Jewel-Osco offers foods from across the world
Foods that people enjoy and crave as a connection to their roots differ from country to country. Curry as well as poppy seed and cashew pastes are important to those who enjoy Indian food. Pierogis, Zurek soup and cabbage rolls are favorites with Poles, while collard greens, red beans and rice and sweet potato pie grace tables set by many African-Americans.
Cuisines and cultural favorites around the world are diverse and to better serve Chicago's increasingly diverse population, Jewel-Osco has been expanding its multi-cultural offerings for more than 25 years, according to Michael Korkosz, Natural/Organic/Specialty/Health/Ethnic (NOSHE) Sales Manager for Jewel-Osco.
"We partner with our various ethnic specialty vendors to choose the appropriate items to stock in our 'Shop the World' aisles," Korkosz explained, "and for the past five years we have increased that effort as different ethnicities have moved into the area and millennials have become increasingly willing to experiment with world cuisines."
Depending upon the demographics of the neighborhood, a Jewel-Osco store might stock Asian, Hispanic, Kosher, Indian, African-American, British/Irish, Italian and Caribbean staples all in the same aisle or two, amidst the massive amount of mainstream American offerings stocked in every Jewel-Osco.
"We spend a lot of time studying the demographics in all of the neighborhoods where we have stores in order to fully stock the appropriate items," Korkosz continued. "And beyond the 'Shop the World' aisle, we also stock ethnic specialty items in our dairy, frozen foods, meat and deli departments, and even in Osco when it comes to hair care and other popular grooming items."
But it is important to mention that even if your particular Jewel-Osco does not routinely carry an ethnic item for which you have been searching, you can special order it at your local store for pick up or online through the company's e-commerce website at shop.jewelosco.com and have it delivered to your home.
The NOSHE staff also work with their ethnic vendors to celebrate cultural holidays in the appropriate Jewel-Osco locations in order to make everyone feel welcome. For instance, African-American vendors worked with NOSHE staff for in-store food tastings and to host celebrities and culturally-appropriate bands during February (Black History Month). Jewel-Osco also runs advertisements on radio and neighborhood billboards to draw additional traffic.
The same is done for Hispanic Heritage Month in September, Chinese New Year in February and many more.
"We make sure that we spread out these special celebrations among our different geographic areas, from the north suburbs to the western suburbs, to various parts of the city and also to northwest Indiana," Korkosz stated.
Jewel-Osco also partners with its vendors to choose community-appropriate charities for annual or holiday-based donations. For example, "My Block, My Hood, My Charity" was chosen this year to receive the charitable donation during the Black History Month celebration.