This is a sponsored conversation, in collaboration with Save Mart. All opinions are my own.
There are several brands/companies that I’m extremely loyal to. Save Mart is one of them. Why? First, Save Mart is a locally-owned company. I actually shop at Save Mart, I’m not just someone writing about them, I’m one of their long-time customers. They have shown me (through their actions and community service), that they truly care about us, the consumers. So when I was invited to preview their new (totally cool), and innovative flagship store in Modesto, I cleared my calendar!
Little did I know what awaited me wasn’t just a new store, but an entire experience!
(Interesting fact: did you know Save Mart also operates all the Lucky Supermarkets? I shop there too.)
WHERE? 3401 Oakdale Rd, Modesto California
Save Mart celebrated the opening of its 54,000 square foot, prototype Save Mart store on Wednesday, following a preview party celebration with local elected officials, community groups, and foodies (like me), from throughout the Central Valley.
Save Mart has made its home in the heart of the Valley since 1952, and takes pride in the creation of this new store that strongly reflects its heritage & celebrates the traditions, products, and flavors that make Modesto home.
Valley Fresh
“Modesto is more than where we are, it’s who we are. We’re family-owned with deep roots and longstanding friendships with local ranchers, farmers, and producers who help fulfill our vision every day. It means a lot to us to be part of this neighborhood because this is where we grew up and are now raising our own families,” explained Nicole Pesco, CEO of the Save Mart Companies. “We’re proud of our hometown and the hardworking people who live here.”
Nicole shared her vision of the new store, and how she worked with her dad to bring that dream to fruition.
From the moment you enter the Modesto store, you’ll recognize products from local farms and businesses, like Fiscalini cheese, Ratto Brothers produce, Rosie’s Donuts, Diamond Almonds and Dust Bowl beer, to name but a few.
I recommend you try the Chico Honey (Montana Sweet Clover), and the Fiscalini cheeses (Purple Moon wine-soaked cheddar & California Craft Beer cheddar). I fell in love with these particular items and will be telling everyone I know about them!
Valley Made
“Save Mart’s new state-of-the-art supermarket will not only serve the local community by providing fresh wholesome food, but will provide great jobs to local residents,” said Dave White, Executive Director of Opportunity Stanislaus, the leading non-profit organization committed to improving the economic vitality of the region. “The Save Mart Companies plays a unique role in Stanislaus County with its headquarters here and the company’s commitment to sourcing products from local growers and purveyors to their network of 207 stores.”
Signature experiences, farm stand-style produce, loads of freshly-made options, and new ideas in every aisle make this store a destination for shoppers from throughout the region.
A highly specialized store team provides services new to the Save Mart stores, including sliced-to-order produce preparation, ground-to-order sausage-making, and marinated & grilled-to-order meats. There’s also cheese & seafood specialists providing guests insight on food, wine pairings & recipe ideas.
I was pleased to see so many Mexican food brands on the shelves. From cheeses to chorizo! Did I mention they have pan dulce in their bakery! I smiled so big when I saw those conchas. Representation matters, and Save Mart understands that. I even saw carnitas and carne asada meat in the meat section of the store.
I gotta mention the bakery again. So many goodies! And they even make tortillas! You heard me! Fresh tortillas being made all day, calientitas como Mami use to make them! My Mom would’ve gotten a kick outta seeing those tortillas being made. What else? They make their own tortilla chips. The produce department makes their own guacamole, they make Aguas frescas (fresh watermelon & cantaloupe drinks), the meat dept will grill meat for you while you shop, produce dept will slice-dice-and-chop veggies for you. The list just goes on & on.
Then there’s the restaurant, yes, a restaurant!
The Tipping Point, a fast-casual restaurant with both indoor and outdoor garden seating, is located inside the store and features tri-tip barbequed to perfection and served five different ways: wet or dry sandwich, torta, taco or salad alongside street corn, churros & other favorite side dishes. The Tipping Point will have a wide selection of local beer and wine on tap. It features Dust Bowl, Blaker Brewery, Heretic, Drakes, 21st Amendment, and Tioga. It also hosts four William Hill and Louis M. Martini wines on tap, along with a variety of bottled wines.
DoorDash
The Tipping Point food menu and other signature prepared foods from throughout the new store’s hot bar & the service deli will be available for on-demand delivery by DoorDash. DoorDash guys! I’m ordering a rotisserie chicken right now!
Valley Proud
“I’m thrilled to open this new store. We truly had the Modesto family in mind when we developed our food selection, created our prepared foods and picked the services to delight our guests,” commented Jerald Smith, Store Director for Modesto’s Store 1. “We have assembled an excellent team to ensure a great experience for our guests every time they shop—and that experience will evolve as we test new ideas and concepts for the company.”
Community matters to Save Mart.
Remember that “garden seating” I mentioned earlier? Garden beds located in the midst of the Tipping Point’s outdoor seating will be planted & maintained by the horticulture and 4H clubs of local schools. Twice annually, they will host a produce sale in front of the store to raise funds for their clubs. The kids are going to grow veggies and sell them, how cool is that?!
In addition to their partnership with 4H, the company made a $30,000 donation to the new Awesome Spot, an all-inclusive & accessible playground, located near the store and a $20,000 donation to the United Way of Stanislaus County, to help benefit their programs for the homeless.
Modesto’s new Save Mart store will also serve as an innovation center for the company, that operates 207 stores throughout California and Northern Nevada under the banners of FoodMaxx, Lucky and Save Mart.
I can’t wait to see what else Save Mart has in store (see what I did there?!) for us in the future. This store is amazing, please go check it out for yourself. It’s located at 3401 Oakdale Rd, in Modesto.
Final Thoughts
I took so many photos inside the store, and I’ll be sharing more about the new Modesto Save Mart in my next post. I’m telling you, this new store is an experience! It’s a game-changer & is going to change the way people shop. They have so many unique items, I need to go back & spend a few hours there, just taking it all in. Yes, it truly is THAT amazing.
