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ASCENDANT INDEPENDENT
Global Foods Market
Unique St. Louis suburb retailer aims to showcase the world under one roof. BY JODEAN ROBBINS
Aforay into Global Foods Market greets shoppers with sights and smells from around the world. “We are an inter- national specialty marketplace,” says Tony Wilson, produce manager. “Our clients are international friends from all over the globe. We want to bring the world together one taste at a time.”
e family-owned grocery store was founded by husband and wife team, Suchin Prapaisilp and SuDawadee Prapaisilp (known as Chin and Su). e couple’s journey is rooted in the emigration of a family member from ailand in the late 1960s who opened a small grocery store in St. Louis and inspired them to open one of their own. e store gave Su
and Chin a vision to bring items from around the world to St. Louis, and in 1999, Global Foods Market was born.
e store’s hugely diverse customer base includes anyone looking for international items. “ is encompasses customers from India, Poland, Russia, Bosnia, Croatia, Asia, South America, the Middle East and many more,” says Wilson. “Over the 20 years Global Foods Market has been open, we’ve seen di erent changes in the ethnic and cultural populations. With that growth comes changes in our store to better serve our clientele.”
e store currently boasts 27,000 square feet of a variety of items serving every ethnic demographic in the St. Louis region. “We
have something for everyone,” says Wilson. “We o er our clients items other than tradi- tional grocery items. We o er products from the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, the Middle East, Europe and India. Our Asian items include speci c items serving the Chinese, Philippine, Korean, ai and Japa- nese communities.”
A Major Draw
One of the main advantages Global o ers customers is a uniquely targeted selection of produce. “ e diversity of our produce o ering is crucial,” says Wilson. “We don’t serve primarily apple- and orange-eating customers. Our customers want the special-
PRODUCE BUSINESS / SEPTEMBER 2019 / 19
