the culinary art of coffee

It takes a lot of people and passion to put great products on our shelves. Part of Fresh & Easy’s commitment to you is that we put the best products on our shelves that we know are created with care. Behind each Fresh & Easy product is a story and group of passionate people who strive to make the highest quality, fresh products possible – and keep them all at a reasonable price.

So when we met the owners of Caffe Calabria, a local café and artisanal coffee roaster in San Diego, we knew we had to partner with them to produce some of the most amazing, rich and delicious coffee for our shelves – the fresh&easy artisanal coffee. The company’s passion for the culinary art of coffee-making is apparent in the incredible care they put into each step of the coffee roasting process – from raw bean to finished product, each batch goes through rigorous testing and tastings to make sure it is perfect.

We took a camera down to Caffe Calabria to capture the care and passion the roasters of Caffe Calabria put into every single batch of fresh&easy artisanal coffee.



The coffee is carefully packaged in tins, preserving the freshness and aroma so when you open the canister in your home the result is a perfect cup of fresh, handcrafted coffee made with care. I don’t know about you, but I can practically smell the coffee through the screen…

For another “story behind the product” – check out our trip to the Il Fornaio bakery to see the bakers of fresh&easy breads!

Cheers!
~SallieB

Fresh food in South LA

We were thrilled today to partner with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry to open our South Los Angeles store – one of the first store locations we identified over two years ago!

This store is part of a broader redevelopment program to revitalize the Central Avenue corridor. We’re excited to be a part of the effort and hope to encourage even more business and growth as a result.

Providing food access and healthier foods to underserved communities has been getting national attention with First Lady Michelle Obama taking up the torch to try to get Americans to eat better and tackle childhood obesity by encouraging better eating habits. We continue to open stores in all types of neighborhoods because we fundamentally believe everyone – regardless of where they live – deserves access to quality, fresh food at affordable prices. In reviewing our the best selling items across all Fresh & Easy stores – from Hollywood to Pasadena to Compton, we have found that fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meats and poultry are consistently best sellers, regardless of the neighborhood.

The opening was quite the neighborhood event – lots of local leaders, friends from the City of LA and neighbors showed up to see the new store. We even had the Jefferson High School marching band perform outside the store!


We presented Councilmember Perry today with a Fresh & Easy Superstar Shirt. Each week, at our company team meeting, we award Superstar Shirts to employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to do something extraordinary for our customers or their neighborhoods. This is the first time we’ve ever awarded a Superstar Shirt to someone outside our Fresh & Easy family, but we certainly feel Councilwoman Perry deserves one for her work in revitalizing the area and bring fresh, quality food to residents in the neighborhood.

We also had a team of Fresh & Easy volunteers in the neighborhood to help beautify 28th Street Elementary School by painting murals later this afternoon. One mural of the U.S. Map and the other one reminding kids to eat their fruit and veggies!


For more pictures and stories of the South LA opening, visit here, here and here!

Cheers!
~Sallie

Listening to you – it’s a piece of cake!

We really love hearing from you. We love getting your comments about what you like and what you think we should improve. When we first set out to design and build Fresh & Easy, we went out and asked people what they wanted from a grocery store. Now, just a few short years later listening is still a huge part of how we run our company and we’re happy to report we have many ways to connect with you – through our website, Twitter, Customer Favorites and Kitchen Table polls, and now Facebook.

But it’s not just about taking the time to listen to your comments – it’s about figuring out a way to respond. Take for example the case of the fresh&easy Gourmet Chocolate Cupcakes.

Oakley, creator of the independent fan blog Temple of Fresh & Easy, bites into the sweet success of bringing back the fan favorite.

When we discontinued these cupcakes due to shipping and distribution issues, our in-boxes were immediately flooded with feedback from customers who missed their chocolaty goodness. We heard everything from “I cannot live without my chocolate cupcakes” to “I am devastated the cupcakes are no longer in the stores.” So we quickly figured out a way to get the cupcakes back on our shelves in just three weeks.

We also recently launched several more gluten free products and you might have noticed that we brought back and added new fresh&easy baking mixes, all as a direct response to customer feedback.


So as you bite into that chocolate cupcake or bake that vanilla bean cake, go right ahead and thank yourself and your neighbors. And keep the feedback and ideas coming, because we’re listening.

Cheers!
~Sallie

fresh&easy is now on facebook!

Status update: We just launched our official fresh&easy Facebook fan page!

Though it’s still early, we’ll be adding more features and content based on your input on the fan page. If you’d like another way to stay connected, fan us at www.facebook.com/freshandeasy. And be sure to tell us what you think!

We’re also on
•Twitter @fresh_and_easy
•Youtube
•Flickr

Cheers!
Gary

Twitter Tasting with @Fresh_and_Easy

We’d like to invite all wine enthusiasts, who are 21 years of age or older, to participate in our upcoming Twitter Tasting! We thought it’d be fun to kick off the Valentine’s Day celebrations by giving you a taste of our fresh&easy wines.

On Tuesday, February 9th at 7pm (PST), we’ll taste three exclusive fresh&easy wines that are perfect for whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with that special someone or with friends. Karen Fletcher, our Fresh & Easy Wine Manager, will be your host and can give you the inside scoop on the uniqueness of our wines. She’s excited to get your feedback and happy to answer your questions.

To join:
1. Sign up at Taste Live using Twitter, Facebook or creating a new account on the top right corner
2. Let us know you’ll be joining us by RSVPing here
3. Pick up a bottle at your local Fresh & Easy store
4. Log in to Taste Live and tweet with us on February 9th at 7:00PM (PT)– Hashtag: #FandEWine

We will be tasting the following Fresh & Easy exclusive wines:

Montcadi Cava Rose – under $6

Boro Hills Sauvignon Blanc – under $11

Matuco Malbec 2007 - under $10