We've had loads of queries along these same lines. The simple answer is that more and more "American" products are becoming available in the everyday grocery stores in many parts of France, including bagels, Pepperidge Farm cookies, Dr. Pepper, Philadelphia cream cheese, baking soda and some cake mixes. Importing food items from the US is very expensive - both in terms of shipping costs and the added VAT.

There are any number of online shops offering various American (and other country) goodies to homesick expats. You can even check Amazon.co.uk as they carry many US products. Amazon.fr doesn't seem to do as much in the food line - perhaps there are some restrictions - but no reason not to order from the UK.

Thanksgiving is not the only shop in Paris offering American goodies. Check the shelves at the grand Epicier (part of Bon Marché), and there is another American shop in Paris called Old McDonalds (I think it is). They used to have a couple of stores, but I believe they have now cut back to just one.
Cheers,
Bev

 

I love your idea and thank you for considering it. The issues are as I see it is customer demand, product selection, availability and pricing.

Two of the most known French based players are (as you said Thanksgiving Paris) and MyAmericanMarket.com. Thanksgiving could do far more business than what she does but she is reluctant to ship beverages and cold products. She is a one woman show as it seems and even if I offered to buy a case of this or that, she would do all she can to discourage you to order it from her. Nice lady but you need to wonder what prompts her to make the business decisions she makes. The shopping cart portion of her website is pretty old fashioned with limited products but it matches the rest of the style of her site. She could do far more business if she became opened minded in what she ships but I guess she is just happy to do what she must as a one person show. I really like the owner Judith but everything requested is NO and that is a huge turn off!

My American Market has a much larger variety of products, is a much larger operation who uses a company to drop ship orders for them. Their customer service could use training in providing real customer service. I has a potentially severe medical condition earlier this year, ordered a large number of a specific items which my doctor said I could only eat for three weeks and was forced to go two days without eating as the customer service manager gave me the excuse "we are too large of a company and unable to contact the people who drop ship our orders to have one shipped sooner". As a former business owner of a hugely successful, multi million dollar a year business, all I can say is BULL S**T! This lady that manages the Customer Service Department would be given some extensive training in providing real service. I will never give them business again based upon what I endured just because she didn't want to send an email or make a simple telephone call.

Those are the two top players in the local French online market. There seems to be issues with drop shopping cold or frozen foods here. That might become an area you can get a market edge up on. Yes, I know, it is all about pricing as well. Another thing is to consider is offering goodies that the others don't and are not available here like the new Twinkie's, the Limited Edition Oreos and other items that are deemed "special" to Americans. Take preorders for them is my suggestion. It gives you a faster return on your investment.

Take a look at http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/

I have not ordered from them yet but certainly will. They offer special "box" pricing and even ship cold items.

Bev was dead on, as usual, about the issues and considerations. For the past few years, I had Microwavable Oscar Meyer bacon shipped direct to me from Stateside as I was unable to find a product similar to it here. Now, through much trial and error, I have found one far better to what I had shipped from the States at a fraction of the cost!

Best of luck to you and if you need some added input, please PM me. Thank you!

 

Just to add to Koppazee's comments I found a new French-based world food shop Bienvenue sur Les Bons Produits du Monde I placed my first order with them and it arrived perfectly packed, very quickly, low shipping charges and a free gift of some Walkers Shortbread. I will definitely use them again if i need to.

Their product line is pretty good for both US & UK products. The one thing I wish I could buy outside the US is Bernsteins Italian salad dressing - makes a wonderful marinade for chicken.

 

Just to add to Koppazee's comments I found a new French-based world food shop Bienvenue sur Les Bons Produits du Monde I placed my first order with them and it arrived perfectly packed, very quickly, low shipping charges and a free gift of some Walkers Shortbread. I will definitely use them again if i need to.

Their product line is pretty good for both US & UK products. The one thing I wish I could buy outside the US is Bernsteins Italian salad dressing - makes a wonderful marinade for chicken.

