5 Things About NWS Mail Order in 2019

The Holiday Mail Order season at Northern Waters Smokehaus has officially come to a close! Writing this summary post, it seems like barely a heartbeat has passed, but to the dedicated seasonal and All-Season staff working long hours—the M.O. workdays often extended from as early as 5 a.m. to as late as midnight, divided between a few shifts of amorphous length—it must feel like the conclusion to an epic journey.

Much has changed for us in the previous year of the department. In the late Spring, Andy took over as mail order director. In the Summer and Fall months, we designated cut-off days for the various holiday shipping schedules, solidified communication channels between the mail order department and the production team (aka the smokehouse), re-assessed our shipping rates and carriers to accurately reflect the material cost of shipping throughout the nation, and, for basically the first time in the department's history, are now not losing money on the cost of shipping.

All of these changes have helped our small-scale operation provide exquisite smoked fish, meats, and other treats to an enormous amount of people this season, and to do so in a profitable manner: huge news for any small business!

This week, we'll look at a few data points—I'd guess about five—that might provide some insight into the season and what it entails.

Ten (plus one) people.

Andy, six other year-round NWS employees, three seasonal laborers, and former M.O. director, Annemarie—also former author of this blog—taking care of outreach for corporate orders remotely: That's the size of the crew who spent the last month and some change packaging and shipping out several literal tons of product to as close as Southern Minnesota and as far as Hawaii.

One month, one week.

That's the length of the "season" as we measured it this year. Mail order happens, to varying degrees, year round at NWS, but for the sake of this blog post (and our own internal reckoning), the holiday shipping season began on November 11th and ended on December 18th, with the cutoff for orders shipped in 2019 on December 16th.

One thousand seven hundred sixty three.

That is how many individual boxes were shipped during the official season. 1,576 orders taken in-store, over the phone, or online, with an additional 187 through Goldbelly. Though it is never quite so cut-and-dried, that works out to just under 180 boxes per mail order staff member during this short stint.

A look at the most popular items.

While researching this tidbit, or, more accurately, asking Flo to help me uncover these statistics, the initial report was mistakenly only for the final week of the season. Upon second inspection, with proper dates in-place, we got a nearly identical list. Since I've mentioned both of them, I'll provide both. Here's the top sellers for the final week of 2019 mail order, followed by the top sellers the whole season:

• Traditional Atlantic Salmon

• Smoked Salmon Dream Box

• Smokehaus Sampler Gift Box

• Lake Superior Bounty Box

• Smoked Lake Superior Whitefish

And overall:

• Traditional Atlantic Salmon

• Smoked Salmon Dream Box

• Smoked Lake Superior Lake Trout

• Lake Superior Bounty Box

• Smoked Lake Superior Whitefish

Clearly, our smoked fish is the overall winner of the season, which is not a huge surprise, given how popular it, and fish sandwiches, are in our deli.

Peak dates.

I'll spare you the very boring-looking graph, but five days stood out (with steep peaks) for orders placed—a perfect number for the overarching theme of this blog. The significance of these dates may be partially arbitrary, but I'll try to wager a guess as to why each day was so successful. What follows is a blend of fact and intuition:

• 11/18 - This date reeks to me of "final day to place orders that will arrive before Thanksgiving" territory.

• 11/29 - This was Black Friday, right? All of the calendars in the room are flipped to December, so I cannot be bothered to verify this claim.

• 12/2 - Cyber Monday, also known 'round these parts as Pigs in Space, a day when many folks are compelled by deals to shop online. Our particular variety of deal is free (or reduced) shipping on orders between $150 and $350 placed on this day.

• 12/9 - I have barely the slightest clue as to the significance of this date. Shot in the dark: Folks want their food available for the holidays, early enough that there is no concern about it arriving on time, but not so early as to be on its last legs of freshness when served.

• 12/15 - The penultimate day to place orders for shipping in 2019.

