Bear Food — Local services in Matthews

Ran into a buddy in downtown Matthews yesterday and was told he had gotten a new job. When I asked where, he pointed to a place I hadn’t seen before and I noticed the name “Bear Food” was on the awning. After enduring enough of my wise cracks about his decision to support his family selling food for bears, he gave me the back story of the place, a description of their products, and told me the grand opening would be the next day. I’d give this friend the shirt off my back so I promised to drop by. Cut to tonight and after plowing through a 6.5 oz bag of the Honey Toasted Pecans and a 6.5 oz bag of Herb Spiced Cashews, I haven’t left much room for dinner. I’d been promised they would be good but even so, they both exceeded my expectations. While there, I also picked up some tasty looking poultry rub and a balsamic vinegar that looked as thick as honey. Considering I won’t have any more cashews or pecans to fill up on tomorrow, we plan to grill some chicken using the rub and top a salad with it using the dressing. Beyond the nice variety of products, Bear Food has a great story centered around true entrepreneurship and a clear heart for serving some really special people in our community. Can you buy cheaper peanuts and cashews at Costco? Sure. But I promise they won’t taste as good and the last time I went to Costco, I don’t remember meeting and talking to the owner, which I had the pleasure of doing today. If you enjoy unique shops, tasty treats, and supporting your local neighbors with special needs, give this place a shot. I don’t think you’ll be...

After moving from Florida to North Carolina, five years ago, I became very impressed by how expansive is the NC-based family-owned artisan food industry. I’ve discovered many delicious and visually-appealing food items to enjoy myself and to give as gifts to others. High on my list, is Bear Food Gourmet nuts and popcorn! With unique and tasty flavors like Buttered Black Truffle popcorn and Dill Pickle Peanuts, they keep me coming back for more!

Further, I LOVE to shop in Bear Food’s quaint bricks-and-sticks retail boutique they’ve established in the charming town of Matthews, NC. It’s directly across the street from the historic Renfrow Hardware store.

In addition to their own products, at the retail store, Bear Food also offers a wide selection of NC-based artisan foods and gifts from all over the state… and… they very wisely offer free taste samples of their own yummy Bear Food branded products! I greatly appreciate this because I don’t like giving a gift to someone that I haven’t already tasted myself! The locally-crafted variety of goods they showcase enables me to more easily create delectable and beautiful baskets to give as gifts to friends and family outside NC and share with them (by “taste”, at least) a little of what I love about living in North Carolina!

It’s a fun little market stop to bring my out-of-town visitors, especially if we time it on Saturday when Matthews has their Farmer’s Market just...

This is great stuff! We stumbled on Bear Food in downtown Matthews while strolling the shops. Crazy name doesn't reveal what it is, so trepidatiously we peeked in the window getting a sense it was some kind of food or gourmet shop. Anything chocolate piques our curiousity, so we entered. Glad we did. Now, we're going to be regulars. It's a little pricey, but the quality of what you're getting would be difficult to sell for less. For example, the chocolate covered peanuts are offered in two sizes, milk and dark all "double dipped," and believe me, you've never had chocolate dipped nuts with more delicious chocolate on them. We also bought the Queen City OG pretzels, zesty and can't stop at one bag. Wish these came in a Costco family size pack they're so good. I think the name, Bear Food, will prove a hindrance, but the quality may carry it. Tell your friends about Bear Food, as it deserves a long run. It's not something you find elsewhere. One final word: the owner has integrity. The website did not deliver on the promised 25% 1st time buyer offer, but when I questioned it, the owner promptly delivered with a smile and an apology, making good. I'm a grateful, happy, and...