Too bad it is not available in English nor is it iPad friendly. Need to fire up the notebook and give it a whirl. Thanks very much for a new potential source! Warm regards!

 

Hay Bob, Just one other thought, if I may. If you do go forward and open up a brick and mortar or an online site, please consider putting up an ad on this forum. Not only does it tell us about another source to give a go with but it offsets some of the costs associated with this wonderful and fantastic forum. Without it, and its contributors, a huge number of us would have been greatly lost! Warm regards and thanks!

 

But hey, peeps, we LIVE in France. It's not like a French National is looking like a disadvantaged Biafran!

Embrace what's here; yes, we miss certain things "from home" but we have so many more things to learn to enjoy ...

And yes, if someone's "coming over", we might well give them a shopping list for "luxuries" (for which I'm not prepared to pay imported prices), but it's not that we can't subsist here without them ...

It's impossible to replicate your life "back home", and, quite frankly, if you wish to do so & subsequently complain about the unavailability of goods you're used to, you shouldn't have bothered to make the move!

In France, buy French!

h

 

it's not that we can't subsist here without them ...

I'm not subsisting - I like few "home" items and like many others, I'm prepared to pay for them. Who was it said a few threads ago "a cheese & pickle sandwich isn't right without cheddar"

 

Hi there, another player in the online sphere is Cometeshop.com. I discovered them recently and have had great experiences ordering from them. The website is modern and easy to use and they have a pretty good selection including candy, condiments and other products the competitors don't have. Only thing that would make them perfect? If they carried canned pumpkin!

I have ordered from MyAmericanMarket and had one good and one bad experience. The bad experience had to do with receiving melted food in the summer (fine, it was hot) but without any packing so the heavy stuff smashed all the delicate items. Ugh. Shipping 101. And they gave me a promo code for a future order that I couldn't get to work. I emailed them and they just kind of gave up instead of hardcoding the discount into my order. So I never did end up ordering again.

And about wanting items from America, just my two cents. I don't think it's a matter of just not being able to subsist on French foods, or a lack of discovering French alternatives at all (which I believe Hils said above). Saying someone who wants American foods shouldn't have moved here is a tad dramatic IMHO. It's all about variety and cravings for me. And the sentimental aspect. Choosing to order a can of pumpkin for my smoothies (because it's easier than making my own out of a real pumpkin off-season in my tiny kitchen) has no bearing on whether I should or shouldn't have moved to France lol

 

Thanks Oui for the link. I'll give it a go. Your comments on MyAmericanMarket brought back an experience I had. I ordered a box of pancake mix for the kids to try. I have always made it from scratch and they normally turn out pretty good but just once I wanted them to taste the American version.

The box arrived, opened the box to find pancake mix all over everything. I called them up, spoke to the customer service manager who gave a standard "I'm sorry" and proposed that I try to make use of the product that remained. She too offered me a discount on a future order. I told her I wanted a replacement one. She then told me that she could not ship out a replacement unless there were other items ordered, thus the promo code. My reply was that I would contest the charge with my credit card. She asked me to hold on while she discussed it with her boss. She came back and offered to refund my credit card for the mix. Again, I told her that I had nothing to do with their shipping operations and I wanted the pancake mix. Finally, she gave in. Based upon this and my other experience, I refuse to give them any more business, ever! I am certain others have had a good experience with them, but twice for me, once or you, it pretty much adds up over time to many people.

As to pumpkin, I adore pumpkin...in cakes, muffins, soups...There is nothing like canned pumpkin and the little treats and goodies from back home are truly comfort foods and if I can afford them, it is also my way of exposing our French children to just a little bit of America! Hay Hils, maybe that is the reason I moved to France...to corrupt French citizens with American foods! Forget about the threats of marrying someone in the country, having many babies while poisoning their minds with anti French thoughts and ways....I'm doing it one Oreo at a time

Warm regards!

