Niemann Foods’ Harvest Market to Open 2nd Location

Niemann Foods’ Harvest Market, the banner that the independent grocer indicates will take the company into the future, is set to open its second location, in Springfield, Ill. The first location, in Champaign, Ill., opened in the fall of 2016.

“We’ve spent the past two years tweaking the concept in Champaign, and now we’re ready to bring it to Springfield,” Niemann Foods Inc. spokesman Gerry Kettler said in a local news report.

Niemann Foods also operates five Country Markets and a Save-A-Lot location in Springfield. The newest Harvest Market will have the same farm-to-table focus of the original, with made-from-scratch bakery and prepared food items, as well as butter churned on site. The brand is built on connecting consumers to the family farmer, noted Kevin Kelley, of Shook Kelley at the recent Western Michigan University Food Marketing Conference. Shook Kelley, a strategy and design firm with offices in Charlotte, N.C., and Los Angeles, helped Niemann Foods develop the Harvest Market brand.

“The concept is to connect the consumer to the land and the producer,” Kettler noted. “There is a strong focus on natural, organic, locally grown, while still providing a wide range of brands at good prices.”