Esch's Grocery

07/29/2023

Please complete this survey and help us find priorities for FOOD in Nebraska!

Public comment survey is available here: https://tinyurl.com/RFSISurvey

‐‐-‐-----------

NDA SEEKS IDEAS TO STRENGTHEN NEBRASKA’S FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) is asking the public for help to find ways to

strengthen the state’s food supply chain after harvest. NDA will host virtual listening sessions on Aug. 1 to

identify funding priorities for a $3.3 million cooperative agreement with the USDA Agricultural Marketing

Service’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. For those unable to attend, an online survey is available.

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program develops and administers state coordinated initiatives

to help build resilience across the middle of Nebraska’s food supply. USDA funds will support expanded capacity for food crops for activities that happen post-harvest and prior to the arrival at a retail market.

Activities like gathering, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distributing locally and regionally produced food, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for eating, aquaculture, and other food products. These funds exclude meat and poultry products because those products are funded through other USDA programs.

“Listening sessions and surveys are great ways to get constructive feedback from a lot of different people
interested and involved in agriculture,” said NDA Director Sherry Vinton. “Our goal with these sessions is to gather ideas and consider priorities to fund proposals and projects that will help strengthen Nebraska’s food supply.”

NDA will work in partnership with USDA to make competitive subaward infrastructure grants to Nebraska food and farm businesses and other eligible entities, including nonprofits, local government entities, tribal governments, and institutions such as schools and hospitals. Information on the competitive infrastructure grant proposal process will be released this fall.

Virtual listening sessions will be held through WebEx on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Register here:

10 a.m. session: https://tinyurl.com/RFSI-10a

1 p.m. session: https://tinyurl.com/RFSI-1pm


For those unable to attend a session, a public comment survey is available here: https://tinyurl.com/RFSISurvey

For more information, visit https://nda.nebraska.gov/promotion/rfsi/index.html

or contact Holle Evert at [email protected] or 402-471-6861.

11/16/2020

Thanks a great article Lisa!
Thanks to our rockstar customers who continue to Shop Small Town!

Shopping local benefits business owners and the surrounding community.
The attached article highlights Bob and Patty (Valasek) Esch, who recently passed on their thriving grocery to Connor and Alex Spelic.
It also includes the details of what the Spelic’s have in store for the grocery that's been a part of Spalding’s community for more than 100 years.
Grocery changes names - keeps values
By Lisa Fischer
SPALDING – Esch’s Grocery officially became Spelic’s Market and Meats during the first week of November in a transition some would suggest was meant to be.
When Bob and Patty (Valasek) Esch took over the grocery, then known as Coynes IGA, 39 years ago, they like Connor and Alex Spelic were parenting young children. While Bob, Patty, who are both 1970 graduates of Spalding Academy, and their children transitioned from living out of the area to the Esch farm, Connor and Alex moved west to the Pritchard property and enrolled two of their three children at Spalding Academy. In fact, both couples had family members encourage them to take over the beloved business, now 104-years-old and expand upon the previous owner’s success.
“Alex and I started looking into opening Spelic’s Market and Meats a year ago, after my mom, Denise (Pritchard) Spelic, heard the Eschs’ were looking to retire,” Connor said. “We discussed it and unanimously agreed to take over the grocery store that means so much to so many.”
Connor comes equipped with a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Business from Lindenwood University, experience at Schnuck’s Market and a fondness for the area, instilled in his youth by his parents and grandparents. He recalls growing up in Omaha and traveling to Grandpa Mark’s farm nearly every weekend and is confident he and Alex can build upon the successful business Bob’s grandparents started in 1916.
“Back then, the grocery was in that white building with the awning across the street,” Bob recalled. “Grandpa Bill and Grandma Stella didn’t move to this building until 1933. Bill was a busy guy back then. On top of running the grocery, he was Town Marshall and a boxer. He had a boxing ring upstairs and hosted tournaments in the 1930s.”
Bob added that Bill’s parents were Irish Immigrants Tom and Catherine Coyne. To make ends meet Tom traveled back to Pennsylvania during the wintertime while Catherine cared for their family. While back east Tom worked in the coal mines until the spring thaw when he would return to their farm in Elgin and begin planting. By 1918 the hard life Catherine had lived caught up to her and she became one of the many who fell victim to the Spanish Flu.
That pandemic was no match for Bob’s grandparents who kept their grocery open to Spalding’s community. About 102 years later, when faced with COVID-19 restrictions, Bob and Patty kept up the family tradition of serving the community by staying as available as possible to Spalding residents and the surrounding community.
“It was a blessing to stay open and continue serving our community during the pandemic,” Bob recalled. “It’s been an honor for Patty and I to serve our community for the past 39 years.”
The idea behind taking over Coyne’s IGA, from his Uncle Harold “Ike” and Aunt Theresa came from Bob’s mother Margaret in 1981. She knew her brother Harold, a WWII veteran, was looking to retire and undoubtedly wanted to have her son and his family a little closer.
“I received a Construction Management degree from Kansas State, I used to work in Oklahoma and Kansas,” Bob remembered. “At that time we had two kids and one on the way, we were ready to get off the road and make Spalding our forever home.”
By 1985 Patty and Bob liquidated the dry goods store, connected the two separate buildings to create a 5,000-square-foot grocery. During the past 39-years they also remodeled the facility’s store front and updated store equipment whenever necessary. Part of the Eschs’ success is found in their employees who provide fresh produce quality cuts of meat to grocery store patrons.
“Alex and I are looking to expand upon what the Eschs’ already have, custom and quality cuts of meat,” Connor noted. “We are looking forward to offering even more options to our customers and to continue building upon the solid foundation of the business Patty and Bob oversaw since 1981.”
Bob said he and Patty plan to stay busy during their retirement. While they are looking forward to spending extra time with their five grandchildren they also plan on keeping up with their ag-related interests.

11/04/2020

Get out and enjoy the weather this week!

Be sure to follow Spelic's Market and Meats to access the ad in the future.

https://www.facebook.com/spelicsmarket/

11/02/2020

Here's to new beginnings! Stop by and meet Connor and Alex as they begin their first week as Spelic's Market & Meats.

10/31/2020

Updates from the Spalding Enterprise

10/30/2020

THANK YOU to all of our amazing friends, family and loyal customers for joining us and celebrating the store and our wonderful team yesterday!

10/29/2020

Stop by today for a sloppy joes, hot dogs, and cupcakes!

10/28/2020

Hope to see you at our party tomorrow!

10/27/2020

Join us on Thursday to celebrate 39 years of Esch's Grocery!

10/22/2020

Stop by Saturday for the One Day Sale! Prices lower than the weekly ad!

After picking up these great deals, check out the Autumn Bounty Pop-up Market next door!