Maille is pretty pumped about its new marketing push.
The gourmet condiment brand recently launched a limited-time “shop within a shop” at upscale Toronto grocer Pusateri’s Fine Foods, which is serving up freshly pumped mustard in refillable stoneware pots. The signature item is fresh Dijon Chablis mustard, whose key ingredient is Chablis white wine.
The pop-up shop is the Ontario debut of the concept, which first launched last year at Urban Fare’s Yaletown in Vancouver and Metro-owned Les 5 Saisons in Montreal.
The pumps will also be returning to Quebec and B.C. later this year, with retail partners yet to be announced. Maille has standalone Les Maison Maille boutiques in Paris, Dijon, London and New York, where “mustard sommeliers” offering food and condiment pairings.
“The objective is to give Canadians a unique, gourmet experience,” said Marie-Eve Brunet, brand manager of Montreal-based I.D. Foods, which distributes Maille in Canada. “The shop-in-shop in Canada offers the iconic fresh mustard on tap that is exclusive to those [standalone] boutiques.”
The Pusateri’s location has a counter with authentic French porcelain pumps and a wall displaying Maille products available for consumers. In addition to the freshly pumped Chablis mustard, seven flavoured mustards and 10 blends are available, including Pesto Arugula, Fig Coriander, Parmesan Basil and Mango & Thai Spice mustards. Maille’s signature vinegars and gherkins will also be available for sampling and purchase.
So what makes fresh mustard a must-try delicacy?
“All Maille mustard uses only the finest ingredients and the grains and cut, not crushed,” said Brunet. “But freshly pumped mustard is in a league of its own… It uses the same method of preparation used by Maille’s founder Antoine-Claude Maille, when serving mustard to European royalty [in the 1700s].”
The Toronto pop-up shop will be open until mid-August. Brunet said the details of the upcoming locations will be available on the Maille Canadian website, which is launching soon.
Though fresh Maille mustard won’t be available in Canada on a permanent basis, the store-within-a-store concept is a good way to build awareness of other Maille products.
“If someone really likes the Chablis, they can find it [on the shelf] and that’s the time to buy,” said Brunet.
This story originally appeared at CanadianGrocer.com.
