Heather and I were contacted by Earthfare Supermarket a few weeks back when they opened up their brand new store here in Birmingham, Alabama. The store invited us in and gave us each a gift card to shop around, experience the store, and provide a review on our blog. Today is my review of my shopping experience, and I’ll try to hit all the highlights for you all!
First off, I am completely new to Earthfare as a company- we have never had a store of theirs here in town, and if yall know us, you know we spend most of our time at Publix. However, I jumped at the chance of checking out the new organic grocery store in town because eating healthy is very important to my family, and I wasn’t disappointed with what I found at this store. It was a cross between Whole Foods and Fresh Market for me, with a few special treats.
The produce section was well stocked and had a great variety- since I’ve been pregnant I’ve had a huge craving for grapes, so I bought the largest bag I could find. Were they more expensive than the average grapes? Yes. However, they were worth every cent, because they may possibly be the best grapes my husband and I ever had. Now I know that a lot of that has to do with the supplier, the crop, and not necessarily the store, but the fact remains- Earthfare satisfied my pregnancy craving better than any other grapes have so far. I also bought some watermelon from the produce area, which was similarly delicious.
I haven’t drank much coffee in these last few weeks of pregnancy, but that didn’t stop me from checking out the coffee area of the store. They had a great variety of flavors and options to choose from.
Next, I moved on to the meat department. The pre-packaged meats section was a little scarce, but the actual deli counter had lots of pre-prepared options for meals that were reasonably priced and looked delicious. I didn’t try any of them, but did purchase a few chicken breasts that I cooked at home. The chicken was very fresh and tasty, but I do wish they had had a larger selection of other meats prepackaged.
On my way over to the bakery area, I happened to spy something I didn’t even know existed, even in my wildest dreams. A self-service ravioli station? Yes please. I’m still smiling whenever I think about that- my husband calls me a “pasta-tarian”, which is dead on. I love pasta any way I can get it, so this was very exciting for me!
Lastly, I spent some quality time at the bakery counter, sampling some delicious organic chocolate cookies. I ended up taking home a slice each of carrot and chocolate cake, which were both delicious and honestly better than the cake I typically buy at Publix. They didn’t have a large selection of fresh bread though or some of the other baked goods I am used to seeing at other stores. They did have a hot food service area though similar to what you would find in Whole Foods- you could either eat there at the store or take it home with you, and there were a nice variety of options.
At checkout I took some time to admire the beautiful flower selection and appreciate the bowls of snacks they had at each register to sample- quite a yummy treat!
Overall, I really enjoyed my first experience shopping at an Earthfare grocery store. The food was fresh, the selection was nice, and the produce was delicious! The prices were varied; some items were more expensive than what I typically paid while others (notably the watermelon and bananas) were less than currently priced at my local Publix. They also have an excellent program you can sign up for through their website that will give you a free chicken when you first sign up, and you can sign up for text message coupons as well that send you weekly texts with free item offers. If you have one near you, take the time to drop in for a visit- you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
This review was sponsored and made possible by Earthfare grocery stores, but opinions are all mine!
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Find out what we thought about new store to our area, @EarthFareBHM, in our review here: http://t.co/sx4MBESA