U.S. Wholesale Site
Print
Bookmark
Email to a Friend
Customer Assistance
Products and Packaging
How many gourmet foods do you offer?How many gourmet foods do you offer?
We produce and distribute just over 500 of our own gourmet foods and specialty foods.
Do you produce all these gourmet foods?
While we do distribute other companies' products, over 550 of the gourmet foods available on our site are produced by us. We've developed all of the packaging, labeling and taste profiles. They are our own, exclusive formulations that we've developed since we started our business in 1993.
Where do you produce your gourmet foods?
We operate our business from an 8,000 square foot, "state-of-the-art" gourmet food manufacturing facility in Kitchener, ON, Canada.
Where do you sell your gourmet foods?
When we started our company in 1993, we knew that we wanted to offer our gourmet foods exclusively to gourmet shops, gift shops and gift basket packers. We started with the specialty retailers near our town and it's just grown from there! We now deal with over 3,000 stores in all 13 provinces & territories in Canada and all 48 contiguous United States. Our customer base has grown from gourmet, gift and basket shops to include cataloguers, mail order companies, home party companies, online retail stores, department stores, wineries, fruit markets and delicatessens, among others.
Are your products natural?
Different people have different ideas about what is "natural" and what is not! Not all, but an overwhelming percentage of our products are free of chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, additives, fillers, emulsifiers and preservatives. Wherever possible, we've developed specialty gourmet food items that have "clean" ingredient lists.
Are your products kosher?
Although our products are definitely "gourmet" and many are "natural" (by any definition), they are not kosher.
Do you "private label" your foods?
Yes, we private label our foods. We are very familiar with many of the food labeling requirements in both Canada and America. If "private labeling" is of interest, you should contact one of our Customer Care Associates at 1-800-267-0805, extension 22 to discuss the possibilities further. However, please be advised that the minimum quantities (and funds!) required to develop a "private label" can be quite large.
Who designs all of your labels?
We do - we develop all the concepts and themes and work with local graphic artists to bring them to life! (We get the most wonderful comments and compliments on our packaging from our customers all over North America). However, we've simply responded to what they've told us they want. Some of our gourmet foods have a "fun & funky" look, while others are "elegant and upscale". We have gourmet foods with a "country" look and others have an "urban" look. Some appeal to a younger market, while others are targeted at an older audience and / or demographic. We have something for almost everyone and every market!
What is a Master Case?
In order to sell their products as inexpensively as possible, many gourmet food suppliers pack their products in cases of 12 to 48 units (or more). At Epicurean Foods, we call this a Master Case. It is definitely the most economical way to purchase your inventory. You can purchase virtually all of our gourmet foods and gift basket supplies from us in a Master Case and pay the absolute lowest unit price possible.
We realize that sometimes, buying a Master Case may be more than what you want or need (e.g. you are introducing a new item and just want to do a small trial order to see how it sells, or you are placing your order during a slower time of the year and want to maintain minimal inventory etc.) As a practical alternative to the Master Case we offer most of our products in a smaller Epicurean Case, with as few as one to six units per case.
As a company that is concerned with serving you as well as we possibly can, we give you the flexibility to buy by the Epicurean Case or by the Master Case, depending on your specific needs. It's just another way that we show you how we really are "Dedicated to the Independent Retailer"!
