Food Port International Market on Iyannough Road (Tom Kapple)
By Tom Kapple
Food Port International Market, an Eastern European specialty store, has served Hyannis for more than a decade. In February 2025, the shop moved from Main Street to a new location on Iyannough Road, about 10 minutes from campus.
The market carries snacks, desserts, cold cuts, cheeses, frozen meals, canned goods, sauces and staples from Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the Balkans. Prices can be hard to compare, since many products aren’t available elsewhere locally. Some have American counterparts: a two-pound bag of pierogi sells for $12.99, close to the price of a five-pound bag of Mrs. T’s at Sam’s Club. A 1.25-pound package of Tandem European frankfurters is $11.99, while three pounds of Kayem jumbo hot dogs cost $14.64 at Walmart.
Sweets are generally a better value. Milka chocolate bars, the market’s most prominent candy, cost $2.50 each. By weight, that’s cheaper than a standard Hershey’s bar, which costs $1.82 but weighs less than half as much. Many Europeans consider Milka higher quality, citing a lack of the tangy flavor common in American chocolate. That sourness is linked to butyric acid from U.S. milk-processing methods, absent in European production.
Despite its nondescript storefront, limited web presence, and niche selection, the shop has remained in business for years. A likely reason: support from seasonal Eastern European workers who come to Cape Cod through the State Department’s J-1 program. A 2022 Provincetown Independent article, “Bulgarians Miss Their Cheese,” noted that most seasonal workers on the Outer Cape are Eastern European, particularly Bulgarian.
Whether you want authentic ingredients, affordable chocolate or simply something new, Food Port International Market offers a unique option. For shoppers mainly hoping to avoid additives in American food, kosher selections at regular grocery stores may be more budget-friendly.
Food Port International Market is at 244 Iyannough Road, Hyannis. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
