Fresh, local produce is year-round priority at Mini-Super
North Market vendor blends quality and convenience
Photo by Kate Sweeney
Mini-Super owner Matt Miner
With the short, cold days of winter comes the end of most farmers’ markets for central Ohio. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up the joys of local produce. Mini-Super, located in the North Market specializes in providing local items throughout the year.
“In the winter months, I hunker down and try to get as much local stuff as I can,” says owner Matt Miner.
At Mini-Super, shoppers can find local products ranging from honey and maple syrup to tofu and kombucha. Miner says his local apples are a popular item hard to find in a typical grocery store during the winter months. He adds that the winter months are a great time to shop for local produce as some products actually improve with the cold weather, which converts starches to sugars in some vegetables.
“There’s something about the end of fall beginning of winter,” Miner says. “The climate makes the cooking greens extra crispy. People say that about carrots too, carrots are extra sweet.”
Much of Mini-Super’s products come from within an hour of Columbus. Most come from within Ohio – Miner has tofu suppliers in both Cincinnati and Cleveland for example – though some products, such as limes and lemons, don’t grow in Ohio and come from other sources.
“I have really high-quality suppliers on that stuff that are all within an hour from here,” Miner says.
Far from an ordinary super market experience, Mini-Super condenses a lot into a small space. There’s the charm of a rural farmers’ market and the urban convenience of a public market.
The North Market location makes it easy to shop for a complete meal with high-end ingredients all in one stop. Produce from Mini-Super could be paired with products from Penny’s Meats, Omega Artisan Baking or Pastaria.
“If you went to the guy at (North Market Spices) and asked him, ‘What would I buy at Mini-Super to pair with this spice?’ he would have a totally different answer than I would,” Miner says. “It’s a really fun atmosphere to be in.”
Miner says that personal interaction distinguishes North Market vendors, including Mini-Super, from common competitors.
“I’m on a first-name basis with all my regular customers,” Miner says. “That’s the big difference between the focused retail and a big box (retailer).”
Courtesy of Mini-Super
Coming from a long background with the natural foods industry, Miner has a pretty good idea of the business. He started off at Northwest Natural Foods in the late ’90s and stayed with the company through a purchase by Wild Oats Markets and again stuck around when Whole Foods Markets acquired that chain in 2007.
“When I started in the natural foods industry, no one ever thought that there would be a natural food supermarket,” he says.
Now, it’s become big business. Miner says his past experiences doing everything from merchandising and quality control to accounts payable give him and Super-Mini the perspective and knowledge needed to keep natural foods focused and personal.
“Out of all the different hats I’ve worn in that industry, it filters out as, ‘OK, I can do this as well as anyone else,” he says. “It’s the easiest job I’ve ever had.”
Cameron Carr is the associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