Sincerest thanks for reading this week, and for whatever part you may have played in our Holiday Mail Order Season! Shipping resumes January 6th, 2020!

5 Things: December 13th, 2019

It's the final Friday the 13th of the decade!

Welcome back to 5 Things™. This week we have a very important announcement: December 16th-18th are the final days of mail order shipping until next year. January 6th, to be precise, is when mail order shipping resumes. The last day to place an order to be shipped is Tuesday, the 17th.

This isn't a good photo, but I hope it is useful.

Between writing a company newsletter and continuing to work on the cookbook, I've become a bit exhausted of words this week. The rest of this week's Things™ will be mostly photographs. If there are words describing them, it is because I couldn't help myself.

Duluth Winter Village.

Participating in the Duluth Winter Village at Glensheen is always a joy.

Photos by Sharon McMahon of Three Irish Girls Photography

Flo is a beacon of goodness in this world.

Everybody's looking warm as heck out here.

One Window: Two Views.

I got to work at my favorite desk this week. Here's the view right up against the glass.

And from a few feet back.

Art by Leif and his daughter.

Deli Life: Cheesy.

Our deli is stocked to the brim with amazing cheeses, like this trio from Jasper Hill Farms. I eagerly await the next shipment, since setting out a sample of the newly-arrived cheeses for employees to sample is common practice at the Smokehaus.

Carrot Cake Cookies are back!

In case you hadn't noticed in that last photo—I get it: I'm not a great photographer and there's a lot of glare/reflection—Patricia's amazing cookie sandwiches are back in-stock.

Thanks for stopping by 5 Things™! See you next week!

5 Cheeses We're Crazy About

Sandwiches, smoked fish and smoked meats aren't the only things we do here at Northern Waters Smokehaus: We're also purveyors of fine cheeses, olives, sweet and savory baked goods, and variations on fermented cabbage—and that's just the short list.

The holidays are a great time for cheese (though what isn't?), so this week we're going all-in on "the adult form of milk." When I asked TK, the brains and the brawn of our cheese operation, for a list of his five favorite cheeses we're carrying this holiday season, he went above and beyond with detailed notes on each. What follows is a sort of mind-meld between TK and myself.

Rush Creek Reserve

This time of year, the hyper-regional, hyper-limited release, hyper-delicious Rush Creek Reserve from Uplands Cheese Co. is already on everyone's mind—and may as well be on everyone's tables too.

Rush Creek Reserve is made in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. It's a washed rind, raw cow's milk cheese that is a late autumn and winter exclusive. Don’t let “raw milk” cheese freak you out—after 60 days of aging, raw milk cheese passes the FDA’s raw milk laws.

In late autumn and leading into winter the cows diet changes from the fresh pastures of summer to the fall and winter hay, making their milk extremely rich and silky.

Rush Creek Reserve is made to show off this change in the cow’s diet. Made in the French & Swiss Alpine-style of Vacherin cheese, Rush Creek Reserve is wrapped in a hand-harvested piece of spruce bark. This helps the cheese keep its shape—due to its runny texture at peak ripeness—as well as adding tannins to its flavor.. The combination of the spruce and rich milk creates a rich custard texture with a very soft, delicate texture and a savory, rich finish. 

Rush Creek Reserve is an absolute must at holiday gatherings. Simply cut the top of the rind off and heap spoonfuls onto crackers, charcuterie, or just eat it on its own! This miraculous wheel pairs perfectly with a fruity Beaujolais wine. TK recommends with a glass of La Boutanche Gamay, which is available by the (re-corked) bottle in our deli.

Friesago

Shepherd’s Way Farmstead cheese is made in Nerstrand, MN by Jodi Ohlsen Read. This Asiago-style cheese is a natural-rind semi-aged sheep’s milk cheese. It's semi-dense in texture and has an amazing grassy nuttiness to it. This cheese is extremely versatile for cooking: a perfect addition to pasta and TK's favorite substitute for parmesan in a Caesar salad.

