EP-111 Sandy Vox of Jewel-Osco
Craft beer drinkers are finding better and better beers available in more places than ever before. And a big reason for that is large-format stores like Target, Costco, and, here in Chicago, Jewel-Osco. These big stores are looking for ways to connect with their customers on premium and locally-sourced products. The whole food and beverage industry is shifting local, not just craft beer.\xa0 But for some longtime craft beer fans, that\u2019s an uncomfortable development. I\u2019ve heard smaller retailers lamenting the competition and criticizing these larger stores as greedy opportunists. I\u2019ve seen drinkers describe the craft beer they see at the grocery store as corporate sellouts, boldly claiming they won\u2019t support breweries they see on those shelves. But let\u2019s not kid ourselves: every culture has its self-inflicted know-nothings. For the rest of us, being able to grab a six pack of a super-fresh local beer when we\u2019re swinging through for milk and eggs is a godsend.\xa0 More importantly, the people behind the decisions of who does\u2014and does not\u2014get on those shelves have their own perspective on what\u2019s exciting in beer. In this case, it\u2019s Sandy Vox, who\u2019s been at it for 15 years. And she\u2019d never trade in the current chaos of craft beer proliferation for anything.