The El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce is featuring The Natural Grocery Company in their February 2022 Byline!
Check out the entire Byline on the Chamber of Commerce Website
Thanks for your support!
Voluntary Recall of Peeled and Shredded Carrots
There is a voluntary recall of organic bagged peeled and shredded carrots. If you have purchased any of the items listed in the image from our stores, please feel free to return them.
June 15th, 2021 – Happy Re-Opening Day California!
Thanks to everyone who has made the sacrifices necessary to get us to this point! You will notice some changes in our stores the next time you visit.
Hand sanitizer will be available at the door for anyone who wishes to clean their hands before and/or after shopping. It is no longer a requirement but it is strongly encouraged.
We will no longer be limiting the number of customers who can enter the store at any given time but please be respectful of other shoppers personal space and don’t crowd anyone.
Customers who are vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks while shopping but are encouraged to do so until they are comfortable sharing indoor space with un-masked patrons.
If you are not vaccinated for Covid-19 you must wear a mask while inside any of our locations. This is for your safety, the safety of others and the current California requirement. By entering our stores without a mask you are self-attesting that you have been vaccinated.
The board of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, voted on June 17 to approve new rules, which now allows fully vaccinated workers to go without masks at work. Governor Newsom has signed an order, which makes Cal/OSHA’s new rules take effect immediately. Our Natural Grocery Company rules will change to follow the new Cal/OSHA rules, starting Friday, June 18. Fully Vaccinated employees have the option to not wear a mask. Of course, any fully vaccinated employee can continue wearing a mask. Employees who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear a mask.
Self-serve Bulk is back! Our Bulk Departments have been given the green light to re-open self-serve bins. Things will look a little different and it will take a bit of time to transition the entire department. Our plan is to have items that are traditionally cooked in open scoop bins while foods eaten as-is will be in the gravity feed dispensers. Dried Fruits will remain pre-packaged. You may bring your own clean containers to fill. Please have a cashier weigh your clean, empty container before you fill it!
The Annex will now have indoor and outdoor seating available! Our menu is expanding and a separate announcement will be made about all the changes you will see there.
Thank you,
The Natural Grocery Company
Berkeley Natural Grocery Moves Forward with Plan to Add Retail Sales of Wine, Beer and Cider
Actually this has been in the works for quite some time and we have now filed applications with the Department Planning & Development for City of Berkeley and California State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for permission to sell wine, beer and cider at The Berkeley Natural Grocery. It will still be months before we know if we have the approval to go forward but perhaps by early 2021 we will be able to increase our offerings to the public. The focus will be on organic, sustainable and small producers of alcoholic beverages.
Stay tuned!
Berkeley Natural Grocery Store Improvements
We are reinvesting in The Berkeley Natural Grocery and have switched out the doors and shelves of our dairy refrigeration. Our formally gold doors were bought used when Berkeley Natural Grocery first opened in 1982.
Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning the transformation took place. Our dedicated employee/owners with assist from Massone Mechanical, Inc. worked to get the change done between closing and opening of the store to the community.
Massone Mechanical of Alamo, CA provides service and maintenance of refrigeration and HVAC equipment to the Natural Grocery Company. We have been working with them for more than 25 years! As a family owned and operated business specializing in commercial refrigeration since 1990, their expertise includes but is not limited to walk-in coolers, freezers, ice machines, and chillers. In addition, they design and install custom refrigeration systems for a variety of applications.
We are happy to introduce our new doors! We hope you will enjoy the upgrade.
The Natural Grocery Company
Hot Soup of The Day
Hot Soup has returned to The Annex! We will have one or two hot soups available each day that you can take out. Just order at the counter and we will pack them in a container for you. Just check out our Twitter or Facebook postings for what is available each day or call The Annex at 510-526-5150 and ask.
The best time for ice cream is ALWAYS!
We are scooping Three Twins Ice Cream and Mr. Dewie’s Non-dairy Ice Cream at The Annex!
Even though we are no longer selling pints and quarts in the market we still have a supply of your favorite Three Twins Ice Cream flavors available by the scoop! So if you are missing your Dad’s Cardamom or Lemon Cookie here is your chance. The Annex is scooping seven days a week 9:30am to 7pm!
