Local Salsas Sampled at Farmer Joe's

by Bill Kelvin

Gente Food’s salsas sampled at Farmer Joe’s. Photo courtesy of Gente Foods.

A recent stroll through Farmer Joe's grocery store on Fruitvale Ave. yielded a lovely sight: free samples of a wide variety of local salsas.

Diana Tam, who founded both Farmer Joe's stores with her husband Joe Tam, said their business has been doing product demonstrations since its inception at the 35^th Ave. and MacArthur Blvd. location. Tam endeavors to have the stores host demos at least once a week, usually on the weekends between 2 and 5 p.m. Suppliers demo a wide variety of products, including meats, fruits, juices, and salsas. Farmer Joe's demos its own salsas and guacamoles, as well as those of Native Kjalii Foods, Casa Chicas, Emerald Valley Kitchen, and Gente Foods. Usually the demos are for new products to help customers become acquainted with new vendors' names.

"It's a good way for them to test [new products] out," Tam explained. "You may not want to spend $5 on something you're not aware of or comfortable with."

Building this relationship between customers and brand names is important for local suppliers, who need exposure in a crowded marketplace.

"It's a very competitive market here with so many different salsas to choose from," said Priscilla Miranda, president of Gente Foods. "It's a tremendous help to do store demos and further educate customers about the freshness and quality of our products."

While everyone appreciates a free taste of a product, the Tams also want vendors to offer background about their ingredients and business philosophy. These grocers expect products to have as few chemicals and as little processing as possible.

"If we have a chance to choose between a local vendor and someone who is clear across the globe, I would choose our local guy," Tam explained. "It helps the community, and I would like to have that relationship with the person."

Again we can look to Gente Foods, founded in Oakland and now based out of South San Francisco and Ventura County, as a textbook example: the company's recipes were inspired by those of Miranda's grandmother and mother.'

Miranda and her husband Paul Pineda began their enterprise in 1996 with the mission of creating marketable guacamole and salsas that were fresh and tasted homemade, but as close to all-natural as possible. This type of origin appeals to the Tams who appreciate entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy supporting progressive local businesses.'

That these local businesses bring Bay Area residents resources of the highest quality is nothing new to longtime locals, who will continue to enjoy tasty delights at Farmer Joe's market.