WASHINGTON — So much for the gravy train — New York’s congressional delegation is hopping aboard the yogurt express.
Chobani yogurt, which is based in the upstate town of Norwich, has planted branded refrigerators filled with its Greek yogurt in the DC offices of New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Richard Hanna.
Visitors who enjoy politics served up with a side of yogurt can also find Chobani in the offices of three legislators from Idaho, where the company has expanded.
Visit the House and Senate office buildings and you can get a real taste of America.
The foods that members of the House and Senate provide their guests range from Little Debbie snacks (Arkansas) to Coke (Georgia) to Corn Flakes (Michigan).
Schumer and his colleagues display the foodstuffs to promote their constituents’ products.
The companies that make them are happy to provide an unlimited free supply.
Chobani is a “delicious and healthy snack that serves as a little taste of home for New Yorkers who visit,” Schumer gushed.
For Chobani, it’s instant branding to get its yogurts into the bellies of the nation’s power brokers — not to mention locking down a future customer base of young congressional staffers.
“It goes pretty quickly around here,” said Suzanne Wrasse, spokeswoman for Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who also offers Chobani.
The company realizes that it takes more than mere yogurt to make friends in Washington.
It recently beefed up its lobbying operation and spends $160,000 a year to promote legislation it finds to its taste.
Chobani is now included in a federally funded school-lunch pilot program.
It also racked up $18 million in tax credits when it expanded its upstate plant under a program designed to help poor communities.
Schumer even tried to pull diplomatic strings in an unsuccessful effort to send 5,000 servings of the stuff to Russia for the US team competing in the Winter Olympics.