Case Studies December 2021

Jim Floyd isn’t descended from the Norwegian founders of Hammer & Wikan, the unique grocer and commercial retailer in tiny Petersburg, Alaska. Nevertheless, today’s owners seemed to recognize at least a spiritual connection when hiring Floyd as general manager and chief executive officer in November 2019. “When they said, ‘welcome to the family’ it sounded […]

Growing up in Chicago’s suburbs, Robert Chesler was a world away from the lush green pastures dotted with herds of lowing cattle that would later define his career. In fact, for many years, his only connection to dairy cows was the milk carton in the fridge that he poured over a bowl of Cheerios. Abandoning […]

In 2020, when most people were staying indoors because of COVID-19, Eli Cayer was going deep into the Maine woods. He wasn’t trekking out there to avoid crowds, though. He was looking for ingredients. As the founder and president of Urban Farm Fermentory, he forages for fruits, herbs, plants, fungi, roots and more to create […]

When Gaetano “Tom” Bazzano bought The Hole in One Bakery in Eastham, Massachusetts, in 1989, it allowed him to express his love of food and community on Cape Cod. In 1992, Bazzano and his family bought a shop in Orleans that became a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. Then, in 2001, they acquired Fairway Restaurant […]

Under other circumstances, Nancy Coupal might still be in Venezuela. Though born in Berkeley, California, the South American country was her home for 30 years, she having moved there during the late 1970s with her husband, Jean Paul Coupal, after they graduated UCLA, she with a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in public health. […]

When Jack and Maral Barsoumian walk through a grocery store, they’re always delighted to see their products on the shelves. Regardless of what aisle they’re in—condiments and sauces, baking, beverages—they’re bound to see something they made. As the creators of extracts   , concentrates, purees, syrups, fruit pastes, compounds and more, the family team sell their […]

Having honed his business acumen in private equity, Lance P. Stier learned early how to hedge bets. There’s always risk in mergers and acquisitions, but diversification generally stands the test of time, he says. In 2009 he brought that mindset to the family business, Nassau Candy, then primarily a Long Island-based wholesale manufacturer and distributor […]