Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op Leaving Decades-Old Store For Spacious New Digs

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - It's a Sacramento favorite for natural food fans. After 43 years, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op on Alhambra Boulevard has shut its doors. But it won't be shut down for long. A new store is opening up at 28th and R streets.

The number one complaint about the store was space – inside for products – and outside for parking. You'd have to wait or go around and around the block to find a spot. Store management says that won't be the problem at their new location. There's plenty of parking outside and even more room inside.

General Manager Paul Cultrera initially started working at the store years ago.

When I came here 11 years ago, it was doing $11 million a year. Now we're doing over $33 million.

That increase in business caused the co-op to experience growing pains in and outside of the store.

After six years of planning, the co-op is changing its address.

"It's gonna be a really great upgrade," said Cultrera.

From 1600 Alhambra to 28th & R streets

"Sixteen-hundred feed on the ground floor and another 16,000 feet on the mezzanine," said Cultrera.

There will be "two levels, allowing for an in-store bakery, deli, pizza bar and butcher with sausages made on-site and a lot more room for produce," he said. "We have farmers now want to sell as produce but we don't have room for it."

Now there's also room for parking.

"There are 59 parking spots in front of the store 59 across the alley and another 180 nights and weekends in the garage across the alley," he said.

Most of the equipment is new and the perishables from the old store will go to two local food banks, but there's still a lot of work moving and opening an entire store.

Fifty employees have been hired to help with the move and work in-store. Cultrera believes it will be worth it to continue serving members and non-members in the Sacramento community, now, with a little more breathing room.

"We been here for 43 years long before anyone thought of the words of farm to fork," he said.

The store ribbon cutting takes place on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. It should be open for business around 10-10:30 a.m.