Today, I was given a special sneak peek tour of the new Earth Fare opening in the former Scott’s location on Dupont Road. When I walked through the front door, workers were bustling around applying the last few coats of paint and employees were stocking shelves in preparation for the ribbon cutting tomorrow morning at 7:45 and official open at 8.
Before I dive in with my review, here’s some background. Earth Fare was founded in 1975 in Asheville, NC, as a small grocery and cafe focused on local organic foods. The demand for groceries escalated quickly, so the little shop expanded. Today, Earth Fare has 32 locations, mostly in the southeast region of our country, but it is slowly expanding to the midwest, with several locations near Indianapolis and the new location opening tomorrow in Fort Wayne.
What interests me most about the grocery chain is its philosophy. You will not find food on its shelves that contain any of the following:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Artificial fats or trans fats
- Artificial colors
- Artificial flavors
- Artificial preservatives
- Artificial sweeteners
- Antibiotics or growth hormones
- Bleached or bromated flour
So, my first impression? The place is beautiful. Fresh organic produce is the first thing to greet customers as they enter the store and a local section is prominently displayed right around the corner where I spied Best Boy & Co. dessert and savory sauces. Earth Fare defines local as within 100 miles, and I know from personal experience that they take helping local food producers very seriously, which is a HUGE plus.
Next up was an expansive bulk foods section that includes organic honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar, as well as beans, lentils, nuts, quinoa, and fresh ground peanut and almond butter. Something to note here: if you need to buy in bulk, Earth Fare will give you 10% off your purchase for buying the entire container. Keep this in mind for holiday cookie baking marathons! Next to the bulk foods section is a row of shelves my tour guide identified as “hard to find items,” many of which I had never heard of like light muscovado sugar and pumpkin seed oil.
The Health and Wellness section in the back of the store contains cruelty free/vegan cosmetics, toiletry products, essential oils, probiotics, supplements, and more. I could spend a lot of time (and money) in that area if I am not careful. After that, we strolled by the meat counter. Hello gorgeous! All meat sold is free of antibiotics, added hormones, and artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, and it is humanely raised and vegetarian fed. The seafood carries a similar promise: it is sustainably managed, responsibly raised, and hormone and antibiotic free.
As we made our way to the dry goods and freezer sections, my tour guide informed me that the Earth Fare brand is 75% organic and less expensive than comparable organic brands. Also interesting to note: gluten free items are clearly marked and stand out on wooden shelves for easy identification.
Perhaps the most impressive section of the store is the cheese and cured meats section. Of course, I am a sucker for both, but I was incredibly impressed with the quality and selection of the meats and cheeses, and I cannot wait to go back to pick some up. There’s also an immense deli, hot bar, and salad bar, as well as a “fast food section” with take-and-bake pizza, egg rolls, and other yummies. In this section resides a deli counter with loads of sandwich options, smoothies and natural juices. My tour guide said they will also have fresh made sushi.
While I am a big proponent of shopping local, I am glad Fort Wayne has another healthful food option for those who can’t make it to our locally owned stores. Plus, Earth Fare’s commitment to its philosophy outlined above is exciting. In fact, it is so committed to healthy eating, on Thursday evenings between 4 and 6PM, for every $5 you spend as an adult, up to 6 of your kids can eat for free.
Of course, there’s more, but this is a blog post after all and really, you came here for the $50 gift card, right? Okay, here’s where I tell you that Earth Fare did provide me with a $50 gift card for myself and one to give away in exchange for writing this blog. They did not however, tell me I had to give a glowing review. I did that of my own accord.
So how can you win?
1- Share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter
AND
2- Leave a comment below with why healthy eating is important to you.
A winner will be drawn at random on Friday morning.
A Ginger in the Kitchen 
Eating healthy is important to me because if it’s healthy for me it’s healthy for the environment. It’s also important to me because I want to set a good example for my kids as they grow up. I’m so excited for this place to open!
I’m from Sweden. In Europe, high fructose corn syrup and many other harmful ingredients have been banned for years. This store’s philosophy is inspiring and a step in the right direction. Every business should take more corporate social responsibility. It is the only sustainable option.
Eating healthy is important to me because you only have one body and you need to protect it. ( I want to be around for my kids.)