Closing Early at 5 pm on Monday 3/16
Holiday Cheeseboards Made Easy
Assemble a cheeseboard with these seasonal delights and you are sure to wow your guests! Find these gems at our El Cerrito Store in the cheese section!
Bricat Al Tartufo
Bricat Al Tartufo, Raw Goat- Italy-13.99 ea. – delicious raw goat’s milk cheese dappled with black truffles throughout. It’s so ready to eat, boasting a crumbly texture but smooth mouth feel. Subtle nuttiness with a warm and earthy finish. My favorite pairing is a Langhe Arneis from the Piedmont Region of Italy.
Capra Cremosa
Capra Cremosa, Pasteurized Goat- Italy- 9.99 ea. – Customer favorite! Tangy goat cheese topped with fresh earthy black truffles. This will be delicious atop the holiday prime rib. Pair with a light white like the Anselmo Mendes Passaros from Vinho Verde in Portugal (available at Annex Wine & Beer).
Moser cru Blanc
Moser cru Blanc, Raw Cow-Switzerland-10.99 ea. – Having notes of chanterelle and fresh cream, the slight tang will have your guest wondering if the New Year came early, pop some bubbly and get the party started. This is a great addition to your any party! Pair with the Hubert Meyer Crémant d’Alsace (available at Annex Wine & Beer).
Robiola Tres Latti
Robiola tre latti, Pasteurized Cow, Goat, Sheep – Italy- 10.99 ea. -Piemonte, Italy. WOW. This cheese is literally the trifecta of deliciousness. Made using cow, goat and sheep milk; every bite will showcase the best attributes of each milk. The richness of sheep, buttery notes from the cow and that wonderful lactic tang from the goats milk. Its pastoral taste explosion will make you wish you bought two, one for you and one to share! Pair with Agnès and René Mosse Magic of Juju (Available at Annex Wine & Beer).
Robiola Nostrana
Robiola Nostrana, Pasteurized Cow- Italy- 8.99 ea.– hailing from the Lombardy region in Italy, it’s easy to say that this cheese is a typical representation of the quality of milk the region produces. On the front there are notes of sweet milk followed by the live notes of yeast and brioche. Pairs perfectly with fruity whites and lagers.
Winnimere
Winnimere, Raw Cow- Vermont- 16.99 ea. – T ’is the season of Winnimere, glorious Winnimere. It’s a take on the classic Vacherin Mont d’Or. What makes this cheese not only special to me and other mongers is that, like the Swiss, they only make this during the winter months because Jasper Hills Ayrshire cows are giving rich, non GMO hay-fed raw milk. It’s wrapped in White Spruce bark (hand harvested on the farms woodlands) then aged for approximately 60 days. This cheese has great notes of bacon, sweet cream and spruce. I always tell customers to peel away the top rind and feel free to dip or spoon. What we have in stock is from the first batch, which means if you don’t get one now you’ll have to wait until after New Year’s because they’ve sold out! Pair Winnimere with the Dust Bowl Brewing Black Blizzard Beer (available at Annex Wine & Beer).
Winnimere by the spoonful!
Congratulations to St. John’s Family Farm – Now Non-GMO Verified!
St. John’s Family Farm was founded in 2006. They are located about 40 minutes from Chico and 1 1/2 hours from Sacramento. Their farm is tucked away on a quiet country road, surrounded by nut trees.
Their hens are all pasture raised, free to explore, chase bugs and snack on hearty green grasses. Three times a day, they are served freshly mixed (corn and soy) Non-GMO feed. In their spacious mobile coops, they lay beautiful brown eggs and roost for the evening. It’s pretty bucolic.
Recently they went through the process of becoming Non-GMO verified. And we are thrilled with their new certification! Same tasty eggs, newly verified.
When we visited the farm, it was easy to tell why these eggs are so delicious and why the yolks are so intensely flavorful. The hens roam in wide open spaces, are gently treated by the staff and family and kept safe (mostly from foxes) by some amazing (and cute) guard dogs.
Try their eggs next time to stop by our stores and help support an amazing family and their animals by purchasing delicious eggs! 