EXPANSION

The brothers, who also work with their mother, Jane Forbes, moved into their own space this year on Chesapeake Avenue in Grandview Heights, next door to Watershed Distillery.

It is a humble, 3,300-square-foot space packed with beverage coolers converted into meat curing boxes, a custom stainless-steel prep table, walk-in coolers and other equipment the Forbes need to grow their business.

It also has some history. It was once the home of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and last served as Jeni’s in-house bakery.

“We love the idea of being in Jeni’s old space,” Duncan Forbes said.

“We have a lot of the same customers,” James Forbes said.

The new space on Chesapeake also comes with something even more important than its history, or equipment: It is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. North Country’s former kitchen was inspected by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which limited sales to Ohio. Now, Duncan and James can sling salami across the country. The bigger space also gives them room to figure out new products, like coffee and brown sugar-cured bacon, whole-muscle cured meats like prosciutto, and more.

“People are chomping at the bit for new products,” Duncan said.

Small-scale charcuterie is relatively new. Before the Forbeses decided to open their business, no one else was doing it in Ohio.

“We’ve carried them since the beginning,” said Jennifer Williams, owner of Weiland’s Market in Clintonville. “Finally, we had Ohiomade charcuterie to go along with all of these great Ohio cheeses.

“It also moves. It sells well.”

Restaurants have also picked up on the popularity of North Country. It is on the menu at Rockmill Tavern, the Pearl, Wolf’s Ridge, The Market Italian Village, Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center, and others. North Country made about 10,000 links of salami last year.

Charcuterie is popping up on more and more menus, especially more upscale concepts, said Tim Powell, vice president at Q1 Consulting and a restaurant industry analyst. Protein has something of a health halo and cured meats are one of the most traditional proteins around. North Country also plays into a trend toward sourcing ingredients, like its pork, from small farmers who adhere to higher animal-care standards.

“This concept is on trend,” Powell said, “especially with younger consumers.”

Even butcher shops are on board.

“They put out a top notch product,” said Tony Tanner, owner of the Butcher and Grocer in Grandview Heights. “People come to us just for it.”

James Forbes started curing meat while working as a chef, and after getting bored with the restaurant grind, he decided to see if people would actually buy his salamis. He set up a booth at the Worthington Farmers Market and people bought the salamis.

Why salami? Familiarity.

“So, everyone has had salami,” Duncan said.

North Country’s salamis are, of course, a little different. They use pork raised in Urbana, cheese from Blue Jacket Dairy in Bellfontaine, spices form North Market, Ohio wine and beers, yes beers, from Rockmill Brewing Co. and Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Co. They make classic salami, fennel and garlic, spicy, cheese — and even one with imperial stout and mole.

“There are not many people doing what we’re doing,” James said.

Now that the new facility is open, the company is slowly looking to add accounts. The brothers plan to expand further into Cleveland and Cincinnati where they have small toeholds, including the renown Jungle Jim’s International Market, then move into neighboring states. They also plan to push their online store to find customers far beyond regional retailers.

The question is, can a little Ohio company connect with folks looking for good charcuterie in places like New York, California or Chicago? Jeni’s found success doing just that, talking about Ohio milk and local produce. The Forbeses hope a little of that magic is still in the building.

“They have a great story to tell,” Tanner said. “People are into (charcuterie) and it helps when you have a great story to go with it.”