When the Covid-19 pandemic hit , grocery stores remained open as an essential business . Besides everything else he does , Dan has been the liquor buyer since high school . After their alcohol buyer left , his dad said , “ See what you can learn .” He learned how to stock a full line of hard liquor and fine wines from all over the world , including California and forty local wines from Santa Clara County and South County alone . “ I go to the local wineries and know all the owners . A lot of them are customers ,” he said .
Dan Keith is a burly man with a hearty greeting and a ready smile . He joined the Rocca ’ s team in 2012 , working part-time doing construction , and generally helping out . Later , as a full-time employee , he became the meat department manager . Because Rocca ’ s is a small market that can ’ t compete with chain and big-box stores , they upgraded instead of matching prices . “ We have to have something better than the next guy ,” Keith said . “ I got rid of the select and choice meat and bumped the product up to prime with some American Wagyu .” USDA prime is a higher quality beef than the choice and Certified Angus Beef ( CAB ) carried by most stores , and American Wagyu rates higher than prime . Rocca ’ s carries some CAB for chuck rolls and brisket , but the steaks and ribs are always prime .
They also went high end on pork — prime grade or heritage pork — and chicken — Rocky Jr . All-Natural California chickens . “ We have stuff that nobody else has ,” Keith said , including products he has created in-store : smoked salmon , salmon spread , and ten to twelve storemade sausages . “ Since I started making the sausage , I get people from Watsonville , Santa Cruz , Salinas , and San Francisco .” Rocca ’ s is an old-fashioned cut-and-wrap meat department . Meat , bacon , sea food , cheeses , and lunch meats — cut and sliced to order — are weighed , wrapped in butcher paper , and price-marked with a wax pencil . You won ’ t find any Styrofoam or plastic wrap . “ You have to find a good product and stand behind it ,” he said . “ Now , our customers expect better . They want the best .”
Rocca ’ s is not a supermarket — it ’ s really still a general store . It doesn ’ t have a pharmacy , a coffee kiosk , a bakery , or a bank . With its premium meats , well-stocked spirits , and fresh local produce , you can purchase everything you need to create a great meal in less time than it takes at a supermarket . And , you can find thumb tacks , clothes pins , brooms , mops , stationery , work gloves , and 20 Mule Team Borax . Rocca ’ s also supports local entrepreneurs with products from Original Roasters Coffee , Pepper Plant Sauce , Big Daddy ’ s Cocktail Mixers , Stacey ’ s Jalapeno Jelly , Roxanne ’ s Biscotti , Greenlee ’ s Cookies , Frantoio Grove Oil , Toni ’ s Balanced Meals , Gizdich pies , Marianne ’ s Ice Cream , Amen Bee local honey , and others .
The sign that juts over the sidewalk at the corner of the building reads : Meat , Grocery , Spirits . You can fill your shopping cart with these at any supermarket or Big Box store . But you can ’ t fill your cart with personalized service , premium meats , fresh / local produce , locally made products , and over forty local wines . Add to that a 93-year history of Rocca ’ s family ownership and dedication to the community , and you begin to understand that this little corner market is an integral part of South County history . Reviewers on Google Maps agree ( 4.8 from 140 reviews ). They rave about the meat , wine selection , produce , and service and readily travel from Gilroy , Morgan Hill , and even San Jose to get them .
“ People used to take out groceries ,” said Dan . “ Just the other day , I took someone ’ s groceries out . They said , ‘ Do you want a dollar ?’ I told them I don ’ t take tips . I just do this every day . I like doing it . I know everybody who comes in .”
“ How fortunate I feel ,” Tom said , “ to be still standing . Our standard has now become old-school charm . This is what we do . Dan and I have been trained to be grocers all our lives .”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN WINTER 2021 gmhtoday . com
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