 

Oh dear; I knew I would cause a kerfuffle

 

Maybe you're too far out in the boonies, but all the grocery stores here have been carrying Oreos for yonks. Well, at least for the last year or more. And I see that just recently they introduced the double stuff Oreos - or at least they are advertising them on TV (Grey's Anatomy, no less).

As for canned pumpkin - at least here you can buy a chunk of pumpkin (i.e. rather than the whole thing) in the fall when pumpkin is in season. Making pumpkin puree from that is easy. I think one factor is that some folks are hesitant to try the local pumpkin. You don't find the big, orange "jack-o-lantern" pumpkins here like back in the States. But the Rouge Vif d'Etampes is a big, sort of flat-ish dark orange or red pumpkin - that actually was the inspiration for the whole Cinderella story, since it's much better shaped to make a coach. It's absolutely delish, in pies or any other sort of pumpkin recipe, as it has been developed for its taste rather than to feed the Halloween jack-o-lantern market.

I'll admit that "processing" a pumpkin takes a bit of effort. But once you've peeled and either cooked or just cubed it, it keeps forever in the freezer - or, as I'm finding, a long, long time in dried form that you can just hydrate and cook into puree for whatever you want to use it for. (Do take a look at all the stuff added to the puree in cans one of these days.)
Cheers,
Bev

 

I'll admit that "processing" a pumpkin takes a bit of effort.

Thanks, Bev. I'd definitely be up for trying the "by hand" method in the fall. And actually, the canned stuff I use is the pure pumpkin puree from Whole Foods and is just pumpkin -- no added salt, preservatives or anything else. I know there are cans of pie filling as well which I'm sure have all kinds of great things added to it!

For the original poster who asked about products and proposed his business idea, I think to really do well in the expat market (and even appeal to French people), you'd need a few things to differentiate you from the competition (also I have no idea about the financial side and legal regulations of importing goods):

1) Modern, easy-to-navigate web design that has that WOW factor (more like Cometeshop than competitors' sites. Must have well-done SEO so people can find it!

2) Marketing plan that incorporates social media that will get you out there into the marketplace from the get-go.

And probably a frequently updated blog portion of your site that will incorporate the two points along with interesting content that would appeal to your customers and keep them coming back (ideally in French too to get them on board and explain why your site should matter to them)

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more...

 

Online or brick-and-mortar?

Thanks again to everyone who posted helpful tips to my original post. A quick follow-up question: Are you more inclined to use an online service to order products that you enjoy or would you be interested in visiting a brick-and-mortar location to peruse what's available and potentially order there the items you couldn't find in the boutique? I'm guessing a combination of the two would be best and would reach more potential customers outside of Paris, but if the consensus is toward online ordering perhaps a physical shop would be overkill? Thanks again!

 

Are you more inclined to use an online service to order products that you enjoy or would you be interested in visiting a brick-and-mortar location to peruse what's available and potentially order there the items you couldn't find in the boutique?

Hi again, for me, I prefer online shopping. Can do it whenever I want, take as much time as I want and the box shows up at my door. The convenience factor wins for me. Also, depending on customer base, a boutique might not be practical (cost factor, location, etc.). I'm not in Paris so online ordering would suit my needs best. Not a huge fan of French business hours, closing for lunch, closed Sundays, so definitely online all the way around.

And if you had a great selection, competitive prices and common sense customer service, I'd be a customer for sure!
Hope that's what you wanted to know ;-)

 

Thanks!

That is very helpful, indeed, Oui! Merci bien!

 

OK, if you want serious input, there IS competition and your target market comprises new-arrivals, predominantly. Everyone who's been here a while learns to find alternatives, and whilst "luxuries" from back home are welcome, they are just that: "luxuries" that come at a cost.

Yes, there are people who will pay extortionate amounts for a "taste of home" but as the economy ever tightens its screws on everyone's disposable income, I would imagine the market is reducing.

