Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op celebrates 50th anniversary with bubbles, call to action

Grocery-lovers converged Saturday afternoon on Albert Winn Park to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and to watch the giant cow mascot of Clover Sonoma bobble on her hooves through the muddy grass.

Attendees and at least three fairies, one of whom carried a bubble wand, bustled through little branded tents, listened to live music, ate at food trucks and sampled fermented cabbages.

The co-op, a member-owned local grocery store on R Street that provides luscious organic produce and a sometimes topsy-turvy salad bar scene, was founded in 1972 as a food-buying club. The club incorporated as a co-op the following year.

Gaby Herrera lives in the neighborhood, and, though not a member, Herrera does most of her grocery shopping at the co-op. She came to the park that afternoon with Luz Maria, a surprisingly long-legged corgi-border collie mix. Before coming to the park, Herrera ate kimchi she bought at the co-op on rice she bought at the co-op.

Recently, she said, she got what appeared to be the final in-season tomatoes, fresh bread and goat cheese; Herrera went home and made a “last of the summer sandwich” with basil from a plant in her backyard that she thinks she also bought at the co-op.

“Living in a more urban environment, having an accessible grocery store is nice,” Herrera said. “The prices are a little bit wild. But being able to walk to my food is really important to me.”

Elsewhere in the park, people lined up for free tarot readings from Isabel Emilie. Emilie smiled gently and presented a kind explanation when a Sacramento Bee reporter going through an ambiguous romantic situation drew her first card: The Fool (oof!).

The ethos of the co-op — and its commitment to independent businesses and a sustainable future for the planet — popped out among the merriment.

As a band played on the opposite side of Albert Winn, Cornucopia Institute Deputy Director Michele Marchetti told a crowd about her nonprofit’s Independent Organic Brand Project, which identifies nationally available brands that aren’t owned by giant conglomerates.

“We strongly believe in transparency in the marketplace and that you have a right to know where your food is coming from,” Marchetti said. “And also, where’s the money flowing? You may have a company that owns your independent brand, and one side of their mouth is promoting organic and on the other side of the mouth, they’re putting money toward things that are watering down the standards or helping the chemical companies.”

A spirit of inquiry, not too far from a tent offering vegan deli meats.