Tacoma Food Co-op is ready for big debut

It’s been years in the making, but the Tacoma Food Co-op is finally open and quickly filling its shelves with food and other products. On Saturday, it celebrates with its official grand opening.

The urban natural foods grocery opened its doors Aug. 26, fulfilling a years-long push by organizers to provide Pierce County with a member-owned, volunteer-staffed grocery stocked with healthful food choices.

The Co-op has a five-year lease in its 3,200-square-foot store that formerly housed the Neighborhood Market, said general manager Henri Parren. Inventory from that former market will fill one aisle until it sells out.

The Co-op’s website addresses boycotts, packaging and healthy food options. But what, exactly, is “healthy food?” For some, it’s organic. For others, it can mean unprocessed food or food without additives. For others, it follows dietary guidelines on fat, fiber and carbohydrate consumption. Or it can mean something else entirely.

Perren defines “healthy” as food without preservatives, GMOs, pesticides or high fructose corn syrup. But, he says, “healthy” is generally in the eye of the beholder.

“The whole personality of the store is the personality of the owner-members,” Perren said. The store will be very responsive to input – he’s purposely left some bare shelf space so members and other customers can suggest additional products to carry. However, all products must meet one or more of three criteria: organic/natural, local or sustainable.

All of the store’s produce is certified organic and much of it is local, mostly supplied by Tahoma Farms in Puyallup. A dairy section features Grade A raw cow’s milk ($5.99 per half gallon) from Blackjack Valley Farms in Port Orchard. Unpasteurized raw milk is illegal in some states, but legally sold in Washington.

While tea and coffee are clearly not grown in Washington, the Co-op sells from Tacoma tea supplier Mad Hat and coffee roasters Bluebeard and Valhalla ($14 to $18 per pound either whole or do-it-yourself ground). Honey comes from Heavenly Honey Farm in Puyallup, and Rainier’s Main Street Cookie Company has a display in the store.

Last week, a bulk spice-and-herb section was being installed and a fresh juice display from Columbia Gorge Organic was being stocked.

The former market’s beer and alcohol section will be slightly reduced and focused more on microbrews and wines that are organic or biodynamic, Perren said. But, in a nod to nearby University of Puget Sound students, cheap beer won’t be going away entirely. “We definitely try to target the students,” he said.

Alternatives are a big commodity at the Co-op: The bulk food section and products from Bob’s Red Mill in Portland offer non-wheat grains. The store also features a gluten-free section. And three different brands of kombucha, a popular fermented tea, are offered.

The Co-op is not the first natural foods grocery in Tacoma. Marlene’s Market and Deli, with stores in Federal Way and Tacoma, has been in business since 1976. And grocery stores of size (and farmers markets) offer organic produce and have natural food sections. But those are privately owned. The Co-op is owned by its members and staffed largely by volunteers.

“They have just rolled up their sleeves. They are dedicated,” Perren said of the volunteers.

Shoppers don’t need to be members, he added, but members will get occasional discounts.

Perren said future plans call for deli sandwiches and more bulk foods – already a hit with customers. “It’s interesting to observe people jumping up and down in front of the bulk food section,” he said.

Craig Sailor: 253-597-8541

craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com