The point I was making was not that everyone should live as I do, but that, if you move somewhere, you should embrace whatever that "somewhere" has to offer rather than hanker after what you miss without looking wider afield to find an equivalent, or even something better.

h

 

I must agree with Hils on this one. When you are entering a niche market, especially one rife with competition already, special attention must be paid to what exactly your Customer base will be, how frequently it will roll over and whether or not your Customer base will be replenished in a manner that will allow you to earn a living. Better than 50 per cent of all new businesses fail within the first five years so it is really important to bear in mind what I've said above while developing your business plan.

Reading between the lines of what Bev said, and Bev has been here for many years and has wide-ranging expertise in business, she appears to have seen many of these companies come and go. That is a very important point.

Importing and exporting is a field all its own and I hope that you have a history in the business because it is one peppered with pot holes and a good solid knowledge of customs and excise, agricultural régulations, etc, etc. for both France and the EU (as well as excellent French) will be necessary unless you are planning to pay heftily above and beyond brokerage.

One of the best stores of this kind is in Lyon and has been in operation for more than 100 years. The company began as a grocery store serving the North African community here. It has expanded considerably over the years and now is an entirely different enterprise, stocking goods from all over the world for the consumer and commercial restaurant market.

Although I applaud your efforts in trying to discover a niche, I would also suggest that you plan a business trip with the express purpose of visiting the competition and discussing with them ins and outs of the business in this country. I would also suggest that you investigate the small grocer's associations here and perhaps become a member to learn about issues affecting the business now and what the experts in the field are considering the future to hold.

It is IMHO, that I offer this advice, having been married into a small business, niche market purveying family for many years.

I think that on the business side, you have much research ahead of you before you get to the point of discussing storefront vs. cyber business and what products to stock. Honey.

MS

 

1) If you read about the stages of culture shock, there's a point in there when you feel so much better acculturated than anyone else. In Japan, I recall my internal snort when a vegetarian dining companion ordered a tuna salad "maguro nashi"...no tuna, and got peeved when the waiter looked confused. She got more peeved than necessary because she was in Stage 3 culture shock. In Japanese, canned tuna is "tuna", and maguro is for the real thing. So no wonder the waiter looked confused. He's thinking, "but it hasn't got any maguro to start with".

In other words, even knowing about one's own stage of culture shock doesn't necessarily help when the emotions come bubbling up, but it CAN help with being more understanding of others. And snorting internally instead of out loud.

2) Thanksgiving might even want to consider allowing people to order Thanksgiving food within 2 weeks of Thanksgiving. That's their cutoff, plus the store is closed. Why not name your store "Closed for Thanksgiving"? It would be more accurate.

3) as a result of the second point, I discovered a very nice website that told me how to make a pumpkin pie out of a real pumpkin. Not the easiest thing I've ever done, but very far from impossible. It looked perfect, and people raved and asked for the recipe. It was worth it, at least to try and know I can do it if I need to. But canned pumpkin was way easier and had a more "American" taste.

4) I want Kraft Mac and Cheese! If that's not the mark of a wimpy American, I don't know what is! And you can make awesome American-style totally unhealthy macaroni and cheese using the orange cellophane-wrapped President- brand "Burger Cheddar" cheese you can sometimes find a pack of at the Spar, plus of course butter and cream. But when you have the flu, you want the kind with the fluorescent orange powder sauce mix. Anyone know of a source?

 

4) I want Kraft Mac and Cheese! If that's not the mark of a wimpy American, I don't know what is! And you can make awesome American-style totally unhealthy macaroni and cheese using the orange cellophane-wrapped President- brand "Burger Cheddar" cheese you can sometimes find a pack of at the Spar, plus of course butter and cream. But when you have the flu, you want the kind with the fluorescent orange powder sauce mix. Anyone know of a source?

If it's Kraft Mac and Cheese you want - just go to amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...alias=grocery&field-keywords=kraft+macaroni+and+cheese&sprefix=Kraft+ma,aps,158 They have it, and they'll send it to France (or probably anywhere else) - but at a price. (Kraft, as it turns out, is a major brand name in the UK, too.)
Cheers,
Bev

 

Thanks

I'm not sure why you thought I wasn't looking for serious input. But your last post was indeed helpful. Thanks.

