This Washington Co-op is Getting Healthier and Boozier
The co-op market makes a move to stay relevant in the changing way Seattle gets its groceries.
By Chelsea Lin September 13, 2017
Big news, kale fans: everyone’s favorite local, organic grocer is announcing today that it’s changing its name from PCC Natural Markets to PCC Community Markets, putting an emphasis on the community aspect of the community-owned co-op. Natural foods there are still, as always, a given.
The rebrand brings more than just a new logo and name—store amenities are changing, too, with an emphasis on making healthy meals speedier. Ready-to-cook meal kits will be available come November (in addition to the current grab-and-go deli and hot bar items), with recipes developed and tested by in-house chefs.
That month, too, Edmonds and Redmond locations will open a Chop Shop, where you can select items from the produce department to be diced and sliced for free while you wait. For lazy home cooks (like yours truly) who have a perpetual state of guilt about not prepping healthy meals in advance, this feature is particularly enticing. The press release also mentions a house-label yogurt partnership with Pure Éire Dairy and a new spirits section of the store.
Image provided by PCC Community Markets.
With the popularity of meal delivery kits like HelloFresh and Blue Apron—plus Amazon’s arrival of competing takeout kits—PCC is making a smart move by giving consumers what they want in this area. As it is, online grocery sales are surging (particularly in metropolitan areas like Seattle), and our little community markets are scrambling to keep up.
Though changes will be rolling out in October and November, PCC is celebrating its new identity this weekend, with a community fair at each store from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, September 16. Stop by for live music, food samples, cooking demos and the unveiling of the Little Free Cookbook Libraries at Bothell, Greenlake Aurora and View Ridge stores.
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