buying Show with other members of the social club. “It is great to have small samples to taste. I do like the variety here. We have Irish Dance, and we focus on the language. We host events for the public. We just had a Mexican Irish celebration. The show gives us ideas of what products to buy for our bar.”
What exactly he and his fellow Gaelic Club members love so much about the Holiday show is not easy to pinpoint. “It is hard to narrow down. There is so much here. The products here are just phenomenal. Kudos to MIRA for hosting this show,” said Bill Miller from the Gaelic League.
For others, this year was their first time at a MIRA event. “It is my first time at the show, and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Paige Fox with Walter’s Shopping Place in Hamtramck. “It is nice. I saw so many products that I had never seen before, and I got a lot of ideas for the store. I would come back next year for sure.”
“The show is beautiful,” said Randy Nafso with Motor City Marketplace. “We get to try different items and figure out what our customers would want, and their tastes. This is a terrific opportunity to taste test items that you normally would not see and can now offer to your customers. The customers look for our opinions when it comes to buying products.”
What’s new? That is often the question retailers are asking. “The show always has a lot of new products. I was able to try some great-tasting beverages that I would like to bring into the store,” said Garfield Leomious from Liquor Basket on Gratiot.
“I love coming to the show to see what is new out there. If we do not know what new products are there, how can we carry them in our stores? We have to look and touch and taste new products to best understand if they will sell well in our business,” said Andy Yatooma with Berville Country Market.
Longtime MIRA members and board members value the yearly event. “The show is important. What the vendors offer here is excellent value to the retailer” said MIRA Board Secretary John Denha.
“The show is important for retailers to keep up with the trends and to see their new products,” said Former MIRA Board Chair, and co-owner of the Wine Palace in Livonia, Cliff Denha. “We have to keep our pulse on the industry in order to offer our customers the best products.”
