Ease and accessibility is exactly what you would call the shopping experience of a convenience store, but quality is sometimes lacking when it comes to buying healthy items. Wouldn’t it be great if you could run to your local corner store and buy fresh fruit and vegetables or maybe a pre-packaged healthy dinner? Seems like a fantasy right? Well, for three lucky neighborhoods, the fantasy will soon become a reality with Green Zebra Grocery.
The brainchild of Lisa Sedlar, former CEO of New Seasons Market, and Co-Founder and Marketing Director Shannon Hiller-Webb, Green Zebra Grocery currently has a small but dedicated staff that has a passion for local food and making it accessible to people in their neighborhoods. I had the chance to interview Hiller-Webb recently to find all the answers to my burning questions about how a local corner store will make a real difference in a neighborhood. She spoke enthusiastically about all things Green Zebra and beyond.
Where did the name Green Zebra come from?
Naming a company is no easy business–our goal was for our name to be memorable, fun and to relate to our local food shed. Green Zebra is a tomato variety that grows particularly well in the Pacific Northwest, kind of what we are hoping to do.
With stores opening in Kenton, Woodstock, and Richmond, did you feel that you are filling a need in those neighborhoods that isn’t already there?
We think that each neighborhood can benefit from greater access to healthy, fresh and locally sourced foods. There is a lot of demand for fresher, healthier food options to be available within neighborhoods and we support the Portland Plan’s 20-Minute Neighborhood concept, where everyone can have access to the goods and services they need within a 20 minute bike ride or walk from home. All three neighborhoods are vibrant communities filled with active, engaged and passionate eaters.
Is Lisa Sedlar, being the former CEO of New Seasons Market, bringing a similar mission of sustainability to Green Zebra? Was she looking to produce something smaller in each neighborhood?
Absolutely! Being a sustainable business is just business to us—there’s no other option as far as we’re concerned. The inspiration for Green Zebra Grocery was born from the need to increase access to healthy foods within neighborhoods. It is the marriage of health and convenience and it’s similar to the corner grocery stores we grew up with—only healthier.
What kinds of offerings can families look forward to?
We have had moms and kids in mind while creating Green Zebra and since the whole idea is about being healthy and convenient, we think our stores will save time for families on the go. We have also created healthy kid snack packs as well as Healthy Meal packs for families in our Grab-n-Go. We are always listening and would love to hear more thoughts on how we can make life easier for families.
Have you been getting feedback about what people want to see in their local stores?
We are overjoyed by how many folks are supporting us already. We have been reaching out to learn what each neighborhood would like to see in their stores. We just recently held our first Tasting Panel in both the Woodstock and Kenton neighborhoods and each panel was made up of neighbors who learned about it through social media and signed up on our website. They provided feedback on local bagels, pastries and coffees. We were fortunate to have support from great vendor partners as well (Nossa Familia, Portland Roasting, Stumptown Coffee, Case Study Coffee, Happy Cup, Central City Concern, Cellar Door, St Johns Roasting, Petunia’s, BakeShop, Grand Central Baking, Henry Higgins, Bowery Bagels, Tastebud and New Cascadia).
How are you getting involved in the neighborhoods where you will be opening?
We believe businesses have a responsibility to give back to their communities. Working alongside neighbors within the community, learning from them about their interests and what their concerns are and finding a way to support and bolster their causes is important to us. Each time we have an opportunity to connect we feel the greater whole grows together. We are fortunate to have so many opportunities to do so and look forward to continued involvement.
How and when will you hire?
It is really important to us to hire from within the community and preserve and enhance each store’s own neighborhood culture—we will be holding our job fair on August 8th at the Kenton Masonic Temple. (Please see Facebook for more details.)
When will the stores open?
We will be opening our Kenton store in late September and then we will be working on the next two stores concurrently for 2014 openings.
Are you planning any events for the openings?
Lots and lots … food, beer, balloons, bikes … need we say more?
For more information about this amazing take on your local corner market visit, greenzebragrocery.com or on check out their facebook page.