This is so exciting! And one of the things that appeals to me is that it sounds like you can count on everything in the store to be healthy, so that makes it easy for the consumer. It can be so complicated – if they take the work out of it for me and I know I can’t go wrong with their ingredients, that pleases me.
Why do I eat healthy? Well, there’s the long sort of “because its good for you,” which is totally valid. But my reason for eating healthy is a little more transparent: it tastes better. Have you TRIED local produce? So good.
Make a burger from ingredients you get from this store tomorrow. No fast food burger could compare.
Eating healthy is important to me because I want me and my family to eat “real food” free from chemicals.
Eating healthy is important to me for several reasons. Switching my diet from fast foods to raw and non artificial foods along with a healthy dose of exercise helped me lose 45 lbs. Eating healthy is vital to me making being able to enjoy life to the fullest.
Congrats Josh! You won 🙂
I need to eat better for my own health and the health of my children. I want to teach them healthy eating habits that they can take with them into adulthood – and can teach their own kids.
For me, healthy eating is all about fueling my body for its best performance and output!
Eating healthy to me is important because I just losty mother in July 2013, she was 63. I do not want to follow in her footsteps and I have had metabolic syndrome for about 7 years now and do not want to leave my kids at such a young age. I vowed to eat healthier and want to teach my children the same habits so they don’t inherit the same condition.
Thank you for this wonderful blog! I can’t wait to shop at this amazing store!!
Sincerely,
Gina Grindle
Eating healthy is important to me because I was blessed with my first 2 grandbabies in January. I want to be around to see them grow up, teach them to love healthy food and to be able to keep up with them.
I eat healthy because this beach body doesn’t maintain itself! Nice post amber, looking forward to giving them a whirl.
Best Boy & Co. Is proud to be associated with Earth Fare at their Indianapolis and new Fort Wayne stores.
To me eating healthy is eating real food. I’m happy we have a new way to make that happen in our homes!
Eating healthy for me was born out of necessity, as I was having issues with gluten. Now that I am gluten free and eating healthy, and mostly locally at every meal, I find myself feeling better than ever before. I am very excited to have another great option like earth fare in our city!
Healthy eating =good health and a longer life. It is also good for the environment.
I love Veggies! And I live next door to Earth Fare 😉
I appreciate the good selection of vegetarian/vegan food and cruelty-free products, all clearly labelled. Eating healthy is not only important to me and my family for our own health, but also for the animals.
It’s all about the local! Healthy eating ON TOP of eating local is the best of both worlds. Even some organic food in the grocery store is not all that healthy for you. Fruits and veggies are picked WAY too early, before they are ripened, in order to be shipped to grocery stores across the country/world. This produce loses its nutritional value along the way. Not to mention, transportation of all of this produce is contributing to pollution. If we each chose to eat locally, we would support our local economy, support local growers, cut down on emissions made by big transportation trucks, and we would all be eating EVEN HEALTHIER!! I love, love, love the idea of Earth Fare!
We are trying to improve our eating habits for our children! It’s very important to us that they eat healthy, less processed foods.
Healthy eating isnt just important for me, it is important for me to teach my daughter! In a world where fast food is fast, easy, and convenient it is harder to convince children that eating healthy is what we should do. Instilling good eating habits now while she is young will hopefully influence her later in life!
I never cared much about eating healthy until recently. But now, with 3 almost teenagers (one a fairly picky eater), a newborn, a wife who needs to be careful about what she eats, and a rapidly expanding waistline; being aware of what food we have in the house is becoming much more important. Can’t wait to get up there and check it out. And that cheese counter! I love cheese!
Thanks for the info on the new store – we’ll definitely stop there soon. Healthy eating is important for my family because our bodies weren’t made to filter out so many chemicals and unless we eat right, we feel like doo doo.
Thanks for the info on the new store. My family eats healthy because our bodies weren’t designed to filter out all these chemicals and unless we eat right we feel like doo doo.
Healthy eating is important to me, because the right foods give the right kind of energy to get me through the day. I teach yoga and provide massage therapy, and even though it can be very challenging to eat healthfully, I feel I should be leading by example versus coming in to care for others completely dragging, because I didn’t eat the right food or not eat at all. It’s a work in progress, but being mindful is the first step!
