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Brooklyn Whole Foods will offer Baldor Specialty Items

Supermarket News Editors Jul 19 , 2016

Whole Foods Market said Tuesday it will offer a variety of unique culinary items for home cooks at an in-store digital kiosk at the new location it will open July 26 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y.

The items will be available from Baldor Specialty Foods, Hunts Point, N.Y., an ingredient supplier, through the kiosk, called The Baldor Forager. Customers who place an order will be able to return for in-store pickup in an average of one to two days, Baldor said.

Items offered during opening week will include fresh, water-grown wasabi root, white strawberries and a lavender-hued mushroom from France called a bluefoot, the supplier said.

The store’s other offerings will include grab-and-go options, including East Coast poke; a Luke’s Lobster food cart; a delicatessen-inspired restaurant featuring 18 beers on tap with growlers to go; a range of products from local vendors, including Roberta’s breads and pastries, produce from Gotham Greens and frozen pie shells from Four & Twenty Blackbirds; plus sushi and a full coffee and juice bar.

 

Talking about the Baldor lines, Tony Rajaram, produce coordinator for Whole Foods’ Northeast division, said, “We know our customers want to try new, special and exotic ingredients, [though] it’s been a challenge for us to stock fresh, unique produce items that are very fragile and have a short shelf-life. The Forager is going to let us accomplish this simply and efficiently through our in-store kiosk.”

Because specialty ingredients like heirloom produce and wild mushrooms are rarely available through brick-and-mortar stores, the offering through the kiosk at Whole Foods “will encourage exploration, discovery and a retail experience focused on customization,” Baldor said.