The three most food smart and friendly grocery stores in town

You know you’re in a five star grocery store when:

• the focus is on smart local and organic foods
• the staff treat you like a friend and are transparent about their products
• the store is small, modern and yet intimate.

So far, I’ve found only three food stores that have fully embraced this new way of doing business  – with authenticity and care. If you want a lift to your day or need to get awesome smart foods without getting lost in lonely aisles, go visit.

Organic Acres Market, Local and Organic Foods
Main Street, Vancouver

Credit: Organic Acres Market

Love is clearly the bottom line for Organic Acres Market, which just wants to make eating well affordable for more people.

Owners Vijay and Elaine (see feature image) recently moved into their charming Main Street store from Granville Island to offer a larger selection of organic and natural groceries, dairy, breads, meat and bulk.

Many of their products are local or made in Canada, like Vancouver’s Pâté Pastiche, a popular vegan seed and grain pate available in three different flavours: Forest Mushroom, Sundried Tomato and Market Herb.

Missing Goat Jams from Surrey also does very well at the store. The farm uses certified organic fruit and old fashioned slow cooking methods to prepare creative flavours that contain more fruit than sugar. Strawberry and Black Pepper is one I’d love to taste.

Antony & Sons, Local and Organic Foods
South Surrey

Credit: Antony & Sons

I stopped at Antony & Sons to check out their fast-selling Just Pies organic, gluten free coconut bread and discovered a gem of warmth, information and quality products.

Jason Antony and his wife Linda are changing food consciousness by offering carefully selected local and organic foods that bring people back to health. Anyone with major dietary restrictions will likely find what they need here.

As for the limited supply of Just Pies bread from Penticton, they are yeast free and sugar free. The coconut flour bread is a paleo-friendly favourite, but they also carry coconut and raisin bread and rice olive and sundried tomato bread.

Antony & Sons carries bulk foods, over 250 different organic spices and a great selection of raw foods. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Karmavore Vegan Shop
New Westminster

Credit: Tuja Wellness

Metro Vancouver’s first 100% vegan grocery and lifestyle store as well as deli, café and bakery is thriving.

Salim, a vegan veteran opened Karmavore three years ago to make it easier for vegans to find animal-free products. Every time I visit, I see an expanded selection of foods that are pricey but usually more nutritious and sustainable in the long-term.

Take Tao Organics’ addictive kale chips made with tahini, nutritional yeast and garlic for example. Or Rawtella, the most irresistible chocolate spread, in my view. If you’re looking for tasty vegan yogurt, go straight for Almond Yoga.

The café serves Vietnamese fast food from CHAU Veggieexpress, which I haven’t yet tasted.

Source: Vegan “mini-mall” Karmavore supplies staples, comfort food and treats

Feature image and credit: Vijay Ramcharitar and Elaine Simandl of Organic Acres Market.