Natural Grocery

Independently owned, organic grocery store. Our Annex serves prepared foods and offers a selection of wine and beer. Our florists are here to help you with fresh local cuts and dried bouquets.

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10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
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PREPARED FOOD ANNEX
10387 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
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1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
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Home / Archives for Organic farming

Mini Wine Tasting: Populis Wines – Thursday, June 26, 2025

June 20, 2025 by The Natural Grocery Company

Please join us at The Annex, 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, and meet winemaker, Diego Roig of Populis Wines (and Les Lunes Wines) on Thursday, June 26, 2025, 5pm-6pm. There is a $5 tasting fee and you must be 21+ to participate.
 
Saunt Oungoulian and Diego Roig produce two wines, Populis and Les Lunes Wine. With Populis, they purchase grapes from historic vineyards and multi-generational growers from Mendocino County. These wines are fresh, lively, fruit forward, and made in a playful style. They called this line “Populis” because it’s meant to be “wine for the people!”–delicious, honest, and affordable.
 
Their facility is literally the basement of Shaunt’s parents’ house in Orinda, just east of Berkeley. This allows them to produce wine without the interference of other wineries’ yeasts or influences as well as allowing them to age their wine for multiple vintages before release if needed.
 
They are absolutely 100% committed to farming and producing wines organically. They make no additions to the wines save for a small dose of sulfur before bottling if needed, as determined on a barrel by barrel basis.
 
Learn more about their wines on their Instagram Page @lesluneswine

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Events, Local Producers, Organic farming, Special Events, Wine Spotlight

Annex Mini Wine Tasting: Martin Pohl Wines – Thursday, June 12, 2025, 5pm-6pm

June 4, 2025 by The Natural Grocery Company

Our next mini tasting at The Annex is scheduled for Thursday, June 12th from 5 to 6 PM with Martin Pohl, Owner & Winemaker of Martin Pohl Wines, Beaver Creek Vineyards in Middletown, California.

His vineyards are all certified Organic and/or Biodynamic, with a focus on healthy soil and biodiversity.

We will be sampling his Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Sunshine Blend, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

His wines are Natural, Certified Organic, Certified Biodynamic, Native Yeast Fermentation, No Sulfites Added, Unfiltered, & Vegan!

It is $5 to taste and you must be 21+ to participate.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Events, Organic farming, Special Events, Wine Spotlight

Mini Wine Tasting: Frey Vineyards – Thursday, February 20, 2025

February 10, 2025 by The Natural Grocery Company

Join us at The Annex on Thursday, February 20 from 5pm-6pm to taste and learn with representatives from Frey Vineyards!
 
Frey Vineyards are Organic Pioneers!
 
You can trust that every bottle of Frey wine embodies the pinnacle of organic winemaking. As the first certified Organic winery in the USA, they have pioneered the organic standard in the United States.
 
If you purchase a bottle of wine that says “made with organic grapes,” you will notice that the USDA Organic seal does not appear anywhere on the bottle. That’s because those wines were not fermented using organic methods. Today, in the organic wine industry, there are two tiers of organics: made with organic grapes and certified organic. Every bottle of Frey wine is made with organic grapes and processed organically. Their commitment to organic winemaking means that during fermentation they do not add any chemicals to their wines. No chemical stabilizers, no chemical additives, no artificial coloring, and nothing but the best organic processing aids. They don’t add anything that you wouldn’t want to drink!
 
There is a $5 tasting fee. You must be 21+ to participate in this event.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Organic farming, Special Events, Wine Spotlight

Auro Chocolate Talk & Tasting at The Annex – Tuesday, February 4, 2025

January 23, 2025 by The Natural Grocery Company

Calling all chocolate connoisseurs!

Join us for a talk and chocolate tasting of Auro Chocolate on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, with a presentation at 7:00pm at the Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex, 10387 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 526-5150. There is not a charge for this event.

Auro Chocolate is an internationally awarded tree-to-bar chocolate brand that promotes sustainability by working directly with local farmers to create fine Filipino cacao beans, ingredients and retail products with unique and bold tropical flavors.

