July 17, 2011

A new grocery and nutritional supplement store selling only natural and organic foods will open next month in Temple.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is set to open Aug. 23 at 3621 S. General Bruce Drive. The site was developed for Office Depot in 2008, but never occupied.

The Temple store will sell organic produce as well as fresh natural and grass-fed meats including beef and poultry, said Merredith Branscombe, spokeswoman for the Colorado-based chain, which also sells elk and buffalo. Gluten-free foods will be featured.

“We work really hard to make our prices affordable,” said Branscombe, adding that Natural Grocers was started as a door-to-door whole grain bread company by the Isely family in 1955. “One of the family’s core values is that a healthy life shouldn’t be unaffordable. They work pretty hard to keep prices affordable.”

Fifteen employees will be hired initially, but the work force may be expanded to 50 as customer traffic increases, she said.

Natural Grocers has three Austin-area stores, with the closest in Cedar Park.

Part of the 24,000-squarefoot space will be occupied by a subtenant deli. The company typically chooses a local provider for deli services.

About Temple:
Temple, Texas is a community with a diverse economic base that includes healthcare, distribution and warehousing, and manufacturing as the foundation. Within 180 miles of a population of 17.8 million, Temple is in a strategic location that is central within the southwest U.S. marketplace.