When should you write a book? Is it enough that people tell
you that you should?
Not usually. But if enough people say it, and you have
something to say, then maybe they’re right.
That was the case for Jim Milligan. The owner of Fustini’s
Oils and Vinegars started his business in 2008 after retiring from 3M. Within
just a short time, not only was the business taking off, his customers were
suggesting that Milligan craft a cookbook.
Perhaps suggesting isn’t quite a strong enough word.
“From the minute we opened – in the beginning – customers
said. ‘You should write a cookbook.’ So we finally did it,” said Milligan.
It wasn’t that easy. Milligan said the store had been so
busy that he couldn’t spare the time the first three years the store was in
business.
But Milligan finally decided it was time. So in 2011 he
grabbed the bull by the horns, and working with local chefs, created In the
Kitchen with Fustini’s.
It was an immediate hit. It was followed last year by How
Fustini’s Do Fustini’s.
Milligan says the books have had a positive impact on his
business.
“They’ve been very successful,” he said. “We’ve been able to
bundle them (with vinegars and oils), it’s a great gift for the holidays.”
The first book featured recipes from area chefs whose
restaurants were among those to use Fustini’s products. The second included
recipes from staff and customers who submitted their favorites for inclusion.
Milligan says the books are a perfect complement to the
store’s products.
“What we sell is a consumable. If you don’t give your
customer new ways to use the product you won’t get re-buys,” he said.
“If they don’t know what to do with lavender-infused olive
oil,
Ultimately, the bottom line is the bottom line.
“For us it’s a really positive marketing tool,” said
Milligan.
So much so that Milligan and company are in the midst of
their third cookbook, with plans to continue at the pace of one each year.
The cookbooks are the perfect marketing piece for a business
that relies on customers creating new ways to use the products that Milligan
stocks in his store.
So if someone says “You oughta write a book,” maybe you
should listen to them.
