Butcher department seen as category leader.

(Courtesy of Grand & Essex) Grand & Essex Market received Progressive Grocer’s 2020 Outstanding Independent Award for its meat and seafood department. Grand & Essex accepted the award at a ceremony in San Diego, California, on February 24.

Opened in 2013, Grand & Essex was one of the first high-end kosher markets in Bergen County. Located on New Bridge Road, the retailer excels at providing a wide variety of specialty foods, products and services reminiscent of the corner grocer and butcher who knew everyone in the neighborhood by name. Even the store’s name and branding harken back to New York’s Lower East Side, where merchants were neighborhood fixtures.

Grand & Essex has also built its reputation on the superior quality of its expansive deli and butcher departments. “Customers travel from all corners of Bergen County just for our fresh Prime USDA American beef and clean poultry,” said Mali Baer, director of marketing and customer care at G&E. Butchers from Grand & Essex are available on WhatsApp so that customers can communicate directly with them regarding their meat orders.

Recent innovations include a new smokehouse that offers kosher consumers one-of-a-kind ribs, smoked meats and barbecue.

Shia Schoenfeld, Grand & Essex managing partner, said, “We are so proud that Grand & Essex Market is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Progressive Grocer Outstanding Independent award in the Meat/Seafood category. Thank you to our butcher, Zevy, and the rest of the amazing, hard-working team at Grand & Essex. You are all the reason we are #1!”

The market also prides itself on community outreach.

“We share in our customers’ life cycles, offering complimentary dinners for families of newborns, dessert platters for family celebrations, or visits and meals to houses of mourning,” said Baer. “We look out for our elderly or ill customers by taking their orders over the phone or by email and driving them home when they bought a little more than they can carry or delivering small orders to their doorsteps.”

Progressive Grocer is a trade media organization for the retail food industry. They report on industry trends, conduct research and direct an annual contest for local, independent grocery store excellence.