The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

BALDUCCINO’S boutique wine has developed a strong following thus far, its general manager said yesterday, telling Tribune Business he was looking to add food and service to the offering and create several job opportunities.

Balduccino’s deli, bakery and gourmet food shop on East Bay Street recently became a winner in the MasterCard-Ministry of Tourism monthly campaign, topping 53 other merchants.

“Of course, when you see Mastercard sales going up that means everything is going up. We have been working with MasterCard to promote the card and the business. The two factors working together have ended with a positive result,” said Anton Alexiou. 

   Speaking on the boutique wine offering, Mr Alexiou told Tribune Business that business was strong.

“The business is going very well. We have a strong following. We have some nice new boutique products in-house and we are really pleased with the way the store is coming along,” he added.

“We have a lot of different products. We have close to 5,000 bottles in stock, close to 700 labels. We have a great selection and we have wines for every budget.

“Even though we are a boutique store we are not priced out of the market. We try to carry products that a lot of the other houses don’t have. We have things like organics, a lot of nice products you won’t find in Burns and Bristol. We’re working on offering a tapas menu within the next month or so,” Mr Alexiou said.

“We do look to grow as we add food and service so we probably would be adding several new employees to the business. That will probably be before the holidays. I’m looking to get our menu going probably prior to November. We will have a nice tapas menu to go along with our boutique wine selection.”