 

Just as a note, the other American food store in Paris (located in the 7th) is called the Real McCoy. They have two small stores right next to each other on rue de Grenelle and Avenue Bosquet.

 

Just to allay the suspicions of those participating in this thread, we have "hidden" a few back and forth comments that were getting a bit personal.

Food, as you might imagine, is an incredibly sensitive topic for everyone living here in France. Let's keep things civil when discussing the peccadillos of other nationalities. I mean, some of us Yanks cannot fathom the attraction of Marmite or Vegemite, yet there is a market for the stuff amongst the relevant expat communities.

I'll admit that, after a certain point, some of us longer term expats fail to see the attraction of some of the comfort foods from "back home" or we have found perfectly acceptable substitutes in the local markets. But, to each his (or her) own.
Cheers,
Bev

 

Just to allay the suspicions of those participating in this thread, we have "hidden" a few back and forth comments that were getting a bit personal.

Food, as you might imagine, is an incredibly sensitive topic for everyone living here in France. Let's keep things civil when discussing the peccadillos of other nationalities. I mean, some of us Yanks cannot fathom the attraction of Marmite or Vegemite, yet there is a market for the stuff amongst the relevant expat communities.

I'll admit that, after a certain point, some of us longer term expats fail to see the attraction of some of the comfort foods from "back home" or we have found perfectly acceptable substitutes in the local markets. But, to each his (or her) own.
Cheers,
Bev

Do any of these "American in Paris" shops sell Folgers individual coffee bags. I would" pay through the nose" for a regular supply, as opposed to asking friends to stuff their suitcases with them for me when returning from the "good Ol. US of A". Fletch.

 

Having no business advice to give, I will just tell you the things that I would certainly buy online as a special treat: (1) Tab (allegedly available in Spain, but not here); (2) St. Hubert's Poutine Gravy (yeah, it's Canadian); and (3) Fresh cranberries at Thanksgiving time. Those are the only 3 things that I still do miss! Out in the boonies, one tends to "go native" gastronomically pretty quickly.

 

Here in the Paris area, the big hypermarkets have cranberries in the couple of weeks before Christmas. Thanksgiving is just not recognized here. They used to get in sacks of Ocean Spray, but now they put 250gr in a little plastic basket and charge you 3€50 or so for them.

They grow cranberries somewhere in the Netherlands - and the Dutch equivalent of Metro used to (at least) sell bulk cranberries pretty much all through the fall. Cranberry juice has become fairly popular here in the last couple of years, and most stores with "exotic foods" sections now seem to stock at least the jars of cranberry jelly. But whole berries just don't seem to have caught on here. They were even advertising Ocean Spray juice on the television for a while in French! But check YouTube for the whole collection of Ocean Spray advertisements in English, French and probably a few other languages. They're absolutely hysterical!
Cheers,
Bev

 

Funny! Yeah, I have looked in vain for whole, FRESH cranberries, because I love to make maple-orange chunky cranberry compote for Thanksgiving. (And I might use the leftovers on vanilla ice cream, but we won't talk about that.) Last year's Thanksgiving was great even without the cranberry compote -- we have the world's best small-town butcher (on whom I might have an inappropriate crush); he moved heaven and earth to get us an itty-bitty turkey, who apparently had been happily running around the farm early that Thursday morning.

 

Salut,

For convenience, I might buy canned pumpkin, depending on the price. Normally, I substitute sweet potato.

There are a few baking ingredients that I can't find for which I'd pay a premium price: vegetable shortening, pure almond extract, et al.

I'd prefer to shop in a store, so I can check the expiration date/package condition. Once inside, I'd probably make some impulse purchases like Twizzlers or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I'd take a chance online with a company recommended by forum members.

