Member Spotlight:  Sarah Hanlon, Director of Marketing, Sunset Foods

(Pictured above, Sunset team member, Nicole and Lake Forest store manager, Lola)

 

 Lake/Forest Lake Bluff Chamber:  Tell us a little bit about Sunset Foods and what makes your supermarkets unique?

Sarah Hanlon: Sunset Foods is a third generation, locally owned neighborhood supermarket.  We got our start almost 90 years ago in Highland Park. The focus at Sunset Foods is quality and service, and these things continue to set us apart from other grocers. We value the people and neighborhoods we serve and take pride in providing for them and their families.

 

LF/LB: What inspired you to open a Lake Forest Location?

SH:  Sunset has been in Lake Forest since 1965.  At that time, there was no grocer serving the area. We were noticing customers from that area shopping in our Highland Park location and decided to join the Lake Forest community. Sunset was thrilled to join the growth happening in West Lake Forest.

 

LF/LB: What is your vision or hope for the future of your business?

SH:  We look to continue serving the communities that support our Sunset Foods locations.  Our vision includes a renewed focus on Food as Health, working to better participate in wellness for our customers and neighbors. We have partnerships in the works to better communicate the ties between food and health, and hope to continue to grow the programs around this message. Our focus on local products is a mainstay that only grows each year, along with our dedication to increasing sustainability in our buildings, packaging, and systems.

 

LF/LB:  How does Sunset Foods support and give back to the community?

 SH:  Sunset supports hundreds of organizations, including many local schools, food pantries, educational programs and youth groups. Giving back to our communities is part of how Sunset Foods thanks the communities we serve for supporting us. We love being part of the neighborhood and we hope it shows!

 

LF/LB: Is there anything else you would like to share about your business?

SH:  I always like to share a few “fun facts” about Sunset Foods that people may not know.

Our deli departments are supported by kitchens in every store. For example, the dozens of salads you see in our cases each day, are made in that location, but Sunset employees.  We have hundreds of recipes that are unique to Sunset and made in house.

One of the most popular items in our meat department, isn’t ground beef or even chicken, but Dog Bones! We smoke bones in our stores and pets all along the Northshore love them.

Sunset Foods floral departments have the freshest flowers in town.  Our flowers are shipping straight from farms in Ecuador, Columbia, and even Holland.  We skip the middle men and buy direct from farm to our stores.