With 75 years in the grocery business, Harmons is far from going stale as the company makes continued efforts to keep things "fresh."
Though its selection and layout have undergone transformations in the past seven decades, Harmons holds to the same principles of quality and value incorporated in 1932 by its founders, Jake and Irene Harmon. The couple opened their first fruit stand, The Market Spot, at 3300 S. Main followed by a store in Granger. Very much a family affair, the Harmons' son, Terry, and his wife, Doreen, and their children and grandchildren have expanded the small venture to include 12 Utah stores today.
Bob Harmon, Jake and Irene's grandson and now the company's vice president of marketing, says new concepts and old philosophies have helped shape Harmons as one of the last remaining locally owned supermarket chains in Utah.
"Things are continually changing," Harmon said in an interview last week at the chain's Brickyard Plaza store.
The variety of produce Harmons' carries is one of the most obvious areas of growth. What began as a fruit stand offering basic seasonal crops now has more than 300 kinds of produce, he said.
New hybrid fruits and vegetables developed by the agricultural community are added to the department periodically, he said, and Harmons also stocks specialty items that were once unavailable in the Salt Lake Valley.
"We're finding that people are really looking for differentiation in produce," Harmon said. Unusual fruits, such as baby pineapple, donut peaches, sprite melons and golden kiwi give customers the varied selection they want, he said. Add the growing demand for organic products, and it's easy to see how the stores' produce selection has increased by some 120 products in the past 10 years. Customers "want to be able to choose," Harmon said.
From the addition of sushi chefs in the delicatessen to Harmons' brand bratwurst made in-store, Harmon attributes all the company's changes over the years as efforts to satisfy consumers by providing "a higher quality and a better product."
The chain's executive chef, Kyle Lore, said the addition of an artisan bakery and cheese counter in seven of the stores is evidence of the "food renaissance" the country has undergone in the past 20 years. Americans are tired of "dumbed-down" food, so the supermarket trend is to provide higher-end, specialty products.
While the movement has taken a few years to get to Utah, Harmons added its artisan bakery and artisan cheese counters two years ago with plans to eventually have them in all 12 locations.
"Americans are coming to enjoy these things," Lore said. "We are willing to put a higher-quality, hand-made product out to the public because we feel that they'll enjoy it."
Lore said Harmons went "back to the better basics" in its meat department. During the '80s and '90s, the supermarket philosophy was to cut costs with pre-packaged products. The meats were ground, cut and prepared at distribution centers, then shipped to the individual stores. But now Harmons' meat departments resemble a butcher shop from the '50s — all-natural meats are chopped and ground at the individual stores, Lore said. By eliminating the middle man, the meat doesn't age in transit.
Once it's packaged, the maximum amount of time the meat is allowed to sit on the shelves is 48 hours before it's pulled, to ensure freshness. "We're getting into fresh in a big way," Harmon said
The same goes for chopped-fruit containers and premade salads. The priority is for the food to be at its peak when it's eaten.
"You're not going to judge us the day you buy it, you're going to judge us the day you eat it," Lore said. "That's why we concentrate so much on having that life in the consumer's refrigerator as opposed to ours."
Supporting local growers is another nationwide trend that Harmons has embraced. Hanging above the islands of brightly colored produce are posters of Utah farmers Harmons supports. Buying within the state helps get the products from the grower to the stores as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, providing a high-quality product is the driving force for the chain, Harmon said. Although Harmons' tries to maintain competitive prices, it never claims to be "cheap," he said. "We don't say 'inexpensive' and we don't say 'low, low.' ... The term I like to use is 'value."'
75th anniversary events
Harmons is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a variety of events at each location through Aug. 12:
Basket of groceries guessing game: Customers can guess how many items are in a grocery basket to win the basket's contents, valued at $750.
Food donation drive: The public can buy $10 pre-filled grocery bags for the Utah Food Bank.
Drawings at customer service booths: Prizes include a Disney vacation, $75 shopping sprees and a trip to a NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
A coloring contest for children ages 3-12, through Aug. 6.
Free food-tasting, birthday cake and ice cream, Friday and Saturday, and Aug. 10 and 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.