EXCLUSIVE: A Model Tasting Experience at a Great Lakes Family Fare Supermarket
It’s not every day that a supermodel and fellow Michigander walks into a local grocery store at the busy dinner hour, but that’s what happened at a Family Fare in Holland, Mich., this week. St. Joseph native Kate Upton came to town to promote Vosa Spirits, a line that she co-owns with co-founders Spencer Bailey and Michela Drago.
More than a hundred people waited in line to meet Upton, who signed boxes of Vosa Vodka Water and High Line carbonated drinks. SpartanNash hosted the event at the store on Butternut Drive that was recently refreshed with new décor and an updated assortment.
Progressive Grocer was on hand for the event and talked with Upton about how it was a full-circle moment to come back to a community near Lake Michigan. “When I grew up here in Michigan, there were no ready-to-drink cans like this. To have in the market something that means a lot to me – high quality ingredients, a vodka that is six times distilled – means that I can have the best of both worlds,” she said. “It’s originally from the manufacturer in (nearby) Grand Rapids and it's the perfect collaboration. I was so thrilled to be a part of it.”
Although she said she enjoys all of products – and has actively taken part in the development of new flavors, her favorite is the non-carbonated lemon water. “That’s what’s so great about this product, is that we have a wide range of flavors and whatever people love is what they can have,” she noted.
Upton also reported that she likes grocery shopping and regularly fills her cart with fruits and vegetables. “I really love to see the produce – I love to see the quality of what’s out and the seasonal produce. I think it’s because I am from Michigan and I know what good produce looks like and that’s what I enjoy,” she shared, adding, “And I’ll always have Vosa in my grocery cart.”
Vosa offers cocktails in different canned formats. The High Line is produced at 7% ABV with light carbonation and is available in pineapple, peach, cherry and lemon. The non-carbonated Vodka Water has a 5% ABV and comes in raspberry-lime, cherry, lemon and peach varieties. SpartanNash stores carry the products in the liquor department.
With its 17,000 associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments: food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 147 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. The company is No. 45 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. SpartanNash is also among PG’s 2024 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
