Rosauers held the grand opening of its newly built store in Belgrade, Montana, on June 24.
Among the differentiating features of the new 58,000-square-foot store, which is located at 104 Bandana St. in the Foundry development, is a tortilleria making fresh, four-ingredient tortillas daily; fresh popcorn in about a dozen flavors; and a smokehouse that produces smoked meats, jerky and sausage.
The Belgrade store also features Rosauers’ signature scratch bakery that turns out doughnuts, artisan breads, cakes and sweets; freshly rolled sushi made daily; a pizza, burrito and taco bar; freshly cut fruits and vegetables prepared in-store; and a Huckleberry’s natural and organic store-within-the-store that carries thousands of items, both food and non-food.
For customers who want to linger and perhaps enjoy a meal or snack from the store, there’s an upstairs seating area that offers views of the Bridger Mountains, adding to the store’s sensory experience. There’s also a TV for those who prefer that view.
In an interview about a week after the Belgrade opening, CEO Cliff Rigsbee said, “So far we’ve been getting great, great compliments. The area was in need of another grocery store. It’s been growing for quite some time, and this has given folks another option.”
The Foundry will add a bank, coffee shop, sandwich shop and other businesses in the future, adding more draws for residents.
Reading the residents
Although Rosauers is considered a traditional grocery store, “we lean heavily into natural, organic and scratch,” Rigsbee said. “We do scratch bakery; we do a ton of things scratch in our deli; and we put a smokehouse in this new one.” (Smokehouses also were installed at the remodeled store in Libby, Montana, as well as the store in Walla Walla, Washington, that was recently converted from Super 1 to Rosauers. 
“I think that just really resonates well with the folks [here] that are not only outdoors people but really looking for healthier options in their daily food,” he said.
The tortilleria has done very well, Rigsbee said, due to the simplicity of the product.
“The tortillas have four ingredients – flour, water, salt and fat. It doesn’t last for 90 days on the shelf – it lasts like three or four days – but it’s really, really good.
“I think all those things that are done in-house are inherently better for you, just because there’s less miles and less ingredients and more whole foods.”
Reputation precedes growth
Rosauers already operated a store in nearby Bozeman, about 10 miles away, which had given the company insight into what Montanans wanted in a store.
It was the Bozeman store, in fact, that actually paved the way for the new Belgrade location. A property developer, Todd Waller of Venture West Development, was looking for a grocery anchor for a new project and reached out to Rosauers.
“He really liked our store in Bozeman and he felt like we would be a good fit, so we went down that path with him,” Rigsbee said. “That Bozeman market has been really good to us; the store has been accepted so well in the community.”
He added that both Bozeman and Belgrade are growing markets, and they’re seeing a lot of younger families in the latter.
“I think they’re really, really enjoying the fact that we’ve got expanded organic/natural foods,” both for themselves and their children.
Rigsbee said a distinctive feature for Rosauers in that arena, in addition to the delineated Huckleberry’s department, are the category experts it employs.
“They can help you not only find it, but they can help you figure out how to use it, when to use it, what to use it for, those types of things, as opposed to just putting it on the shelf and letting it sell itself,” he said.
“Our folks really have a great understanding and a deep passion for natural and organic, so they can help give that information to customers. I think that’s been a real big differentiator for us.”
Organic and natural items are scattered throughout the store, not just in the Huckleberry’s section, whether in the specialty food aisle, frozen food, dairy, etc.
“The products are integrated, so that you can see the normal mainstream conventional items next to the natural/organic items,” he said.
Next up
Rigsbee said Rosauers will continue to remodel stores, with the location in Ellensburg, Washington, coming up this fall.
He’s been CEO of Rosauers, a subsidiary of URM Stores in Spokane, for about five years.
“It’s been a great, great ride. It’s a great company, privately owned,” noted Rigsbee, who spent about 30 years on the corporate side with Albertsons Companies in several markets, including Portland, Boise, Denver and Northern California.
“I grew up in Central Washington, so coming back to Spokane with Rosauers is kind of like coming home. It’s been outstanding.”
Rosauers Supermarkets operates 25 stores in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Banners include Rosauers, Super 1 Foods and Huckleberry’s Natural Market.