There's a small American foods épicerie where I live. From what I can see, the store gets drop-ins from French families looking for a unique treat for the 4pm goûter or a birthday party. French teens looking for something they probably saw on a US TV series. Also, American students who are "addicted" to a particular soda or candy, or wish to introduce American specialties to their French friends. Business is far from brisk tho.

Maple Sugar, SVP, what's the name/location of the store in Lyon? Is it Bail Distribution? Thanks.

Jadzia, guess I'm lucky, I can find fresh cranberries throughout the fall at Carrefour and Monoprix. Sometimes they're placed with the exotic foods like yams and ginger. As they freeze well, perhaps you could stock up next time you visit a big city like Bordeaux or Paris?

Unfortunately, the foods I truly miss can't be shipped. For example, a slice from Little Italy Pizza on E 43rd St in NY. Sigh!

Good luck with your enterprise, Charlot

 

Oh, <sigh>

Will check what all the terms etc are (for both sites) and report back, OK?

 

Right, Fletch. Have had a look.

Amazon won't ship outside US (but are definitely cheaper if you want to get a pal to post them on to you - 28.68 US$ for 6 packs of 19 with a 5% saving if you set up a regular delivery), & neither will Smuckers (the Folgers' own recommended on-line order company).

From Ebay, they're 12,99 US$ per pack of 19 bags. Shipping to France is 19,74 US$ for a single pack; 34,84 US$ for 5 packs.

Visa, MasterCard, Maestro accepted; Paypal preferred (but that starts getting complicated for you)

How else may I be of service ?

h

 

Just checked. Yes, Amex is fine.

 

Thanks . I will give it a go. My days not the same without my Folgers at 11am.
Fletch.

 

For info. to the OP; whilst trawling for Fletch's coffee, I found this:
ÉPICERIE AMÉRICAINE en Ligne: Acheter Produits Américains - Import USA

h

 

That's the one with the lousy customer service as a few of us have discovered

 

Just did some surfing; now I'm jealous of people in Paris (first time ever!)
There's a CPPF in Paris

Not familiar with Grunts (well apart from those emanating from the male of the species )

 

Ooooooooh , your sooooo cruel. F.

 

Since it failed to make much of an impression before, I'll repeat it:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bevdeforges
I'll admit that, after a certain point, some of us longer term expats fail to see the attraction of some of the comfort foods from "back home" or we have found perfectly acceptable substitutes in the local markets. But, to each his (or her) own.
Cheers,
Bev
Hear! Hear!

One of the HUGE pluses about moving to another country either as a immigrant or an expat (big difference - if you have to ask, you are an expat) is the opportunity to enjoy a new cuisine with a whole new range of foodstuffs especially in the fresh food department rather than the version that was picked under-ripe days/weeks/months before, partially frozen/chilled and then artificially ripened or even canned stuff.

OK, there may be some things that are quite difficult to do without but buying canned pumpkin? They come from the field/garden, they are lumpily round (perfect for making coaches to be drawn by mice and for use when going to a ball) and you chop them up into chunks, cook them, scoop out the flesh and use as for the canned sort except that the fresh is full of flavour. A few of the seeds that you gather up during the chopping process, you then plant in the garden/in large pots on the patio then grow your own ready for next year. Most of the things that you looking to find in an American home from home type shop at astronomical prices are either readily available in a local shop at a quarter/third/half the price or you can easily make fresh at home. In any case, you should be supporting your local economy!
hils likes this.

 

Much as I have tried in the past to understand the "Americans" fascination with pumpkins, I still really don't get it. I have tried pumpkin pie in America and I have tried the same dish cooked in France cooked by the French. I still find it exceedingly tasteless, bland and very unimpressive, perhaps it is my palate. I still think that the best thing to do with a pumpkin is too cut a face out of it and insert a candle for Halloween. That appears too give more pleasure to more people than eating the stuff.
Perhaps I have never been fortunate enough to sample the "real McCoy".
Now, Key Lime pie, that's the "dogs".

Fletch.