New Seasons Market hosted a day of one-on-one meetings between its buyers and prospective vendors from the Puget Sound area on July 13.

The goal was to make connections with small-scale producers and review products for inclusion on the shelves of New Seasons Market Mercer Island, which will open in fall 2016.

More than 90 local makers had the opportunity for meetings at the fair, which was held at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.

The buyers for New Seasons, a community-minded grocer based in Portland, were seeking delicious, inventive local products for the grocer’s first Puget Sound location, according to a statement from the company.

Vendors included JujuBeet, Lagana Foods, Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, Nuflour, Pure Éire Dairy and Shen Zen Tea, among others, with products ranging from grass-fed yogurt, granola and gluten free pastries to fresh pasta, kombucha, salsa and fruit spreads made with locally-sourced fruit.

“Local products are celebrated at New Seasons, clearly marked throughout the store and promoted through sampling and marketing events,” according to a New Seasons press release.

A few Islanders were in attendance, including Lauren Adler of Chocolopolis and Rusty Federman of Rusty’s Cheesecake. New Seasons is still interested in meeting with more Mercer Island vendors.

At the fair, many of the small-scale vendors learned that New Seasons “has a high tolerance for complexity,” in the words of New Seasons’ Angela Bozo, and is willing to work with vendors who distribute their products directly, according to a press release.

Direct distribution is often the first step for vendors just getting started and not yet producing large enough quantities or working with enough accounts to make engaging with a distributor a viable option.

New Seasons buyers anticipate placing orders with many of the makers with whom they met on July 13 in preparation for the fall 2016 opening of New Seasons Market Mercer Island. Like all New Seasons locations, the store will have its own unique mix of local, organic favorites alongside grocery classics (like Oreos and Kraft Mac-n-Cheese) to offer customers choice, quality and value.

For more, see www.newseasonsmarket.com.