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Hi, Kevin Coupe here and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.

The other day I found myself in Florida with Mrs. Content Guy, and since a rainy afternoon sort of precluded any outdoor activities, we decided with friends to do a brewpub tour.  A good time was had by all, but one of the visits actually surprised me - after 40 years together, I learned something I didn't know about my wife.

We were at a brewpub called the Odd Breed, in Pompano Beach, which we discovered specializes in sour beers and ales.  Now, I'm not the biggest fan of these kinds of beers, so I went with the least sour beer on the menu.  But Mrs. Content Guy had something called Diner Food, which was a farmhouse ale with strawberries.  It was incredibly sour - and she loved it.  She said it was like drinking candy.

I din't know she liked sour ales.  She didn't know she liked sour ales.  But the experience of trying something new and different had the effect of expanding her palate … and potentially creating new and incremental sales.

That's a great business lesson, I think, about the power of sampling and exposing people to foods that can challenge their taste buds, enlarge their universes, and build fresh sales opportunities.  It is the kind of thing for which bricks-and-mortar food retailing is uniquely positioned, and that retailers should do constantly and aggressively, not just waiting for a promotional fee that will pay for it.

After all, it is just the kind of thing that can create a differential advantage, and maybe even keep you in business.

That's what is on my mind this morning and, as always, I want to hear what is on your mind.