Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage opens first Washington state location, in Vancouver, now has locations in 14 states

Cindy Allen

VANCOUVER, Washington , June 4, 2014 (press release) – Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC), the natural foods chain that has changed many customers' lives with its nutrition education, higher standards and more affordable prices, is opening its first Washington state location in Vancouver today at 7604 NE 5th Avenue, Suite 100 (phone:360-694-1300).

"With its active culture and health-minded residents, the Evergreen State is a perfect fit for Natural Grocers and we are very excited to open Washington's first store in Vancouver," said Kemper Isely, co-president of Natural Grocers.

Shoppers in the Vancouver area may wonder how a grocery store can change people's lives. "It's because we provide the resources that people need to live a life of optimum health and vitality even when facing health challenges," Isely explained.

Our stores offer ways to help you take the best care of your own health. Each store offers many free science-based health and nutrition learning resources. We provide World Class customer service to help you find just the products you need, including exceptionally high quality natural and organic groceries, natural body care and dietary supplements – all at affordable prices.

What's missing when you walk through our doors? All those bad things you keep reading about. Natural Grocers will not sell any grocery product that contains artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, or harmful trans fats. Yet our shelves are full of amazing food and products, including fantastic, worry-free foods for you, your children and even for your pets. (See: "What We Won't Sell and Why.")

We sell only USDA Certified Organic produce. No more guessing whether the produce you are buying is possibly treated with pesticides and preservatives -- or even if it has been mixed with something that has been treated. At Natural Grocers, it's all organic -- and we work hard to make organic affordable.

The meats in our stores come from animals that were raised without the use of antibiotics, growth promoters or feed containing animal by products.

Each Natural Grocers store has a credentialed Nutritional Health Coach (NHC). We provide this service free of charge, because no one should be excluded from receiving advice and information that can help them live a healthier life. NHCs can answer questions on special diet needs, help you design a personalized supplement and eating program, or point you toward the products that support your health and fitness goals. You can even sign up for individual coaching sessions or attend a nutrition class or cooking demonstration in our teaching kitchen.

Throughout the store, our knowledgeable staff welcomes your questions about special diets like gluten-free, Paleo, vegetarian/vegan, and low-glycemic, or about specific supplements or products. If you read it on the Internet or saw it on TV, come talk to us first for help understanding the science behind the hype.

We support local products and local farmers when we open a store. Shoppers can look for more than 300 products from 13 Washington companies. We are always looking for opportunities to bring in meat, produce and dairy from Washington producers. Check our website for new product approval guidelines.

Vancouver shoppers can come in to get yummy cooking demos, hear speakers or attend seminars to enhance the depth of your nutrition knowledge (schedule: http://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-locations/vancouver/WA/events.)

We don't offer plastic or paper shopping bags at our registers, but if you forget your reusable totes, we'll gladly pack your groceries in free recycled boxes. We do sell inexpensive reusable shopping bags, AND each time you shop with your own reusable totes, we will make a donation to the local food bank.

Tuesday, June 3 is Grand Opening Day! Grand Opening Week runs June 7th thru June 14th. Please join us for:
Many delicious food tastings
Knowledgeable representatives from supplement manufacturers
Body care samples
Grand Prizes are as follows:
iPad compliments of Natural Grocers
iPod compliments of Country Life
$500 Natural Grocers Gift card compliments of NOW Foods
Vitamix High Performance Blender compliments of Nature's Way/Enzymatic Therapy lines
Cuisinart Food Processor compliments of Garden of Life
Tokyo Citizen Collapsible adult bike compliments of Honest Tea
Daily giveaway gift baskets
(Drawing date to be announced. Need not be present to win.)

Of special note, Natural Grocers recently unveiled some of the strictest dairy ingredient standards in the grocery industry. Our goal is to help support family farms while keeping GMO feed, veterinary drug residues and inhumane treatment out of the milk production system that provides dairy products for our customers. "We hope to spark a conversation with our communities and the nation about how our food is raised, and how it impacts so many other parameters that we sometimes forget to consider: food quality, health, sustainability, community well-being, and animal welfare," said Isely.

The Vancouver Natural Grocers will be open Monday through Saturday from 8:56 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. On Sunday the store will be open from 9:56 a.m. to 7:06 p.m. Customers are welcome to come a little early or to stay and shop a little late.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Founded in Colorado by Margaret & Philip Isely in 1955, Natural Grocers was built on the premise that consumers should have access to affordable, high-quality foods and dietary supplements, along with nutrition knowledge to help them support their own health. The family-run store has since grown into a successful national chain with locations across Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, Idaho, Nebraska, Arizona and Oregon, and employs over 2000 people. Although the company went public in July 2012, Isely family members continue to manage the company day to day, building on the foundation of their parents' business. Natural Grocers' popularity and success can be traced back to its founding principles: dedication to providing science based nutrition education, exceptional customer service, the highest quality natural and organic products at affordable prices, supporting our communities and providing great jobs with excellent benefits and a living wage to our employees. www.naturalgrocers.com

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