This event will include a tasting of samples.

Learn about sourcing, processing and quality!

https://aurochocolate.com/pages/about

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Chocolate, Events, Organic farming, Organic foods, Special Events

Organic Green Onions 99¢ per bunch

June 8, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Greens onions are also known as spring onions, scallions, or salad onions. Green onions are actually baby, immature onions that are picked before they fully grow. The bulb is younger and is cut while the tops are still green. They have tiny white or pale-green bulbs at the end of long green tops. There are slight age differences and bulb types between scallions and green onions, but they are often considered the same vegetable.

Select green onions with white to pale green bulbs. Look for undamaged, unwilted tops. The tops should be bright green and about 8 inches long. When selecting green onions, be sure to look for crisp, firm bulbs.

Store green onions in cool moist areas in the refrigerator, preferably the crisper or vegetable drawer (32-36 degrees F). Scallions will last between 3 and 4 weeks if stored properly.

  • Great source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folate—even more than mature onions.
  • Good source of calcium.

Filed Under: Blog, Eating Well, Organic farming, Produce Notes, Stores_both

Organic Open Pint Strawberries

June 5, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Farmer Profile – Esteban Martinez

Have you tried the open pint strawberries recently? We’re sourcing them from Esteban Martinez of JW Farms and they are really, no REALLY, great tasting!

Farmer Esteban Martinez grows organic strawberries on 21 acres in coastal Monterey County. He’s been farming for 20 years and in 2017 purchased the land where he currently farms. The rolling hills and sandy soils make the landscape prone to erosion particularly during heavy rains.

To mitigate this erosion, improve soil health and increase biodiversity on his farm, Esteban has successfully planted a hedgerow along two edges of one 14- acre field including natives like ceanothus, coffeeberry, coyote brush and toyon. Esteban is working to extend the hedgerow and incorporate edible trees like mulberry and elderberry. The perennial hedgerows contribute to soil health by covering the surface of the soil, reducing wind and water erosion, and establishing deep roots that promote water infiltration and carbon storage.

As an ambitious and strategic farmer, Esteban is working to establish a farmer cooperative with other regional growers.

You will often see their packed strawberries in pressed card containers. Remember, you don’t have to take the plastic open pint baskets if you don’t want to and honestly your strawberries will arrive home in better condition if you do. You could bring your own container and leave the plastic basket behind or return the clean basket on your next visit and we’ll take care of repurposing it.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Blog, Eating Well, Know Your Farmer, Organic farming, Produce Notes, Stores_both, Sustainability

March is Fairtrade Banana Month

March 7, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Choosing Fairtrade makes a difference!

In March we are featuring Fairtrade Bananas for $0.99/lb

Photo courtesy of Equal Exchange

  • Fairtrade banana producers are paid a Fairtrade Minimum Price that acts as a safety net against falling prices. This price varies by region, factoring in local conditions and aiming to cover the average costs of sustainable production.
  • Plantation workers and small-scale banana farmers also receive a Fairtrade Premium – an extra sum of money that farmers and workers invest in business or community projects of their choice. Banana workers have often used the Premium to improve their housing, build schools and clinics, or offer other benefits they see a need for.
  • The Fairtrade Standards are designed to improve employment conditions and protect the rights of workers in the large plantations where the majority of export bananas are grown. In recent years Fairtrade has undertaken pioneering work to define and progress toward living wages for banana workers.
  • For smallholder farms, Fairtrade supports these banana growers to improve their income and their bargaining position in banana supply chains that are often dominated by larger entities.

Photo courtesy of Equal Exchange

Season: Bananas are grown in tropical areas and can produce nearly year-round, so seasonality is not particularly relevant to the fruit. Bananas are not grown in California.

Flavor: The flavor changes as they ripen. Green bananas are more starchy, very firm and less sweet. As they ripen the taste has been described as having melon, pineapple, candy and clove flavor notes. Yellow bananas have higher sugar concentrations and therefore taste sweeter. Finally, when the peel has become brown, the banana contains notes which are reminiscent of vanilla, honey and rum and the texture is very soft.

