Chocolate-covered bacon? Enough said.
Genesee Country Store & Candy Land in Golden, Colo.—stocked high with nostalgic candy favorites and its own line of homemade fudge—is proficient at selling a wide array of c-store staples, but an affinity for the unexpected has made it stand out from the humdrum.
“A couple years ago, a customer asked if we could dip bacon in chocolate, since we were already dipping Oreos, Twinkies, pretzels and dog bones,” says owner Lorri Alden.
The store’s Chocolate Dipped Bacon is full slices of Applewood-smoked and jalapeno-seasoned bacon enrobed in dark chocolate.
This spawned an innovative idea that has taken on a life of its own.
The store’s Chocolate Dipped Bacon is full slices of Applewood-smoked and jalapeno-seasoned bacon enrobed in dark chocolate and then drizzled—again—with chocolate. “You first taste the chocolate and then the bacon kicks in. It’s like a craft beer where two to three tastes shine through during the experience,” Alden says.
The treat proved so compelling that it scored regional distribution in almost every state in U.S. “We have a South Korean distributor evaluating our bacon products right now,” says Alden.
Meanwhile, as a retailer in a tourist-heavy market, Alden has found forgetful consumers who neglect to pack key items needed for hiking the mile-high environment has provided opportunity. The store sees brisk sales of ginger chews to settle people’s upset stomachs (a result of getting accustomed to high altitudes), Pedialyte (to help restore body fluids) and contact lens solution (essential as eyes tend to dry out at high altitudes).