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May 5, 2020 VIRAL BUSINESS

West Haven food distributor shifts focus to survive crisis

PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Staff at Bella Bella Gourmet Foods in West Haven.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

When the coronavirus pandemic shuttered restaurants around the world, much of Bella Bella Gourmet Foods’ customer base evaporated.

The West Haven business distributes and processes an array of gastronomical products — such as foie gras, specialty meats, poultry and game birds — for a group of farms based in New York. Its products are used in restaurants throughout the western hemisphere, including locally in well-known restaurants such as Union League Cafe in New Haven and Millwright’s Restaurant and Tavern in Simsbury.

Before the pandemic, almost all of Bella Bella’s products were sold to wholesalers and distributors for the restaurant market. The business did only a small percentage of direct retail sales to the general public.

With so many restaurants closed or open for takeout only, company leaders knew Bella Bella had to make a change, said Bob Ambrose, managing partner.

That shift? Focusing more on direct retail sales to consumers. 

The company has started offering curbside pick-up for its products. It has also expanded to offer additional merchandise, along with free shipping for orders over $200, through its website.

“We are doing the best we can, in different ways,” Ambrose said.

Mother’s Day would have been extremely busy for his business, given the traditional popularity of taking your mother out to eat to celebrate. Not so this year. While many restaurants are offering takeout, in-house dining is likely still weeks away.

Meat production in the U.S. has dropped in recent weeks, due to the temporary closures of processing facilities where workers have tested positive for the virus. As a result, consumers may notice less selection in the meat section of their local grocery stores. 

The meat section of a Connecticut Aldi grocery store this past weekend had been mostly emptied. PHOTO | New Haven BIZ

According to Ambrose, his company also hopes direct retail sales will help consumers who can’t find what they need at their local market.

Bella Bella is also doing outreach, for example, seeking to teach people about duck as a dining option to be enjoyed at home, not only as a menu choice in a fancy restaurant.

“It is actually a great, lean protein,” Ambrose said. “People are home quarantined and seem to be willing to try more. The flavor of duck is rich and close to beef.”

Initially after the pandemic’s effects began to be felt, Bella Bella’s kitchens were quiet, and Ambrose said they stopped cooking for about a week.

Now, with curbside pickup and online orders, he said business is “increasing.” Ambrose is also focusing on other product offerings — such as pork and sausages — to try to boost sales and appeal to a wider audience. 

“Now, every day we are cooking, and it is back to five days a week,” Ambrose said. “We are continuing to produce and stocking up.”

A sampling of the company’s products.

Ambrose estimates the business is doing about 15 to 20 percent of the business it normally would be doing.

When Gov. Ned Lamont says Connecticut restaurants can reopen for regular business, it will be helpful for Bella Bella, according to Ambrose, but for things to return to normal, he said they need restaurants around the country to resume full operations. 

“We are going to bear with it and continue to produce,” Ambrose said. “I know the demand for our products will be there.”

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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