Blue Mountain Foods
64 West Center Street
Monticello, Utah, 84535
Phone: (435) 587-2727 or
2451
Hours of Operation: Monday thru Saturday 8am – 9pm, Closed Sundays
In June 2017, the owner of
Blue Mountain Foods, and former mayor of Monticello, Doug Allen, heard the call
of retirement. He heeded that call by
handing the reins and ownership over to his daughter, Stacy, and her husband,
Jeremy Young. The Youngs are no
strangers to Monticello or Blue Mountain Foods, as they grew up in this small
town, and worked at the store. As Jeremy
puts it, “food markets are in their blood”.
By the way, Jeff Allen, Stacy's brother, is the third partner in the new ownership. He is sort of the "silent partner" and enjoys being behind the scenes.
By the way, Jeff Allen, Stacy's brother, is the third partner in the new ownership. He is sort of the "silent partner" and enjoys being behind the scenes.
They weren’t always in
Monticello and prior to moving back, had resided in the Lone Star State of
Texas for 13 years. However, Monticello
was calling and it was, and always will be, home. This hometown couple, married 22 years,
raising a family, found another need to be “food aware”, food allergies affected,
not only themselves, but family and friends.
As they talked more and more with, not just locals, but tourists
visiting the area, food allergies and illnesses seemed to be becoming a major
issue. Label reading and researching
became a must; as Jeremy states, “Blue Mountain Foods is a fun place to be a
foodie”. So no wonder, during my interview
with this friendly, lovely couple, we hit if off so well, we were foodies!
Jeremy and Stacy also
believe that listening to their customers is a key factor for a successful
business. New items and brands were
introduced to Blue Mountain Food’s shelves, many gluten free and
vegetarian/vegan friendly. Jeremy
acknowledges that, “In this time where online food shopping is easy, less
costly and more convenient; it is hurting the supermarket industry which have
to now find ways to compete to stay in business.”
Another huge change is the
loss of the Western Family brand that had been on the shelves for over 50
years. This brand pulled out of
Associated Foods, the main supplier to Blue Mountain Foods, prior brand was
Best Way, and it would have been too costly to switch suppliers to keep Western
Family. So the Youngs stayed with
Associated Foods and have switched to the Food Club brand, which has been on
supermarket shelves for over 100 years!
Beginning April 4th, a two week case lot sale of Western
Family brand will be the ending of an over half century relationship. Food Club brand will then be adorning the
shelves with their green labeled products.
But wait, there’s more
change in store (yes, pun was intended) for Blue Mountain Food’s loyal
customers. Online meal kits (Blue Apron,
Hello Fresh and others) have become a huge seller, not just for guaranteed
freshness, but ease of preparation. Blue
Mountain Foods has teamed up with Home Table to offer 3-4 weekly choices for
your evening meal pleasure. These meals
can be ordered in advance or simply walk-in, make your choice and buy to
try. A few examples are: Chicken
Fajitas, Chicken Pot Pie, Pork Yakisoba or Salmon Quinoa. Currently the meals offered only offer a
service of two at $15/kit. Unlike the
online meal kits that lock in consumers to a mandatory weekly delivery, Home
Table will be buy as you need.
This foodie will
definitely be trying out a couple of kits and will be reporting about the
experience at a later date.
The Youngs are very
interested in the “Shop Small, Shop Local” movement, especially the
introduction of “cottage businesses” to San Juan County. At home cooks will be licensed to prepare,
package and sell to individuals, as well as small shops within the area. For example, wouldn’t you rather have pure,
delicious, locally produced honey than something shipped in from China? Guess what, that product from China isn’t
even real honey, it’s flavored syrup!
Another reason to join us foodies in reading labels and knowing for
certain what you are truly consuming.
Expansion for Blue
Mountain Foods is looming on the horizon, either for the current location on
West Center Street, or the purchase of a larger property in Monticello. For the Youngs, they are focused on hometown
roots and loyalty; on bringing in products locally sourced, fresh and healthy;
helping people deal with food allergies and illnesses; and most important of
all, listening to their customers, whether local or visitor.
Best wishes to Stacy, Jeremy and Jeff; let’s all of us help them achieve their goals!
Mary Cokenour
