Call it factory to table. A growing number of food and drink producers are opening stores in Manhattan to bypass grocery stores and market their good directly to consumers.
Tea maker Pure Leaf, for example, opened a cafe in Soho in June. The Wall Street Journal reported that the idea behind the 3,000-square-foot space is to advertise the product — not so much to generate sales.
“In terms of return on investment, that’s not how we’re measuring it,” Pure Leaf marketing director Laraine Miller told the Journal.
Meanwhile cereal maker Kellogg runs a cafe in Times Square where customers can sample the firm’s products. Yogurt company Chobani also operates two stores, one in Soho and one in Tribeca.
Some of the shops run by national brands are pop-ups, which is becoming a growing industry in the city. [WSJ] — Konrad Putzier