White Plains Store Specializes In Selling Exotic Flavors Of Familiar Snacks
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Westchester man turned his taste for travel and appetite for the unusual into a growing business.
His store offers exotic examples of familiar products, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported Friday.
There are green matcha ice cream Oreos from China and Skittles imported from Russia, too, at the newly-opened 914 Exotics in White Plains.
"Right here is the cookie section. M&M biscuits from Australia, Hershey's from Korea, Cadburys from the U.K," owner Philip Quiroz said while giving Aiello a tour.
You can experience tasty treats from dozens of countries, no passport required.
"Some people never been out of the country. So, to even see products like this, it's like, 'Wow,'" said Wade Barnes from White Plains.
Quiroz got hooked on exotic snacks and sodas during extensive travels, which he documented on Instagram.
Followers asked him for samples and the business was born, with one store upstate and another now in Westchester County.
"We have a bubblegum Fanta from Egypt. So, a bunch of flavors that really stick out to people, and they're intrigued by it. So we just try to provide a nice variety for them," Quiroz said.
You could do a sophisticated tasting menu just from the store's selection of Pringles. Maybe start with Black Pepper Crab, follow up with Bolognese Spaghetti and finish with Sweet Butter Caramel - all flavors from Korea.
Shipments from around the world have been a challenge though.
"With the pandemic going on, the delays get affected sometimes in each country, because they have different rules. That's one of our challenges that we've been facing," Quiroz said.
The shelves are constantly stocked with increasingly exotic things to snack and sip on.
It sure looks like there's a healthy appetite for wild flavors from around the world.