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Sweet Peas: Logan's alternative grocery store
By Jenifer Jones
March 9, 2007 | LOGAN--"Tell
all the students to come here," said a customer walking
out the door of Sweet Peas.
Another happy customer said he always
gets his favorite healthy snack from Sweet Peas. "They're
the best."
To begin a healthier lifestyle, Sweet
Peas Natural Market should be one of the first place
to stop. Sweet Peas is dedicated to providing Logan
residents the best organic and natural products to the
community.
Sweet Peas opened in March 2006 and
is owned and operated by Patrice Surley and her husband,
Matt Dannelley.
"I help her out, but it's her
project," Dannelley said.
When Surley and Dannelley first moved
to Logan from Dallas, Texas, it was nearly impossible
for them to find organic groceries. "I was driving three
hours to Salt Lake every week for groceries," said Surley.
She said some people wonder why anyone
would drive that far for organic food and there are
several reasons, for one thing, "Organic meat, poultry,
eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are
given no antibiotics or growth hormones." If a consumer
sees the USDA Organic seal on a product, he or she can
be certain it's made with at least 95 percent of organic
ingredients.
Surley said organic foods are healthier
than commercial foods because there aren't as many toxins
that enter the body. Organic foods also have been shown
to have a higher amount of nutrients than commercially-processed
foods, she said. There are no artificial flavors and
ingredients added to organic food.
In Kevin Trudeau's book Natural
Cures They Don't Want You to Know About, he said
in conventional food processing, "food is produced in
such an unnatural way that it has very little nutritional
value and very little taste. Chemicals must be added
to make the food taste like it is supposed to taste."
"If you're not concerned about
your body, you should at least be concerned about the
environment," Surley said. Organic food is also better
for the earth because it processed without using pesticides
and fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients, bioengineering,
or irradiation. Through irradiation the vitamins and
enzymes of the produce is depleted. Organic farmers
rotate their crops, complete cover cropping, and use
compost to grow their produce.
Dannelley said buying organic food
is a "responsible use of your buying power."
Many people in Utah aren't aware
of the benefits of organic foods. "Our demographics
are the people that have lived other places," Surley
said. Many of Sweet Peas's new customers come searching
for gluten-free products--from there they begin to learn
about organic food and other natural products sold at
Sweet Peas, Dannelley said.
Because they are concerned about
the environment and transportation effects, Surley and
Dannelley get Sweet Peas's products from as nearby as
possible. Sweet Peas gets a lot of its organic meat
from Idaho. The majority of Sweet Peas's produce comes
from California. When necessary, produce will be ordered
from Mexico. During the summer customers can find locally
grown produce at Sweet Peas. "Organic is a seasonal
way to eat" said Surley. Organic produce does not keep
as long as conventional produce because it hasn't been
treated with preservatives.
Each week Sweet Peas takes special
orders for produce from its customers. Although a few
of the larger grocery stores carry some organic fruits
and vegetables, "people tell me I have the best produce,"
Surley said. Also, the prices for produce at Sweet Peas
are lower than at other stores in Logan.
Don't think that eating organic includes
only munching fruits and vegetables. At Sweet Peas a
customer can find organic frozen foods such as pizza
and ice cream. Sweet Peas also has shelves devoted to
organic snack foods such as chips, cookies, and chocolate.
Surley said some buy nothing but
snacks and earlier a woman came in the store just to
buy several organic chocolate bars "and that happens
all the time." Customers know the ingredients found
in conventionally-produced snack foods, so they find
comfort in snacking on organic junk food because it
is less processed and contains fewer ingredients. Beyond
groceries, Sweet Peas carries body care items such as
shampoo, soap, diapers, toothpaste, lotions, deodorant,
and toilet paper that are all better for the body and
the environment.
The majority of Sweet Peas's customers
are women shopping for their families. The average shopper
is between the ages of 35 and 50 years old.
"We have some regulars who
pretty much know what they want," Dannelley said. Some
customers buy 98 percent of their groceries at Sweet
Peas, while others buy only a few items. Surley considers
someone a regular customer if they come back even once.
Surley said there are "people that always come and look
around" without buying anything. It's harder to remember
them, she said, because there isn't a dialogue. Surely
likes to know the customers and their wants. It's not
only better for the business, but better for the customer.
A benefit of shopping at Sweet Peas
is Surely "helps customers find what they need," Dannelley
said. Because Surley earned a master herbalist degree
from the Christopher School of Natural Healing in 1999,
she is able to provide reliable advice to her customers.
She also researches her products to provide the best
brands to her shoppers.
Surley said she recognizes it's tough
for many people, especially college students, to shop
all-organic because of the higher cost. But she encourages
them to incorporate into their diet as much as they
can afford.
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