Tuesday, December 18, 2007

New organic, natural foods store coming

Earth Fare Market and Cafe is bringing its organic and natural foods, and sustainably-produced products to Auburn.

December 6, 2007

If you have been hankering for a slab of cheese that’s been aged in a cave in Switzerland for at least 10 years - your wait is almost over.

Earth Fare Market and Cafe is bringing its organic and natural foods, and sustainably-produced products to Auburn. The Asheville, N.C.-based company is slated to open a new store in September 2008 at the former Food World location on Opelika Road.

“A lot of times we do look for old, empty supermarkets,” Earth Fare Director of Sales and Marketing Troy DeGroff said, noting that the cost to retrofit older stores can be as expensive as building from scratch. “There is something about going into an old supermarket - and recycling that supermarket - that’s in line with our company mission.

“Our whole business is based on sustainability,” he said.
Earth Fare promotes fair trade, sustainability and environmental responsibility through the products it sells in its stores that include: organic produce, gourmet foods, meat and poultry with no antibiotics or growth hormones, natural supplements and organic dairy products.

The Auburn store will feature a full-service meat counter, deli and cafe that will include a coffee bar, bakery, sushi bar, Indian hot bar, olive bar and a brick-fired pizza oven. The store will stock hundreds of internationally made products such as artisan cheeses - including a cheese aged inside a cave in Switzerland for a decade or more - chocolates and wines.

Earth Fare does not sell any product that contains artificial colors, artificial ingredients or added trans fats.

“You don’t need all that to have good-tasting food,” DeGroff said.

Food items containing partially hydrogenated oils were banned by the grocery store chain in 1993 and those with high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient were banned in 2004, he said.
Earth Fare will offer a variety of departments and services, including nutrition and body care, catering, seafood, coffee and bulk foods.

The natural and organic grocery store is expected to hire more than 100 people, which DeGroff says will include everything from cashiers and stockers to a cheese specialist and a wine specialist.