Internet sales give the world a taste of Suffolk

Suffolk has a lot to offer in the way of good food. But until recently, only those of us who have had the privilege of living in or visiting the city have been able to sample its treats.

But with the rise of online stores and catalogs, Suffolk is able to get its previously undiscovered treats out to the rest of the world. With some advance notice and a little care, foods can be shipped across the country and around the world with a modicum of trouble to the consumer or the seller.

Since Suffolk is known as a peanut town, it’s only natural that the city’s peanuts would find their way to the Web. One site that offers Suffolk’s finest export is thepeanutkids.com, a website run by Producer’s Peanut Company Inc.

The site offers homestyle gourmet peanuts, peanut butter, raw in-shell peanuts, and something called a Virginia Basket, a basket of tasty treats filled with an assortment of peanut products, sweet German pickles, biscuit mix and much more, all of which is made in Virginia.

Another local classic is the perennial favorite Smithfield ham. Many may have heard of it but few outside of the area have had the opportunity to taste the salty, smoked delight. And while many tourists make their way to the area just for a taste of one Virginia’s most traditional and treasured dinnertime entrées, places like The Genuine Smithfield Ham Shoppe offer the goods it carries on its shelves to those surfing the web through the site smithfieldhams.com.

Virginia Wade, the shop’s manager is always more than willing to catalog just what the store offers: “Sliced and spiral Smithfield and Charles Henry Gray hams, and gourmet peanuts from Smithfield Foods’ Peanut Shop, which is supplied with peanuts grown in Southampton and Isle of Wight counties.”

Of course, larger businesses are not the only entities benefiting from the convenience of the Internet. The Working Dog Bakery, which is a small business located on Windjammer Road in Suffolk, takes full advantage of the technology to acquire and keep a loyal clientele. Through their website workingdogbakery.com, owner Liz King says she has managed to sell her homemade doggy treats to customers all over the country. She has even gotten orders from as far away as Australia.

When asked how people have managed to find her all-natural treats for dogs online, King says that Google searches or good old word-of-mouth has served her web presence very well since starting out in 2004.

Moreover, in all her time shipping her goods across the country, she’s only heard of one incident. “One time, a postman left the package in a place where the recipient couldn’t see it for a few days,” she said. “Other than that I’ve had no problem with my online store.”

Modern technology being what it is today, the quest for regional flavors online is becoming a popular trend. Luckily, Suffolk has its hand on its mouse, offering locals and locals-at-heart a taste of what it’s like to dine on the area’s best treats.