CHICOPEE — Key Food Marketplace, a family-owned and -operated supermarket, has opened its doors at 187 Exchange St. While the store has been open since mid-July, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Aug. 4.
Key Food owner Tony Diaz said he wanted to come to Chicopee because there are no other stores in the immediate area, besides Fruit Fair. He added that almost all major food supplies are on Memorial Drive, including BJ’s, Walmart and Big Y, to name a few.
“I thought it would be a good spot to open in Chicopee,” he said.
Diaz shared that Key Food is like a typical supermarket, but on a smaller scale. It started in Holyoke 20 years ago and now, both sites — Chicopee and Holyoke — are under the same ownership group.
He noted that any ads or sales programs always will be the same at both stores, along with the “same prices to avoid confusion [and] keep it simple.”
Diaz said it is a “very competitive market.”
He continued, “One thing [that] sets us apart is a lot of items we sell are ethnic items from Puerto Rico, Columbia, Jamaica — different parts of the world.”
Key Food also provides a shuttle service for customers — at no additional cost — when they buy a minimum of $70 in groceries. Customers can be transported with their groceries to anywhere in the Western Massachusetts region.
Diaz shared that Key Food also offers online shopping through Instacart, allowing people to shop from their homes or elsewhere.
A handful of the Holyoke employees are coming to Chicopee with experience and to train the new hires. The staff are all locals from the Western Massachusetts region, and as sales improve, Diaz said he is looking to hire more.
Diaz is the second generation of the family-owned business. He said it is a “group effort” with his daughters, wife, nephews, parents and uncle helping to run the business.
“[We] are happy to be able to serve this family. We welcome people from all over Western [Massachusetts], and we hope they like our store,” Diaz said.
“This opening marks another significant milestone in our ongoing journey towards fostering local commerce and providing our residents with top-quality, diverse food options,” said Mayor John Vieau.
He continued, “As mayor, I’m delighted to see businesses like Key Foods Market invest in our community, creating new jobs and strengthening our local economy.”
