FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)– Shoppers in Fayetteville will have two more locations to shop local and organic in the coming months.
Right now, the only grocery store that sells exclusively local and organic products is Ozark Natural Foods, but Natural Grocers and Whole Foods will both be opening this year.
Carrie Davis shops at ONF.
“We've always tried to shop [at ONF]" she said. "And be supportive of our local farmers."
Davis adds that she trusts the products sold at the store.
“We shop here more for the confidence that the products which we are purchasing are truly better for us,” Davis said.
Ellis Ralph is another ONF shopper.
“I’m looking for some foods that [other supermarkets] don't have,” Ralph said. “I'm looking for some boxed butternut squash soup. I needed some gluten-free chips, made out of rice instead of wheat. You can't just find those everywhere.”
Although Ralph said ONF can be more expensive, he says shopping there is worth it.
“[ONF] is more expensive than Harps, which is more expensive than Walmart, which is more expensive than Aldi's. And I shop at all of those places,” Ralph said.
Natural Grocers is set to open their first store in Fayetteville on Mar. 10, 2015.
Whole Foods is expected to open a new location in Fayetteville later in 2015.
According to ONF Marketing Director, Ali McIntosh, the store also has plans to expand into a space next door that they had previously leased to a gym. She said the expanded area will eventually include a demo kitchen for cooking classes, a community room and conference and office space. Architects have been hired, but the project is a few years from completion, according to McIntosh.
McIntosh said Natural Grocers and Whole Foods may cut into ONF's businesses in the short-term, but in the long-term then new stores are aligned with ONF's mission of providing more access to local and organic foods.
Bentonville-based Walmart started carrying the Wild Oats brand of organic food products in 2014.