Fresh and unique offerings are always offered at the Hog and the Hen
Story By: Alexis Dudley, HomeTown Highlights Editor
Photos By: Emme Rezoski and Courtney Havel
Looking for a one stop shop for a quick bite to eat with good quality products? The Hog and the Hen, located Downtown, thrives to make peoples day when they walk through the front door of the store. Cooper, who co-owns the store with his wife, thrives to keep their vison alive.
The Hog and The Hen is home to unique sandwich offerings as well as candy, liquor, and international food. Cooper has owned and operated the shop since 2019 but his story is uqnique none the less.
Coopers story didn’t begin in 2019 but it was around 2018 where it began. His family owned a candy store that was started in 2012 and two doors down from the current location. They needed more space for their candy store and Cooper and his wife, who lived and worked in Denver at the time, came down to help them move to a larger space.
Once Cooper and his wife helped them move into the larger space, they were sitting on the ledge looking into the new building until she brought up the empty store that was once the old store.
“So we were planning on going back to our normal lives. But she planted the seed with us that the space was vacant. And if we wanted to do something, we could come up with an idea. So we went back to work in Denver and started thinking about it” Cooper explained.
With going back to Denver, Cooper and his wife thought about what store they would like to fill the empty space with. With the times that they visited and helping around the candy store, they wanted a wrap that was convenient.
“Not a convenience store like a 7-Eleven or something, but something that was easy and good and you could just get the things to get you through the day.” Cooper said
They started brainstorming on what that would be, a place that offered easy and got you through the day. They also ended up making a mission statement, to make peoples day better. Lunches that wouldn’t take 20-25 minutes to make but was good food was something Cooper wanted to focus on. They settled on sandwiches due to the fact that it was something that could be easily made.
With already having a place with meats and cheeses for the sandwich, Cooper also decided to go with a meat and cheese shop as well, a deli. They became a deli that would make both sandwiches and charcuterie boards. With a place that specialized in specialty meats, cheeses, and charcuterie boards, they decided to be a place that sold speciality items that you wouldn’t find in a super market. With a place where people could not only have a quick lunch but spice up their cooking, he was building a place he could be proud of and people can come back too.
“And then convenience items, so quick drinks, quick chips and snacks. And it’s interesting, as much as we really try to aim to have premium quality ingredients, chips and drinks are what people come in here most for.” Cooper explained as to why some people keep coming back.
When COVID hit the country and places started to close, The Hog and The Hen was able to stay open due to the fact they were a registered grocery store with a deli. With the staff staying home during the pandemic, Cooper and his wife ran the store during it.
With COVID slowing down, Coopers parents were looking to retire and at the same time to grow and expand his business. He decided to combine The Hog and The Hen with his family’s candy store into one place which ended up being the current location. When expanding, Cooper decided to add a liquor store to the space.
With the seasons constantly changing, so does the variety of products offered. Not only does their products change but each product adds something unique to it. Cooper’s goal was to make each menu item playful and fun with each sandwich being distinct and unique from each other. Not only that but texture was a key component for him.
“We’re always going to have some layer of the sandwiches that’s going to have some kind of textural component to it to give it a little bit of a crunch or some kind of bite that kind of makes it more fun to eat.” Cooper explained
Cooper also wanted something for everyone including people with dietary restrictions. He wanted to be mindful of those restrictions so that anything on the menu can be made differently to those preferences. Not only that but Cooper and his crew try to make the sandwiches of items of products someone could buy in store.
Locally sourced product is something Cooper is really into. If it is locally sourced and good then they will try to carry it. Most of the items found in The Hog and The Hen are locally sourced, even the truffles found in the display case at the front of the store are locally made.
“If it’s something that we think is quality coming from either this town or this valley or this state or this region, I mean, our region kind of extends into Utah as well. We’re pretty close to the Utah area. So if it’s coming from anything close, we always consider that to be a bonus.” Cooper said in response about bringing in local goods. From local to more specialty items, Cooper enjoys looking through different suppliers to bring something new and unique to the store.
Coming into the store and having a good item is something Cooper hopes everyone who walks in is doing. Coming into a candy store one can never be upset but only to have a good time and happiness. Cooper and The Hog and the Hen have made a home downtown and hope to have made an impact on the community and in the valley. Teaching people about new foods or helping people find something in the store is something Cooper hopes makes someone’s day better.
The Hog and The Hen is located in downtown at 510 Main St, Grand Junction, CO 81501 and is open from 10am to 6pm from Monday thru Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
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