Live Like A Local: Publix Local Endcaps

Publix is proud to be a member of your community for the past 89 years. We’re happy to also support your city and state’s local, small businesses. You can now “shop local,” while doing your weekly grocery shopping at Publix. Our new Local Endcap program is highlighting new and exciting products from your area. At Publix, items that are part of our local program are items that are grown, harvested or manufactured right in your state.

We started our Local Endcap program in 2016 in a few of our markets to gauge how the reaction from customers. It turns out, you really loved it! Brett Ruvolo, the Category Manager of the program shared, “The response completely blew us away. We always wanted to support local businesses and we were happy our customers felt the same way.” He went on to say, “We have expanded our Local Endcap program to all seven of our operating states and are so proud to partner with great brands and even better people.” Ruvolu said, “The thing we love about these small businesses is that they are so passionate about the products that they sell and all have such great stories about them. We know how much our customers value this.”

We laid our roots in our home state. Florida cuisine is one of the most exotic styles in the country and features foods with strong influences of many different cultures, including the South, the Caribbean, Cuba and many more. The flavors offered by our Florida Local Endcap program reflect these eclectic styles. Our landscape and warm climate allow us to have a large honeybee population, which explains why two of our top three items in Florida are honey. The top three products our customers love on our Florida Local Endcaps are:

• Orchard Pond Tupelo Honey
• Captain Foods Buffalo Sauce
• Keez Beez Raw Black Honey

The second state we expanded to was Georgia, which is known for its sweet peaches and succulent squash, but that’s not all Georgia offers. The tastes in Georgia are rich with different types of traditional southern flavors. With a storied institution of barbecue, Georgia natives have many different opinions on whether they like it sweet…or a bit spicy.

Listed below are the top three items our customers love on our Georgia Local Endcaps:

• Fox Bros BBQ Sauce
• NaturAlmond Almond Butter
• Geraldine’s Cheese Straws

Two things Alabama knows and knows well are college football and barbecue! With a hefty offering of different barbecue sauces, condiments and everything our Alabama customers need for game day, it’s no wonder two of the three favorites on our Alabama list are barbecue related!

The top three items our customers love on our Alabama Local Endcaps are:

• Mook Mills Cheese Straws
• Dreamland BBQ Sauce
• John’s Slaw Dressing

While Nashville is becoming the hub for all things cool, Tennesseans certainly prefer their food HOT! Family-style food reigns supreme throughout Tennessee and the amount of local farmers and markets is second to none. Coffee and tea spots are as common as bars in the downtown area which explains why two of the three top items on our Local Endcap program in Tennessee are coffee-related.

The top three items our customers love on our Tennessee Local Endcaps are:

• Frothy Monkey “12 South” Coffee
• Simplify Vanilla Extract
• Tru Bee Honey

South Carolina is well known for its agriculture and produces the nation’s largest amount of collard greens and kale, due to the state’s nutrient rich soils. The top three items our customers love on our South Carolina Local Endcaps are very different from our other operating  areas, adding a unique flair. Check them out below:

• Hyatt’s Pickled Eggs
• Bone Suckin’ Sauce
• Charleston Favorites Benne Wafers

North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States and tenth in production for grapes and wine. What would the Southeast be without barbecue? Lexington, North Carolina, is known as the barbecue capital of the world and of course, you’ll need a beer to wash down the barbecue! This state features the most craft breweries per capita in the United States.

Below are the top three items our customers love on our North Carolina Local Endcaps:

• Bakers Peanuts Salted & Fried
• B&B Pecan Halves
• Hiatts Bread and Butter Pickles

We saved our most recent operating state for last! With such unique farming and agriculture, we were so excited to open our first stores in Virginia last year. The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia, and it is also where the first Thanksgiving was held.

Below are some of our favorites from our Virginia customers. It’s no surprise peanuts are number one!

• Parker’s Salted Peanuts
• Gunter’s Wildflower Honey
• Ironclad House of Usher Coffee

We hope you had fun learning about all of our new Local Endcaps and the unique products we offer in our stores.