Eating healthy is important to me b/c I have 3little guys who need me to lead by example! It’s great for put bodies physically and our emotional person. It really can improve the way we live. Ty
Love healthy eating! Makes me feel so much better!
I’m really just getting started. Although my diet has changed, I am looking to eat cleaner. My primary reasons – my body, my family and establishing a legacy (of clean eating) for my children (although they are now young adults).
Great review!!! I think this gives people an overall view of what they can expect and why this store is SUCH a big deal to our city! Thanks for sharing!
Eating healthy is important to me because I have a family. I want us all to be around as long as possible!
Eating healthy to me is important because I care about my body as well as the earth. I am vegan and GMO free and organic for the most part, thank you for this review It was incredibly informative and well written! =]
Eating healthy is important to me because I care about my health as well as the environment! sustainability is vital to our survival as a species and our diets and way of producing food is key. thank you for the informative and well written article! =]
This makes me so excited to check it out during lunch today!!!!
Its just the right way to try to be healthy and Earth Fare will make it much easier.
I view eating healthy as an investment in having a longer life. The time I take now to focus on picking the right food may translate to how long and healthily I will live. Earth Fare is going to help so many people because it takes the work out of eating healthy. At most stores, you have to read ingredient labels to make sure you know what you’re purchasing. It’s nice to know that stores will hold themselves to a higher standard to ensure the health of their customers.
Being allergic to msg makes eating out and grocery shopping a major chore. It sounds like this place could be a Godsend for me!!
Eating healthy is important to me because I look and feel better when I do. I also have 3 kids and want to be there for them and that means I must take care of me.
Healthy Eating=Best Health. Also *love* the fact that items are local AND cruelty-free.
Eating healthy is a must since I’m pregnant and want my baby to get all the nutrients she needs !
Eating healthy is important to me because I want to be healthy, period. It’s frustrating to me that everything in the world around us has toxins, pesticides and chemicals – From food, cleaning products, cosmetics, to lotions… It’s crazy. I’ve always strived to buy organic because who wants to put pesticides and growth hormones in the only body you have? Not to mention, your children! I would much rather support local farms that are striving to provide us with healthy alternatives than big cooperate chains only focused on the bottom dollar.
Finding out I have allergies, thyroid, adrenal and candida issues has made eating healthy a TOP priority…… Even more than before.
I like to eat healthy for weight maintenance and keep toxins on the minimal.
How exciting is this for Fort Wayne?! Can’t wait to check it out
Healthy eating is important to me because I’ve been in a place where I was so sick that my body didn’t want to function properly anymore until I improved my diet and lifestyle!
I can’t imagine how or why healthy eating would not be important to someone, why someone wouldn’t want to take care of themselves. It just makes sense that you’d want to put the best possible fuel you can find and afford into your body and you’d want to do the same for your kiddos too.
Eating healthy is important to me because I want to feel good. I want my husband and my son to feel good. I don’t want us to suffer with health problems that our family members have had to suffer with. I want us to be healthy, energized, and ready to learn and enjoy life together.
Eating healthy is important to me because I want to do what is best for my body and my family.
I’m excited to see a store that doesn’t even stock HFCS, or foods containing artificial ingredients of any kind. My kids are very sensitive to a lot of the artificial colors, and I really don’t like all the HCFS.
I eat healthy so that in 40 years I still feel good and am the grandma that can actively be a part of my grandkids and great-grandkids lives!
I am truly looking forward to my first visit to Earth Fare later this week. I began the journey to healthier eating for our family six years ago. It amazed me then, and still does today, how much junk is in our food. Most of us don’t even realize it! Our youngest, age 2, is allergic to wheat. This has added a whole new level of obstacles when shopping for our family. What a gift Earth Fare is for our community!
Ever since my kids were little I have been wanting to provide healthier meals for them —when my daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer, it became even more urgent to me. Looking forward to shopping at the new store!
Eating healthy is important to me because I want to know that what I’m fueling my body with is safe, nutritionally sound, and is responsibly harvested. Not only does this benefit MY body and mind, but also the rest of the world.
With my kids (and so many of their friends) becoming increasingly allergic to food on the shelves of other grocery stores, I’m thrilled to have an option to shop where REAL FOOD (not just chemicals dressed like food) is the standard.
I want to set a great example for my children so they can lead a long happy healthy lifestyle.