You may not think of your neighborhood natural grocer as a source for great gifts, but we are! Aside from great food, we have kitchen tools and housewares, reusables, candles, mittens, undies even, beauty products, and much more. You really could find something for almost anyone on your list. This is the time of year when many of us put a little extra thought into what we give each other. We want to give gifts that are wanted, needed, that convey our values, and that show we care. It can be hard to find the time and resources to capture all of that. It’s helpful to shop places where you know ..read more

A whole lot of thought, care, and labor goes into what we bring to the store so that what you bring to the Thanksgiving table is the best and most complete it can be. But with all the options, dietary needs, people’s tastes, and everything else going on –– it can be a lot. So we put together a list of over 60 curated picks to make the most out of your holiday. From plant-based mains, to gluten-free options, to picks for the pets, yums for the little ones, and even prep and decor too. If getting hints on options like Gardein Plant-Based Turk’y Roast, Imagine Organic Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy, O ..read more

We super stoked to introduce you to our newest farm-direct, certified organic, and hyper-local produce offering; Castro Valley’s own Stonybrook Canyon Farm. Located just over 10 miles from the store on Palomares Rd., their current and newish farm sits on land that once belonged to the Riehle family who grew Pippin apples along the creek in the early 1900s, and later the Manter family who grew Royal Ann cherries there. The last farm at the site closed up in the 70s, and the land laid dormant for nearly 50 years. The partners behind the farm had been growing and selling produce to top restauran ..read more

Dine for Ukraine with Chef Igor a Huge Success On Sunday, May 1st 2022 we were honored to co-host Castro Valley Chef, Igor Breyman for the inaugural Dine for Ukraine CV event. Chef Igor is a resident culinary professional with extensive experience as an instructor, chef, and caterer. He and his sister, Helen Nesteruk, were born in Odessa, Ukraine. They emigrated to the US with their family, and grew up in Castro Valley, but retain deep ties to family and friends in their homeland. As the world watches in horror at the atrocities and humanitarian crisis caused by the Russ ..read more

SB 1383 – California’s Organic Waste Reduction Law This New Year, let’s resolve to live lighter and make less waste. A new California ordinance called SB 1383 is ready to help. Beginning January 2022, businesses, institutions, multi-unit households, and everyday Californians will be expected to properly sort all the waste used and thrown away, to ensure that all recyclable and compostable materials go in the right bin, and as little goes to the landfill as possible. Businesses will also need to make sure all the waste receptacle are properly labeled and color coded; that there’s recycle and ..read more

This is a time of consumption. It’s also a time of massive waste. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans will throw away about 25 millions tons of garbage, about 25% more than any other time of the year. [source] Nothing holly or jolly about that. While we’d be naive to think we can eliminate all that excess waste that comes with the holidays, we can do little things that will go a long way. It doesn’t take much; a little creativity, planning, and maybe a little mindshift. But really, it’s easy, less stressful, and will likely save you some money too. We put together some tips on ho ..read more

how to have a top-notch thanksgiving & save some dough Nearly every part of this year’s Thanksgiving celebration is expected to cost more. While we got a break from breaking the wallet last year; this year’s holiday is seeing labor shortages, transportation costs way up, a gummed up supply chain, severe weather impacts due to climate change, increased demand, and inflation all conflating to crimp your cash. We’ve put together several ideas to consider this year to take some of the pain out of the price tag. They’re great for holiday planning, but really good for the rest of the year too ..read more

#CALL4CLIMATENOW: JOIN BUSINESSES & CUSTOMERS CAMPAIGNING FOR CLIMATE ACTION!  Right now in Washington, our legislatures are busy debating the most important climate legislation in a generation.  The Bipartisan Infrastructure Infrastructure package and the accompanying Build Back Better Act are a major opportunity to provide critical funding to the broad array of interconnecting issues we’re facing nationwide; including education, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment, with the climate crisis change taking central role through all of it. Like us, man ..read more

OCTOBER IS FAIR TRADE MONTH. WHY IS FAIR TRADE IMPORTANT? Everything that is produced has an impact on the land and the people that depend on it. Producers feel the direct effect the most, and Fair Trade principles are there to make sure that traditionally impoverished and exploited people are not treated poorly. Fair Trade puts people before profit; it provides a living wage, promotes environmental responsibility to ensure health of families and the land, and keeps children out of production and in school. It provides the producers a better way of life. how does fair trade benefit the ..read more