And TK isn't the only one excited about it.

Friesago is a multiple time award-winning cheese by the ACS (American Cheese Society) in the Farmstead Sheep Cheese category.

Friesago pairs well with wines that have hints of salinity to them. "Salty wines?," you may be thinking? No, winemakers never add salt to wines, ever. Think of it as a soil composition. Vineyards that are near salty bodies of water or grown in volcanic soil will bring salty notes to the wine. Think Sicilian wines. Grab a hunk of Friesago and a glass of Adrianna Occhipinti’s Sicilian made wine, Tami, sold right here at the Smokehaus.

Sakatah

Sakatah is a Dakota word meaning “Singing Hills”. It's also the name of the Minnesota State Park between Mankato and Faribault, near Alemar Cheese Co.’s home.

This soft ripened cow’s milk cheese is seasonally made and is a great representation of an artisanal product. Wrapped in a Marquette grape leaf (a cold weather wine grape grafted by the U of M) Alemar is paying homage to the Banon and Le Mothais cheeses of Europe, using cow’s milk rather than goat’s milk.

Sakatah has balanced earthiness, provided by the tannins from the grape leaves, finishing with creamy, peppery notes.

Before serving, let the cheese sit out for 30-minutes to come to room temperature for its aroma and texture to be at its peak—this is a good practice with most soft and creamy cheeses.

Eat this cheese with wine that has a higher acidity, perhaps an unoaked Chardonnay, crisp Riesling—or if you are into ciders, try it with a French Brittany-made cider. La Brun is a delicious natural cider that pairs perfectly with Sakatah. If you’re in our deli and want to snack on a piece of Sakatah, it's a must-try with the Pullus Pinot Grigio wine, made in Slovenia. 

Alpha Tolman

Jasper Hill Farm, in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, leads the US in artisanal cheese-making while being at the forefront of environmental impact & research of their farms. They are driven to be the standard bearer of quality and innovation in US cheese-making. 

Alpha Tolman is a brand new cheese to our deli (and to TK's knowledge, we are the only shop in Duluth selling Jasper Hill Farm cheese). It is made from raw cow’s milk with 100% of the milk coming from a single herd. This herd happily roams the pasture right onsite at the Jasper Hill Creamery and Cellars.

Alpha Tolman is inspired by French & Swiss cheeses like Appenzeller & Raclette. It has a buttery, fruity & nutty flavor when young, developing a bold, meaty, caramelized onion character as it matures. The texture is dense and pliant, easily portioned and ideal for melting.

The texture, aesthetic, and flavor make Alpha Tolman an ideal choice for fans of Appenzeller (or fondue!). TK strongly recommends pairing Alpha Tolman with Smokehaus ham. Using your oven's broiler, heap thin cuts of Alpha Tolman onto thick-cut Smokehaus ham until the cheese starts to blister and caramelize. Next take a healthy wad of butter and slowly brown it on your stove top. Drizzle the brown butter all over the ham and cheese then serve (on a roll or on its own). Absolute perfection!

Try pairing Alpha Tolman with a robust ale, such as Hoops #21 Ale (sold here in our deli!) or a Belgium-style farmhouse ale.       

Lucky Linda

Lucky Linda is Redhead Creamery’s clothbound cow’s milk farmstead cheddar. Made in the little town of Brooten in west central Minnesota, this six-plus-month aged cheddar has gained notoriety in its relatively young existence (Redhead's first wheel of cheese being made in 2014). Each wheel of cheese is aged right under the creamery in their cellars, allowing natural molds to create their ridiculously terroir-driven cheese. 

Rustic-looking in style, this clothbound cheddar has notes of bold mushroom, with sharp creaminess, nuttiness, and a balanced lactic finish. 

Pairing Lucky Linda with a dry cider is a no-brainer, especially Sociable Cider’s Freewheeler—guess where you can find it. Not a cider person? Try it with Fulton’s Standard Lager. The caramel notes of Lucky Linda and the maltiness of the Standard Lager deliciously compliment each other.   

