On a weeknight after work hours, a regular stream of customers flows in to Sobsey’s Produce in Hoboken, a specialty grocer that offers a range of local, organic, and gourmet items from juicy honeybell tangelos to delectable chocolate covered cashews.
Before it became trendy to buy organic and local products, Sobsey’s came on the Hoboken scene 22 years ago. Since then, it’s become a staple with a loyal following. Customers not only seek out the high quality and hand selected produce, but also enjoy personalized service and an intimate and familial atmosphere.
Owners Sohiela and Michael Sobsey, with help from brother-in-law Mak Ayoubi, run the independent store with attention to detail from carefully choosing each product to making specific recommendations to customers they know by name.
“We try to have everything that you need to fill a recipe.” – Michael Sobsey
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A family atmosphere
Outside of the small store at First and Bloomfield streets, Sobsey’s sets out a variety of vegetables, fruit, and flowers that lure customers in to the cozy market. Inside are narrow aisles overflowing with conventional, organic, and in-season items.
“It is all about family,” said Soheila Sobsey. “The family shares the responsibilities equally.”
“She is the backbone of the business,” said Michael about his wife.
“We nurtured our relationship along with the business,” said Soheila. The couple has two sons and said that the passion they share about health-conscious eating is something they hope to pass on to their customers.
“We were always a team,” said Soheila. “I saw an endless passion and commitment early on from Michael and I think that goes a long way for a business.”
For those special recipes
Some customers shop at Sobsey’s every day and grow accustomed to being called by their first name and getting advice on what’s good and in-season.
“We try to have everything that you need to fill a recipe and we try to have specialty stuff that you don’t find everywhere,” said Sobsey.
Ayoubi is known for being a good cook and helping customers find ingredients for a recipe. He also makes recommendations and will take customers around the store to suit their needs.
Before organic went mainstream
“When I started selling organic produce, which was in 1977 at a co-op in Maryland,” Michael said, “[to] every person who bought it, you had to explain the whole deal: Why you would want organic. How it was different from conventional produce.”
“Now it is pretty much common knowledge,” he said. “But in the early days you had to tell people you don’t want the pesticides…the herbicides…the fungicides [and that] it is going to be more expensive but it is better for the environment.”
Sobsey moved to Hoboken in 1983 and opened the produce market in 1990.
He said it was his wife Soheila’s idea to have a little place of their own.
“From the beginning I wanted to feature organic and local produce,” Michael said. “That was my idea – to synthesize the best imported and gourmet [items] with organic and local [produce] and at that time it was an original idea.”
Going the extra mile
At the time Sobsey’s Produce opened, Michael said that there was an audience for organic and local items even though it had yet to become mainstream.
Sobsey stocks the shelves with fresh and varied items from three different major markets including an organic market, a local market through the green market system, and Hunts Point wholesale distribution center in New York. He still visits Hunts Point twice a week and loads up a cart with several large boxes.
“I spend like six and a half hours slogging around [and] hand-picking everything,” he said. “Tasting the strawberries…Tasting the grapes, [and] working with people I’ve worked with for 20 years to find really nice stuff.”
Sobsey gets apples that go through a special method to reduce pesticide use. He offers conventional bananas next to organic bananas and plenty of citrus fruits since they arecurrently in season. He said that his free range chicken cutlets are popular along with the salmon, which sells out often.
Secret to success
Sobsey admits organic is expensive, but he said he buys it because he believes in the quality.
Despite competition from larger chains and the introduction of organic items into the mainstream, Sobsey’s has maintained a strong business. Since opening in 1990 the market has expanded twice.
“We have a strong base and a loyal following,” said Michael. “We are fair with people and the quality is really good. We work hard to provide good [products].”
He prefers to keep the business at its current size, which affords him the ability to continue to offer personalized service.
Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.