As I've mentioned before, I love grocery stores. I love wandering around looking at all the products. Every time I visit a new city I always check out the local supermarket. You can tell alot about an area by what you find in the store.
A few weeks ago I was offered a private tour of the new Earth Fare before it opened. Of course I jumped at the chance. Earth Fare is a great store. Their vision is to be "the most trusted organic and natural food market in the country - a place where healthy decisions are easy, people have confidence in the food they buy and everyone feels welcome." I love that vision!
At Earth Fare they have a few rules. No, not your typical "No shirt, no shoes, no service" type rules. They have food rules.
All of the food that you find at Earth Fare never contains:
- Antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones
- Artificial fats or trans-fats
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Artificial sweeteners
- Artificial preservatives
- Bleached or bromated flour
- Artificial colors or flavors
Let me take you on a little tour of the store.
Gorgeous fresh vegetables and fruits. Everything is seasonal and as they become available you will be able to find locally grown fruits and veggies. {Local is considered within 100 miles of Jacksonville.}
They have an amazing bulk section. Granola, seeds, nuts, oatmeal, grind your own peanut butter and even syrup, honey and agave dispensers. If you'd like to bring in your own container to fill up you can do that. I'm definitely going back to fill up on oatmeal.
{Across from the bulk section was the peanut butter aisle. They must have had 10 different types of peanut butter and it was driving me crazy! 75 days until I have my pick of peanut butters!}
Sunny didn't have school the day of our tour and she was really excited when she got to try some of the bulk candy. All the candy has no artificial dyes. She tried all natural candy coated chocolate candies and some gummy candies. The chocolate candy is dyed using fruits and vegetables.
I thought it was awesome that if you want to try something before you buy it, ask an associate. They will open a package for you and try it with you. If you decide to buy it they'll give you a fresh pack.
Beyond the bulk section is the health and wellness department. They have everything you could imagine. The employees are very knowledgeable. If you have any issue, or ailment talk to them. They can probably find something to help you. They also have a big section of baby things. Lotions, soaps, creams, baby food, wipes, etc. My favorite was the bulk bath salts. My muscles need the muscle soak! They had 6 or 7 different types to choose from. Muscle soaks, relaxing soaks, and they all smelled amazing.
Most of us don't put much thought into what type of makeup we buy. Did you know that most makeup contains gluten and/or animal products? Vegans and people with a gluten intolerance or Celiac don't have the luxury of buying makeup from any CVS or Walmart. Earth Fare carries a full line of Vegan, cruelty-free makeup and also a line of gluten free makeup.
The Meat & Seafood Department was huge! The prices weren't bad either. I know that some specialty stores have horribly expensive meat and seafood. These prices seemed about as low as Publix.
The freezer section was huge. It carried all the standard type items; ice cream, veggies, pizza, etc. I was excited because they carry unique vegetable blends {green beans and broccoli get boring, right?}, frozen roasted sweet potatoes, and frozen quinoa. They also carry a huge variety of veggie burgers, many that don't contain soy.
I thought this was awesome. A scoop your own ravioli bar. This is only available at Earth Fare! This house LOVES ravioli
Bulk, grind your own coffee.
They also have an olive bar, a full bakery, huge gourmet cheese department, sushi counter, a salad bar, and a hot foods bar. I cannot wait to go back for dinner!
They have great deals going on in the prepared food section.
Tuesday -- Real Meals
Every Tuesday in the prepared food section they have great home-cooked meals. According to the website right now it's pot roast, carrots and potatoes.
Wednesday -- $5 Sushi
On Wednesdays the sushi is only 5 bucks! You can't even get gas station sushi for that price! They have a wide variety of sushi. They also have vegan and gluten-free sushi. All hand-made, fresh, in the store.
Thursday -- Family Dinner Night
Family Dinner Night is a great thing! Every Thursday from 4:00-8:00 pm you can get up to 6 kids meals free with the purchase of 1 adult meal ($5 minimum purchase). They have great bikini approved options for mom (and dad) and healthy options for the kids
You need to get down to Earth Fare! It's located at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. on the corner of Atlantic and Kernan, next to Academy Sports & Outdoors. Not in the Jacksonville area? That's okay! Earth Fare has over 30 locations in 9 states. Click HERE to find one near you!
Want to win a $50 gift card to try some of the great things Earth Fare offers? I'm giving away a $50 gift card to 1 lucky person!
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