Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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www.beveragedynamics.com January/February 2015 • Beverage Dynamics 15 I n the Northwoods region of Wisconsin, a vacation destination known for its open spaces and winter sports, our 2015 Retailer of the Year operates a successful chain of beer, wine and spirit shops. Despite the small size of the markets Trig's Cellar 70 is found in, the chain's fi ve locations offer a product selection, staff knowledge and level of customer service you'd expect to fi nd in a major metropolitan store. Cellar 70 is the brand name for the beverage alco- hol departments at Trig's, a chain of full-service grocery stores founded in 1971 owned by Trygve (Trig) Solberg's T.A. Solberg Company. He prefers to call the stores part of a col- lection, rather than a chain, because each location is tailored to the needs of its individual community. The same can be said of Cellar 70, which operates in fi ve very diverse markets ranging from a college town to a mill town to a resort town. "We have a population base of 25,000 in Stevens Point, which is the home of a University of Wisconsin branch," says store man- ager Jeff Tewes. "We're very different from other stores in the northwoods because we have by far the largest craft beer selection in all our markets." The Stevens Point store's product mix is 34 percent beer, 34 per- cent spirits and 22 percent wine. Tewes adds that according to his in-store data, 35 percent of sales at the store are craft-driven. "It's not just college students; our entire customer base has come to think of us as the destination for specialty beers," he says. "Cus- tomers know we have the selection, contacts and availability to pro- vide any product they're looking for." Contrast those numbers with the Minocqua Cellar 70, about 100 miles to the north. "Currently our mix is about 55 percent wine, 30 percent spirits and 20 percent beer," says store manager John Ack- man. "Craft beer takes up about 15 percent of our beer sales so it's a big seller, but my location is predominantly wine-based." The Cellar 70 in Rhinelander also sells mostly wine, but caters to customers seeking value. "Our major employer in town is the Rhinelander Paper Company, so my market is budget- friendly," says store manager Julie Stone. "We focus on mainstream beer and lower-end wine." Cellar 70's Beverage Consultant, Dennis Kohl, also teaches courses on wine appreciation at the local community college near Rhinelander, which helps open the market to new products. FROM A VACATION TO A CAREER Wine is what Cellar 70 is known for, in large part thanks to Kohl. Many years ago when he lived in Chicago, he would vacation in Wisconsin and shop at Trig's because it was the best store in the area. "I liked their operation, so I contacted Trig and told him I wanted to relocate to the Northwoods and work for him," Kohl says. TRIG'S CELLAR 70 I BY JEREMY NEDELKA "Our company is built on service, quality and commitment to the customer." — Lee Guenther President and CEO of T.A. Solberg, Cellar 70's parent company { }