Go Nuts with Back to Basics Bulk Foods

Now that autumn is full upon us, the focus turns to food as people make their preparations for parties, family gatherings, and holiday feasts. No time is better to indulge in homemade baked goods and cold-weather dishes than in the winter months, when the temperatures outside continue to drop.

When considering where to go to buy foods for holiday parties and dinners, Back to Basics Bulk Foods should be at the top of your list.

“We take large quantities of foods and produce smaller quantities, passing the savings along to our customers and making it easier for the consumer,” said Jeff Schenck, who owns Back to Basics with his wife, Kim. “We provide quantities from a half-pound to as much as a pallet load.”

Back to Basics offers a variety of items that will enhance your baking and snacking needs for the holidays: grains, fruits, pastas, beans, teas, coffees, candies, pretzels and chips; deli meats and cheeses for your party platters, including black forest ham, Italian and regular roast beef, salami, Amish butter cheese, yogurt and Swiss cheeses, just to name a few. Back to Basics carries a huge array of spices, as well as pre-made just-add-water mixes, for breads, biscuits, and ginger bread. Back to Basics also offers items for those with dietary restrictions, such as products for gluten-free baking; and don’t forget the nuts!

Nuts are a big hit around the holidays – for snacking, as well as baking. Back to Basics is getting ready for its annual nut sale, which runs from mid-November to Christmas Eve. There will be a great variety available for consumers to go nuts over: peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, and many others.

“Nut prices jump during the holidays, so we have the annual nut sale to kind of even things out,” Jeff said “Otherwise, we simply try to keep our prices low all the time. We offer items that are hard to find or are grossly expensive elsewhere. For example, we offer our spices in twice the quantity for half the price; so really, people are only paying a quarter of what they normally would in another store. Almost all of our smoked deli meats are John F. Martin meats, out of Lancaster County, PA. Consumers pay up to a third less the cost than they would pay at another location.”

Located at 2207 Dryden Road, Dryden, NY, Back to Basics Bulk Foods has been in operation for thirteen years and is the only bulk food store within 50 miles. The store was originally located in downtown Dryden near Agway and had 700 square feet of space. The previous owner constructed the current 1500 sq. foot building on Dryden Road, then decided to sell it. “I never planned to have my own business,” Jeff said, “But I was between jobs and had experience as a deli manager; and my wife, Kim, worked part-time for the previous owner.” Kim and Jeff decided to take the plunge and buy Back to Basics, and have now run the store for seven years.

Jeff attributes the success of Back to Basics not only to the various quantities, rare items, and good pricing, but also to great customer service and the fact that it is a small local business. One of the things he most enjoys assisting people who come into the store.

“People really need to stop in and see what we have to offer,” Jeff said. “I’ve often met new people that come in and say they’ve driven by Back to Basics for the past seven years and then ultimately stopped in to check out what’s in the store.”

Back to Basics Bulk Foods is open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It closes between Christmas and New Year’s Day. If you are planning your holiday meals and get-togethers, you should stop in at Back to Basics, say hi to Jeff, and go nuts over the great values!

By Shannon R. Myers

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