Business Profile: On the front lines of the grocery business

Carlo Montebon held out a bag of iced gingerbread cookies for a visitor at Lewiston’s Grocery Outlet to try. The taste of the sweet, spicy cookies mirrored that of homemade versions of the treat.

A few minutes later Montebon, who owns the store with his wife, was walking past shelves of canned goods that included jars of caviart, a vegan take on caviar made from seaweed.

No matter how ordinary or obscure an item is, Montebon attempts to sample it so he can answer any questions his shoppers have.

It’s important because the inventory of the store changes rapidly based on deals available through the Grocery Outlet’s many warehouses, Montebon said.

And, he said, it helps them be sure that everything in the store meets their goal of having it be something they would enjoy as a family.

“We just want to make sure the customer has a pleasant experience,” he said.

Montebon and his wife, Kylie Montebon, have owned Lewiston’s Grocery Outlet since 2017, and have earned a reputation for their friendliness and involvement in the community.

The regional supermarket chain operates with an unusual business model.

The Montebons and other Grocery Outlet owners encourage people to shop Grocery Outlet first and buy any remaining items on their lists elsewhere. Often individuals are surprised that when they take that approach, there’s only three or four things left to buy and they have cut the amount they spend significantly, he said.

About half of the store’s inventory is comprised of necessities such as bread, milk, eggs and meat that customers can always find on the shelves. Like other grocery store owners, the Montebons consistently check out the competition and aim to sell the highest quality products at the least expensive prices.

“We order fresh staples throughout the week that come from the same distributors as the other stores order from,” he said.

The rest is what Grocery Outlet refers to as “opportunistic buys” available only to owners of the more than 440 chain locations in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California.

That merchandise comes from canceled orders of food processors, label changes, overproduction of goods and seasonal promotions, always with plenty of shelf life remaining.

Grocery Outlet, for example, might have pumpkin-shaped chocolates from Halloween in November.

Owners have access to a rapidly evolving online list of products. Sometimes there are only 500 options from one warehouse, but frequently there are thousands of choices. He checks numerous times each day, competing with Grocery Outlet owners and seeking organic or gluten-free foods.

Snacks such as chips, cereal, crackers and candy along with wine are two of the biggest sellers. The store has regular wine tastings, usually on Thursdays around 4 p.m., so customers can try what’s new.

“It’s a game of chance, if somebody else snagged it before you or not,” he said. “We can get brand names for better deals. Plus we’re locally owned.”

How the Montebons run the store reflects their appreciation for the challenges that go with being working parents.

She was a stay-at-home mom pregnant with their third child when the possibility of being owners of a Grocery Outlet surfaced.

He delivered bread and got to know the owner of a Wenatchee Grocery Outlet. He eventually pulled Montebon aside and talked with him about the opportunities in the company.

She was reluctant. But then they compared the potential income and decade-long career trajectory at Grocery Outlet against working for the bread company, Grocery Outlet won.

“I saw the value in the model and the independence in the model,” he said.

They chose Lewiston because it’s similar to Wenatchee.

“It’s a small town, but it’s not too small,” he said. “You can get everything you want in our valley.”

At the store, they both work full time. She handles office work and human resources while he spends more of his time out on the floor and ordering inventory.

“You’ll see us pretty much anywhere, checking, putting groceries out, working produce or cleaning bathrooms,” she said.

One of their biggest jobs is tracking dates on their merchandise. Usually stock sells long before it needs to be pulled, they said, because of the discounts and their knowledge of what’s popular in this market.

What doesn’t sell is donated.

“We try to have zero food waste,” he said. “Not much ends up in the dumpster.”

They juggle that with the obligations of being parents such as coaching soccer teams, carpooling kids to sports practices and taking their children to music lessons.

Their three sons also spend lots of time at the store. If their boys want money for something fun like playing video games, they earn it at Grocery Outlet.

“It’s that real-world experience for them that they see how hard we work,” she said. “And then they can see, ‘Well, if I work hard, I can do things and I can get things.’ ”

Giving back is a priority. They keep a year-round budget for charitable giving that’s separate from the contributions of items approaching expiration dates.

Food pantries, school programs that send children home with backpacks of food for the weekend and groups that help veterans are priorities.

“I like the community aspect, having conversations with our customers and really staying in tune with what’s going on in our town,” he said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.