The Flying Moose, a new establishment at Fifth and Washington, is the purveyor of 28 local vendors and a go-to destination for organic produce and dry goods.
Jeremy Poch and his wife, Melanie, own and manage the store. During my visit they were discussing some logistics; Melanie, one ear to her phone, was asking Jeremy how many cases of McClure’s Bloody Mary mix they ought to order. “More,” he replied. The store does a healthy food-and-drink trade, and the offerings of regional beer and wine is fairly impressive. Shorts Brewery of Elk Rapids and Bell’s Brewery out of Kalamazoo took up the majority of the beer stock, and Leelanau Cellars wine was also prominently featured.
Since the store opened at the end of August their business has seen its share of foot traffic, and they’re looking to expand their inventory even further in the coming months to meet demand.
They currently carry a few items at a time from Topo Designs out of Denver, a full range of gear from Frost River (a company akin to Filson) which is all made in Duluth and a nearly complete range from Stanley products, renowned to be food-and-drink storage royalty.
“I’ve sold almost everything from my first order of Topo, and I’ll be ordering more soon,” Poch said. “It’s good stuff.”
The store’s produce is supplied by 28 local vendors. This includes the UP-grown apples, which are picked from heirloom apple trees on an orchard that was established in the mid-1800s.
“Moose Juice,” a brew concocted in the store’s little kitchen, is Marquette’s first “bulletproof” coffee. “Bulletproof” coffee means standard brew with oil or fat added to the grounds before brewing, typically some blend of coconut oil and/or organic butter. The idea is that caffeine can be delivered better alongside some healthy fats, but not everyone can drink their coffee with two fried eggs and some bacon strips; that’s where the fats added to the coffee grounds are helpful, not only addressing multiple nutritional needs in one package but also giving the drink a creamy and heavy texture, almost like hot chocolate made the old-fashioned way. Moose juice has both coconut oil and organic butter whipped into the coffee grounds before they’re French-pressed, and the crema on the fresh cup of brew is amazing: sweet, warm, and smooth.
Adding a dash of the organic half-and-half and a (generous) drizzle of real maple syrup in the cup makes it a beverage to die for. Of all the things worth reporting from The Flying Moose, the coffee was most significant to this reporter. It’s a cup of coffee any caffeine-lover shouldn’t miss out on.
Along with produce and dry goods, bikes from Jamis, Framed (another Minnesota company), Yuba and Charge are also sold through the store. Zech McCarthy, a Marquette native and NMU grad working at The Flying Moose, is pulling double-duty. Sometimes he works his magic on the food side of things—potato-fennel soup, for one—and sometimes he assembles and works on the bikes. He makes fresh soup daily, sold by the cup, and all ingredients are sourced from farmers and growers in and around Marquette. The potato-fennel and tomato-spinach soups both come highly recommended.
Whether you’re after some craft brews, fresh dinner ingredients, quality softgoods, or just a (excuse my language) damn fine cup of coffee, The Flying Moose has you covered.
