Photos by Zandria Oliver

Nicole and Corey Clanahan opened Rural Refillery in Pine Plains last March. The husband and wife are passionate about offering the community ways to offset our environmental impact. They don’t believe we need to sacrifice convenience in order to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The Clanahans love showing their customers ways they can make small changes that will make a big difference over time. As their website says, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” We ask Nicole a few questions about some of the food related items they carry at Rural Refillery. 

What food items are smart to buy in bulk and why?

Items that have a long shelf life are best, which enables us to buy larger quantities with less packaging. Obviously delicious products sell faster—so we specialize in things people love and come back for time and time again—such as honey sriracha cashews, cinnamon maple nut granola, delicious dried organic mango, chocolate peanut butter cookie dough balls, and of course, coffee.

What best selling food products do your customers love?

People go crazy over our dried mango. It’s got a great texture and being unsweetened, it’s truly a snack you can feel great about. Our coffee always does well. It’s roasted fresh weekly from local roasters. We carry blends from a light breakfast house blend to a really rich and delicious Italian blend. The specialty organic nuts do well. And, not surprisingly, our mix and match candy—we have more than 24 varieties—is a crowd pleaser also.

Should clients bring in their own reusable containers? What do you provide?

We love when people bring in containers or jars from home. As long as it’s empty and clean, bring it on in! We also always have recycled paper bags on hand. 

What are some of the more popular winter food items you sell?

We’re seeing a lot of maple syrup and honey sales. We use a local family for these products, so you know your goods are coming from a place close to home. Nothing is better than Hudson Valley maple syrup! We also have amazing soup mixes—wild rice, 32 bean, veggie, and more. All you need to add is broth, it makes a super cozy and hearty meal.

What do you love about owning the Refillery?

We love getting to know our community and seeing an increasing number of familiar faces coming in weekly. It feels great to provide our neighbors with wholesome and unique options that they can feel good about.—ruralcenterrefillery.com