Bringing ‘Fresh’ brand to Baldwin

Baldwin’s newest supermarket, which is on track to open before summer, now has a name: Gala Fresh Farms.

Frank Jorge, a representative of Compare Foods Supermarkets, which is launching the Gala Fresh Farms brand locally, said that opening a new store would give his company a chance to bring a fresh idea to Baldwin and the surrounding communities.

A lease was finalized in November between Compare and Pergament Properties, which oversees the property, to bring a supermarket to the site of the former Big-N-Cheap on Grand Avenue, just south of Merrick Road.

Jorge said that Compare inquired about the site soon after Big-N-Cheap, an all-in-one store, closed its doors, likening the new venture to one his family undertook about 25 years ago, when it launched Compare in Freeport. He said that Freeport was once underserved by supermarkets, and now residents have grocery stores they deserve.

“We feel Baldwin is in the same situation,” Jorge said, “where the community is not receiving the best possible service, the highest-quality goods or the optimal commitment from its food retailers, and we plan on changing that with the first Gala Fresh Farms.”

According to Jorge, the supermarket will have a little bit of everything, including a bakery, organic and non-organic produce, custom-cut meats and fresh seafood.

Construction has yet to begin, but work should get under way soon, he said, adding, “We feel we are still on track to open before the summer.”

Debbie Pugliese, of the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, said that Jorge joined the chamber soon after announcing the construction of the supermarket, and the two parties have been in close contact in recent months. “We are thrilled that we will have a wonderful new supermarket in town,” she said.