Cheese is a sophisticated addition to whatever snack you're planning, and can add dimension to many an entree. It's an easy gift—easier if you have any inclination as to your giftee's preferred flavor palate. Cheese, the scientific community tells us, is like a drug. These, and many more reasons, are why we're so excited about our carefully curated lineup of (mostly) local/regional cheeses. We do our best to offer a unique selection of handmade cheeses. This isn't American Cheese Product: This is the real deal. Every cheese in our inventory has a story—the kind you'll be glad to share with your friends and loved ones.

You'll taste the difference.

5 Things: November 29th, 2019

Happy Black Friday! We'll keep this 5 Things™ short and sweet, so you can maximize your flat-screen TV-buying time today.

Duluth is covered in snow! November was a month of coldsnaps and rain, all a tease to the snow-covered winters to which we are accustomed.

The first Big Snow™ of the year began with slush sometime around 6 p.m. on Tuesday (I was inside, and not watching the radar), then accumulated overnight, continuing through the early afternoon on Wednesday.

Waking up Wednesday morning to let my dog outside, watching her hop and sprint around, struggling to pack down the tall snow just enough to do her business, the large snowflakes falling and slowly dancing in a mild breeze like the inside of a snow globe, I experienced one of those rare (for me) Winter moments during which I feel tranquil—not shrugging and squinting against the bitter cold, or cooped up inside longing for the warmth of sunshine. In that moment, with the insulation of a fresh coat of snow and the glow of dawn reflecting off the undamaged 'flakes, I thought, "this isn't so bad. I could survive this."

...

Where did I go? I got lost for a minute. Back to business.

Flo will be stationed at Hucklebeary's 2nd Birthday & Small Business Saturday Bash!

Alongside a host of great local merchants, NWS will have various swag (T-Shirts, hats, and tote bags), salumi (Salamini, Saucisson Sec and Pepperoni), bento boxes—with Castel Vetrano olives, local cheese, and sliced salumi—and gift cards available.

This marks the beginning of our annual holiday gift card sale: November 30th through December 31st, for every $100 worth of gift cards purchased, receive a ~*bonus*~ $20 gift card.

This offer is only available in-store, at the SBS bash, and the Duluth Winter Village, and does not extend to online gift cards.The $100 can be arranged in any increments, but please don't ask for 100x$1 gift cards.

Speaking of the Duluth Winter Village—it's next week.

December 7th & 8th, we'll be slinging the same wares as Small Business Saturday from a modestly heated shipping crate on the Glensheen Mansion grounds. It's a lot cuter and cozier than I'm making it sound, and this year the Village will have a glorious lights display, making it all the more magical.

Cross your fingers and your toes for more dreamy snow globe snowfall next weekend.

Mail Order has a busy Monday ahead of them.

Monday kicks off with the packing of 300+ boxes for a single corporate order. The crew will be here bright and early carefully arranging four slabs of assorted Atlantic salmon in each box (which they assembled and lined with insulation on Wednesday of this week) to be shipped ASAP.

All of this will happen whilst they navigate the assorted private orders shipping out the same day, and the incoming Pigs in Space orders.

Which brings us to this week's final Thing™:

Pigs in Space III (or MMXIX) takes place 24 hours only on C•Y•B•E•R Monday, December 2nd.

Pigs in Space is that special time of year when MN/Midwest shipping for orders between $150 and $350 is free and Continental shipping for like orders is 50% off.

From 00:00:01 to 23:59:59, use the discount code pigsinspace19 to receive free shipping on all eligible MN/Midwest orders and pigsinspacecont19 for 50% off shipping on eligible Continental orders. And we'll ship them whenever you like.

Some boring restrictions may apply.

That's all for today. See you next week on 5 Things™(-ings™ -ings™ ings™)