Ever get to your vacation rental and wish someone had left dinner and breakfast groceries in the fridge? Groceries you liked? Fresh, local, good-quality groceries with good flavor–the kind you’d buy for a fabulous meal if you were at home? Now someone will.
Peninsula Provisions is making it happen. Owner Lisa Arhontes-Marshall has two services: Packages of mostly-local (very local) groceries for entire meals like Welcome Wagon (snacks and breakfast), Shore Dinner (fresh seafood, dessert, and instructions for cooking it all), and Big Day Out (picnic ingredients)…or a custom shopping service where you give her a list and she buys it and delivers it. Just like in the big cities. Only she has hunted down all the little, fabulous, best-kept-secret farms and bakeries and chocolatiers and kitchens in the area. A lot of these products are not available by retail anywhere except from the creators. And from her. She does the driving so you can do the eating–and there’s no getting lost.
Millbrook: So, Lisa, how did you get started?
Lisa: There’s a couple things at play. The Blue Hill Peninsula is a great place to get away from it all. You get here, you settle in, and then you realize that it’s not as quiet as you think. It’s really busy and there’s a lot happening…especially with food. This is like a cave of wonders; but it’s spread so far and wide! So you arrive in town and you’ll probably visit a farmer’s market or two to go to, but are you going to have the chance to start out with a Millbrook quiche, or fresh blueberries, or locally made cheeses? You might end up trying them by the end of the week, but wouldn’t it be great to start your vacation off with a bang? It’s a way to guide visitors to some new people and places all the while supporting a number of local businesses. And then there is the convenience factor. I think some people who come here to get away from it all miss some of those conveniences. We’ve all heard someone’s tale of getting in too late and I just want to make their arrival an easy one.
So all these little things were swirling in my head and I wanted to do something that brought convenience and community together. We’re pulling together some of our favorite things AND we’re trying to offer a bit of experiential tourism going on, too. There’s all this great food here–can I just put it on your table?
Millbrook: What’s the most exciting part about it?
Lisa: The reaction people have had–suppliers and partners and customers. “Really, this exists here? You can do this here?” It’s not really the novelty, it’s the realization that someone’s figured this out. “Really, you’re going to deliver these foods to people?” It’s a lot of fun. And getting to know people–and the doors have all been open. I’ve had very little lack of interest. Everyone’s been really into wanting to participate and be supportive in some way and get the word out. I expected it to be a lot more closed-off, I expected to have to chisel my way in, but in the business community, it’s been very supportive.
I’ve begun working with some of the local rental agencies to help with referrals. I’m also working with all of my partners like El El Frijoles, Millbrook, Black Dinah to help get the word out.
Millbrook: What’s the most unusual partnership you’ve made?
Lisa: There are a couple of products made in Maine that I couldn’t get a hold of. Products that I think are part of the local food experience. And then I met the folks who from Pure Maine. Though we originally thought that we might be each other’s competition, we quickly realized that we weren’t, AND that we could work together. The result is that they’ve supplied me with some of our products and shared a bit of advice along the way. They’re really friendly people and we stay in contact to see how else that we might be able to work together. That was a really surprising find.
Millbrook: What are your future plans?
Lisa: In general, just grow and expand the business in a smart and sustainable way. We are looking at our plans to attract the off-season market; focus more on the convenience factor during the winter time. Not everyone wants to trudge out in the cold weather. Maybe someone has an older parent or relative who would appreciate that touchstone of a grocery delivery and a friendly face. Or if someone has company coming and doesn’t have time to run around and pull together a Sunday breakfast, they can call us so they can spend time with their guests. We are also looking at a some mail-order options. Ways that a customer can relive their Maine experience months after they’ve returned home…or to even to send as gifts as a way to share their experience.
Millbrook: What should people know about Peninsula Provisions–something that you think they don’t already know, that isn’t obvious?
Lisa: Really great local food isn’t as expensive as people think. Yes, much of what we offer are specialty foods, but specialty foods are accessible. I think too often that people equate “specialty” with “expensive” and that isn’t always the case. Also, we’re providing a service to everyone in the area.. Not just the vacationer, but the full-time residents as well.
Millbrook: So if people are excited about Peninsula Provisions, how can they support you?
Lisa: Buy and enjoy our products. Make a referral to another customer. Spread the word. We have a website, http://PeninsulaProvisions.com, a blog http://peninsulaprovisions.wordpress.com, and we are also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/peninsulaprovisions. We are happy to talk with a potential customer to fulfill their specific needs. We are happy to talk with anyone who is interested in partnering with us to see how we can work together.
So get in touch! You can sign up for their newsletter at their website, where they have special offers and keep you up to date on everything that’s new. Or you can call them with their fantastic phone number: 207-619-4YUM. For yum, call Peninsula Provisions. You’ll be well-fed.
