Author: Danielle Christopher|Danielle Christopher|Danielle Christopher
Behind a modest facade, aisles of colorful products and a rainbow of vegetables decorate the interior of Eagle Rock’s newest grocery store. On Sept. 1, Organix debuted on Colorado Blvd., providing a haven of wholesome food at affordable prices. Dedicated to serving the Eagle Rock community, Organix offers a wide selection of raw, vegan, organic, vegetarian and gluten-free foods.
Store manager Andrew Perez first worked at Figueroa Produce under his father Ruben Perez, founder of the Highland Park staple. During his time there, he hoped to start up his own market that specialized in strictly organic foods. ”Since Eagle Rock is my hometown, I really wanted to bring that to this community because it’s really been lacking for quite a number of years,” Perez said.
Now, thanks to Organix, Eagle Rock residents can purchase local, seasonal and organic produce. “This is a more specialized store. Figueroa Produce carries both conventional and organic food, whereas this store has purely organic produce,” Perez said. “We also specialize in raw, vegan, organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free products , and we have a lot of low-glycemic and allergy-friendly products as well.”
Compared to more expensive competitors like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, Organix prides itself on providing wholesome, healthy food at affordable prices. “I really do like Whole Foods, it’s a really cool spot, I mean, they’re like a Costco for health foods and it’s ridiculous, but they just rip people off,” Perez said. ”I know the quantity that they’re buying and see what they charge people, and the numbers just don’t add up. I have a big problem with that, which is why I can’t really say I support Whole Foods at all.”
Perez thinks Trader Joe’s follows a better philosophy regarding pricing, but he wants to get away from some of their unsustainable habits. “My big thing [with Trader Joe’s] is just the quality of the products that they offer to customers, it’s been really lacking. It’s the ‘fresh-and-easy’ mentality coming around again, everything wrapped in plastic, ready-to-go, and I don’t think it’s the way it should be,” Perez said.
Occidental students living in the Food Justice Co-op strive to uphold the ideals of Organix and support this new local market. Students living in the Food Justice Co-op buy food from Figueroa Produce and Organix almost exclusively, and they have established a close relationship with the owners of both stores.
“The philosophy behind the house is that we are trying to eat as locally and sustainably as possible. We have a garden in our backyard that grows some vegetables, but we get most of our produce and food from CSA boxes, farmers markets, Figueroa Produce and Organix,” Noah Donnell-Kilmer (senior) said.
Donnell-Kilmer and fellow Food Justice Co-op housemate Daniel Crowley (senior) are especially excited for the opportunity to buy bulk items. ”I think Figueroa Produce has a really great mantra by which they run their store, but the one thing that they’ve been missing, for me, in the past has been bulk items. Especially for students interested in lowering their plastic waste, this is a great option for them,” Crowley said.
Perez hopes to build off of these students’ enthusiasm for bulk items, and he has left some of the bulk bins open for customer requests. “I base a majority of what we carry here off of a customer request form I have up front. [Customers] just go and jot it down, and every week I go through the form,” Perez said. “If I can find it readily available I’ll get it right in, and if I can’t then I’ll do some more research, and it may take me a while, but I’ll eventually get it in.”
Crowley and Donnell-Kilmer also recommend shopping at Organix because of its dedication to customer satisfaction and its continuation of sustainable food practices. ”Trader Joe’s is healthy and they have good foods, but they’re also a national chain. I’d rather support local businesses like these local guys,” Donnell-Kilmer said.
Organix also wants to support the community in return, so Occidental students receive a ten percent discount.
Organix is not only devoted to offering reasonably priced healthy food options, but they also value their customers’ opinions and want them to contribute to the development of the store. “My customers come first, first and foremost. It’s always been that way, and it’s always going to be that way,” Perez said.
Organix is located at 1731 Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock. For more information on Organix, visit their website at www.organix-la.com.
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