Zingerman's of Ann Arbor is Crushing It With Its Mail Order Business During the Christmas Season

Zingerman’s Delicatessen opened in March 1982 near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, and its popularity grew not only locally but nationally.

You can still get a corned beef sandwich, kugel, and matzo ball soup at 422 Detroit St. in Ann Arbor. But Zingerman’s has grown into a multi-entity operation, including a flourishing mail-order business.

What’s particularly impressive is that Zingerman’s Mail Order will generate $6 million in sales in the seven days before Christmas—a quarter of its annual revenue compressed into a single week that transforms the Ann Arbor–based company’s operation into a 24/7, 800-employee packaging and shipping machine, Jay Davis of Crain’s Detroit Business writes, adding:

Mail Order has grown into the biggest money maker among the 17 entities under the Zingerman's Community of Businesses umbrella, which includes Zingerman's Deli, the Roadhouse restaurant, Bakehouse and Greyline events space. It's the workhorse of the Zingerman's empire, showcasing how a local specialty food brand can scale nationally without losing its artisan identity.

The mail order business offers breads, pastries, meats including corned beef, pastrami and ham, olive oil, coffee, tea and cheeses.