Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Bacco.
Bob, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I fell into this business. I came to Boston in the 80s to go to Northeastern as an engineering major. After a particular work study, I decided I was going to get another degree to go with my engineering degree, so I started working at a neighborhood package store. I learned a ton about beer, built up our craft beers and 5 years later, I was the manager. From there, I decided that this business was more interesting and fun to me than engineering (although I still use those skills to construct indestructible store display furniture and fix equipment when I can).
I moved to a store that specialized in wine, French wine in particular, and there I tried the amazing 1986 Chateau La Lagune – the wine that made me realize damn, I like wine, a lot. From there, I learned about Italian wine in a store in the North End and got to know a lot more about food from the fantastic salumerias and restaurants who loved to feed a good Italian boy. (Side note: the name Bacco means little winemaker in Italian, so it may be that this was destined to be in some way….)
Just before I opened my own business, I spent 14 years working for a small city family market in turmoil. Not only did I expand my wine knowledge by running that part of the business, but I eventually became the general manager, which taught me about retail and food service management. But the greatest lesson was that I really should do my own thing. So with the blessing and support of my lovely wife, I took our savings and opened Bacco’s Wine + Cheese in November 2010. And I haven’t looked back!
Has it been a smooth road?
Well, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing but thankfully, there have been no major catastrophes either! Every business has ups and downs, but I had been planning the “bones” of this for a long time before I actually opened the store. I had 80% of what I wanted to present and I thought the rest would (and should) come organically from listening to my customers.
The winter of 2014/2015 with the 110 inches of snow was definitely tough – that was probably the most tense time, just because (understandably!) no one was going out – they couldn’t! So there were some quiet months. Having a great support system at home made it easier. And listening to my customers makes a difference – our emphasis on having the BEST customer service and providing what they want helps keep things going.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Service, service, service. This is my most important point of emphasis with Bacco’s employees and because of that I’m very proud of our overall customer experience.
At Bacco’s Wine + Cheese, the wines we carry are unique and come from small producers that you won’t generally find in bigger or chain stores. We taste almost everything that we sell (and those we don’t are those we know intimately from years past), so we are confident in our recommendations and we pride ourselves on being able to find something that our customers will love, regardless of price point. Our staff is knowledgeable about all the items we sell, so while different people may specialize in a certain area, they can all help you with whatever you are looking for. We do free tastings every night (except Sundays), and are happy to give you a sample of cheese so you can be sure you’ll love it when you take it home.
At Bacco’s Fine Foods, we make the majority of our prepared foods from scratch every day. We carry a variety of quality products from smaller producers and fun, unique finds. Everything is as fresh as we can make it; we get veggie deliveries 7 days a week to make sure our produce is top-notch. I feel like the food store is a great extension to the wine and cheese shop – I was happy being “the wine guy,” but my customers kept asking me to get back into the food business, and when the space next door opened up, it felt like the right opportunity at the right time.
Ultimately, we are aiming for a different style of doing business. We say hi when people come in. We don’t want to make the customer fend for themselves. We want to give them as much or as little help as they want. So if you want to be left alone, that’s fine – we’ll leave you alone! But we are ALWAYS happy to help with a recommendation, a sample or a sip, or just a smile and a laugh.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Boston is a great place to do business. The city is doing an excellent job of helping to promote smaller businesses. I haven’t found any roadblocks; I’ve only found support in city government.
I highly recommend opening a business here, just in any other neighborhood in the city! 🙂
It also helps that our customers are really knowledgeable about food and wine. They are interested in where their provisions come from and like to support small producers and small businesses. So it feels like a really good fit with what we’re trying to achieve as well.
Contact Info:
- Address: 31 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA
02116 - Website: Wine + Cheese: www.baccoswineandcheese.com Fine Foods: www.baccosfinefoods.com
- Phone: Wine + Cheese: 617.574.1751 Fine Foods: 857.239.8039
- Email: Wine + Cheese: info@baccoswineandcheese.com Fine Foods: info@baccosfinefoods.com
- Instagram: Wine + Cheese: instagram.com/baccoswineandcheese Fine Foods: instagram.com/baccosfinefoods
- Facebook: Wine + Cheese: facebook.com/baccoswineandcheese Fine Foods: facebook.com/baccosfinefoods
- Twitter: Wine + Cheese: twitter.com/baccowinecheese Fine Foods: twitter.com/BaccosFineFoods
- Yelp: Wine + Cheese: yelp.com/biz/baccos-wine-and-cheese-boston Fine Foods: yelp.com/biz/baccos-fine-foods-boston
Image Credit:
Linda Skurchak
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