Who are we?

 We are Gwynne and Jay Marks. We live in Adrian, Michigan.  We have three children. Our passion for food and the desire to know where our food comes from is very important to us.  Like many busy families, we struggle with preparing healthy meals while constantly on the go. Between our full-time careers, our daughters extra curricular activities, and our commitment to this business, we hope to inspire and educate families with easy to prepare meals and provide a diverse offering of local and regional that gives families more healthy food choices.

Gwynne has her Bachelors degree in Accounting from Siena Heights University and a Masters in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.  Jay has his bachelors degree in Accounting from Davenport University and is currently finishing his Masters in Project Management from Central Michigan University. We have extensive careers in the retail and restaurant industries. We have managed large retail stores and extremely busy restaurants. 

 

How we got started?

Our adventure started when our oldest daughter was 9 years old and trying to read the back of a taco seasoning package. She was unable to pronounce the ingredients and we thought she was just having trouble with common words.  We soon learned that we too, could not pronounce the words on the packet.  Also, we did not know what the ingredients were. After we researched the ingredients more we knew that we needed to find better alternatives for the spices and seasoning we were using.  Soon thereafter, the Marks Trading Company was formed.

 

Our Community Commitment

Being part of the local community has always been an important part of our project. Early on we knew we wanted to be in downtown Adrian.  From sourcing as many products as we can locally and regionally, to finding a location for our brick and mortar store, our community is key.

We plan on being more than a grocery store. We plan on offering educational classes such as, meal prep, how to classes, and general cooking demonstrations. We will work with local farmers to bring there produce and vegetables to the store as well as meat, eggs, and dairy.  Knowing the source of your food is just as important as knowing the family that has grown or raised it.

 

Where are we going?

Our goal is to open a specialty grocery store in downtown Adrian, Michigan.  Our store will include canned goods, bulk coffee, herbal tea, bulk foods and candy.  We are also developing relationships with local farmers to provide produce and meats that are locally raised. By providing locally grow and raised products, we can improve the freshness and nutritional value of the products. Knowing the source of your food and how it was raised is just as important as the type of food products you are consuming. We are also working on developing relationships with local product manufactures such as syrup, honey, and baked goods, to name a few. This will also allow us to reduce our carbon foot print by avoiding shipping products all across the region.