Storage: Ripen green bananas on the counter. You can also store them on the counter – but note that they will continue to ripen, and sometimes quickly, depending on how warm it is. If they are too green for you then put them in a plastic bag with an apple to help ripen them.

You can also use bananas’ ethylene gas to your advantage: to ripen a hard avocado overnight, stick it in a paper bag with a ripe banana. The banana’s ethylene gas will work its magic on the avocado, making it perfectly ripe and ready for your next batch of guacamole.

How to use: The most common way to eat bananas is of course, out of hand. But they’re also used for a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Very ripe bananas are perfect for baking in dishes such as Banana Bread.

Bananas freeze beautifully — just peel them and stick them in a zip-top bag for use in smoothies or banana ice cream. If you’re going to freeze them, go one step further and make chocolate covered bananas for an instant dessert.

Nutrition: Bananas are really, really good for you! One medium-sized banana will give you about 12 percent of your daily fiber needs, plus lots of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. Bananas even have a bit of protein, iron and calcium.

Our stores only carry organic produce!

Filed Under: Blog, Know Your Farmer, Organic farming, Produce Notes, Stores_both

Thank You Marin Cheese Company!

February 19, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Marin Cheese Company is a distributor that brings us specialty cheeses. They are one of our 40th Anniversary sponsors and in every raffle tote there is a coupon for organic Montchevre Goat Cheese redeemable in our stores.

The Montchevre goat cheese they have donated is from Wisconsin. Milk is their primary ingredient and they care deeply about the way it is produced. High quality dairy products begin with high quality milk from healthy and well cared-for animals. Montchevre is committed to supporting initiatives and programs that promote communication, awareness and training opportunities for dairy production welfare issues. They offer organic goat cheese logs in plain and garlic/herb.

Filed Under: Cheese Notes, Know Your Farmer, Organic farming, Organic foods, Stores_both

Thank You Burroughs Family Farms!

February 17, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Burroughs Family Farms is one of our 40th Anniversary sponsors. In each raffle tote you will find a bottle of their organic California Olive Oil.
 
Burroughs Family Farms (BFF) is a family effort of Burroughs siblings working together to offer hand raised and sustainably grown products directly to you. Through a combination of four farms all jointly managed and interconnected, they produce grass-based meats and eggs, organic olive oil, raw organic almonds and gouda style cheese made with organic “Grass to Gold” milk.
 
The Burroughs Family Farm rests on the rolling hills below the majestic Half Dome of Yosemite National Park. The combination of the moderate Mediterranean climate of California’s San Joaquin Valley with good soils and water, grow some of the world’s finest quality almonds and olives and provides a thriving environment for livestock.
 
Each of the Burroughs siblings owns and operates a farm that is jointly managed and interconnected with the others, employing organic and sustainable production practices and producing the highest quality foods possible. They each have our own farm vision, business plan, and agricultural specialty, yet they share many resources that benefit each other’s farms.
 
Thank you for your continuing support!

https://www.burroughsfamilyfarms.com/

Filed Under: Blog, Know Your Farmer, Organic farming, Organic foods, Stores_both

Pachamama Coffee of the Month: Mexico

September 16, 2021 by The Natural Grocery Company

Mexico happens to be Pachamama’s coffee of the month, and since September marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we thought sharing this blog would be helpful, informative, and provide a new perspective about coffee’s wonderful, labor-love journey from seed to cup.

We present Pachamama’s latest Blog,  Journey to the Origin.  Their Creative Director, Rosa,  recounts her discovery of coffee’s incredible journey from seed to cup while visiting one of Pachamama’s owner cooperatives: La Union Regionnal Cooperative, in Veracruz, Mexico.

We hope you find the time to read about her experience.  It’s a short read that demonstrates how Pachamama Coffee is one of the most sustainable coffees the Natural Grocery can offer our customers. It is available in our El Cerrito Store.

Filed Under: Blog, Bulk Foods, Business Practices, El Cerrito Store, Food Sheds, Know Your Farmer, Organic farming, Organic foods, Sustainability

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EL CERRITO STORE
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
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10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
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1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
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