By MInnie Payne

Folks in and around Dallas’ Greenville Avenue, and otherwise, are now privileged to have Green Grocer (www.greengrocerdallas.com), another source of locally grown fresh organic food,  as well as, among other things, a variety of beer and wine, eggs, meat, cheeses, chocolates, and coffee.   

“We’re working with Artizone.com (www.artizone.com), who was the reason we opened our Dallas store,” says Cassie Green, co-owner.  “We work with them at our original five-year-old Chicago store, and they advised us that Dallas is ripe for the Greenville Avenue location.”  Artizone.com offers some 60 different vendors from which to shop, and they will deliver to your door. Green and her co-owner husband, Gary Stephens, now reside in Dallas, with Green commuting occasionally to check in with their great Chicago staff.  

Green says that as every health conscious person knows, eating organic food is healthier and safer.  She informs that they have very high standards as to their products being fresh, healthy and unique and that because produce is handled less, locally grown products don’t have to stand up to the rigors of shipping.  Getting peaches so ripe that they fall apart as you eat them, figs that wouldn’t have been smashed if they were sold using traditional methods, and melons that were allowed to ripen until the last possible minute on the vine are all good reasons for buying locally.  

Produce that is purchased in a supermarket or big-box store usually has been in transit or cold-stored for days or weeks, while fresh/tasty produce purchased from local vendors has often been picked within 24 hours of your purchase. “We buy direct from as many small local vendors as possible,” Green advises.  “We also try to make shopping a fun adventure, and our employees are happy to offer suggestions and recipes for cooking.”  And if you’re looking for a particular or different kind of vegetable/fruit other than the commonly ones found at supermarkets, there’s a good possibility of finding it, because local farmers are free to try small crops of various fruits and vegetables. 

According to www.sustainableconnections.org, several studies have shown that another plus is that when you buy from independent, locally owned businesses, rather than nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms, which continue to strengthen the economic base of the community.  And who doesn’t want to strengthen their community’s economy nowadays? 

Dale Hudspeth, owner of Hudspeth Farm in Forestburg, Texas, furnishes beef, poultry and pork to Green Grocer and says their products are delivered in freezers to Green Grocer in a matter of a few days after being processed.  “We’re proud to say that our beef is grass fed and our poultry and pork lead pastured lives,” informs Hudspeth.  “They are humanely raised and all meat is processed at a USDA inspected plant.  “Our approximately 1,000-acre farm has been in the family over 100 years.”  http://www.hudspethfarm.com/

Green says that in short, if you’re looking to eat healthy, fresh, organic food, Green Grocer can help you. 

Green Grocer
3614 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 643-6209

Photos:  Phillip Shinoda


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Minnie Payne is a food reporter for Green Source DFW, focusing on DFW stories that include agriculture,  sustainable wines, green grocers, community gardens, green restaurants, etc. She’s open to all food story suggestions from readers. She was a writer for Pegasus News and presently freelances for Living Magazine and Frisco Style Magazine,  contact her at  972-416-2823, jdpmap@verizon.net