Fresh thinking in the produce aisle

With a new location and warehouse adding to its company profile, Organic Garage has made great strides in advancing its reach of late. We spoke to President Matt Lurie and Marketing Director Randee Glassman about the ins-and-outs of buying (and selling) organic.

By Kavita Sabharwal

Photography by Robin Kuniski

When customers walk into Organic Garage, the first thing to catch their attention is likely one of the large, colorful signs that hang above the produce department, informing shoppers of all the available varieties of each organic fruit, vegetable and herb.

Although often thought of as industry experts, the store does not employ experts in an effort to keep prices low. Instead, they use their fun, informative signage to teach consumers what they might want to know about their various options: the types of eggs available (free-range, free-run and organic), the difference between herbs, and the various types of cooking oils available (coconut, hazelnut and macadamia), just to name a few.

The marketing team makes the signage in-house after Organic Garage President Matt Lurie comees up with the ideas. “We realize that we need signage to help people understand the difference between the mushrooms and how to use them, and the tomatoes and nuts and fruit, so there’s a beautiful sign to explain to our customers the answer.”

Lurie’s creative strategy paid off, because the company recently opened its second all natural and organic grocery store in September. According to Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations Randee Glassman, to open the new 13,000 square foot location at 8020 Bathurst Street in Vaughan, Lurie duplicated the best parts of the Oakville store for their new digs.

“He has a vision from day one and he sticks to that vision and it tends to work. That’s why this store is a replica of Oakville, because that’s his vision and this is just the continuation of it,” she says. Lurie also used design elements in the new Bathurst store that have been added to Oakville to add to the company’s overall branding experience.

The demographics between the two stores are very similar, according to Glassman, and the company sought out their new Vaughan setting because it was perfect for them. “I started here three and a half years ago, and we were going to have two stores. This store opened up in September so it has taken that long for Matt to find the perfect place. He wasn’t going to settle just for the sake of opening up a new store,” she says.

Supplying the masses

Along with the new store, the company opened its warehouse in August, where roughly two thirds of the company’s merchandise is kept while the other third of its stock goes directly to the stores. Prior to its existence, the merchandise was entirely stored in Oakville. “If you saw the Oakville store at the beginning, it was crammed to the rafters with product, which was not our idea of a clean store,” says Glassman.

The warehouse’s purpose was to help centralize the chain’s purchasing and make it easier to support operating more than one store. “We’re a large volume buyer so it helps distribute the goods more effectively and allows the stores to benefit without having to take on all that volume on the store level,” says Lurie.

Glassman believes the warehouse has changed operations for the company dramatically, allowing the stores to run more efficiently. It was the only way Organic Garage would be able to continue their model of offering the best price on goods. “We have a lot of in-store specials that are manufacturer’s clearance, they’re short dated but they follow code, or branding’s been changed and Matt will take pallets and sell them. The warehouse allows him to buy those volume pallet deals and then send them to the stores as they need,” she says.

Educating a new generation

Organic Garage takes pride in hosting in-store events, such as the fifth annual Gluten Free Fair, taking place at both Organic Garage locations for the first time this May. The fair will have vendors come in to educate consumers and allow them to try out new products.

“With the growth of people who suffer from wheat or gluten intolerance, the need for these people to be able to ask questions or try products to see if they like them is very important. We’ve done the Gluten Free Fair for the past five years and I know our customers really enjoy it because it gets them to experience different things and different foods,” says Lurie.

In addition to educating consumers, Lurie had a learning curve of his own to contend with, involved with opening a store for the first time. “The food business is not a very kind business,” he says. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, things can happen very quickly so you just have to stay on your toes. And especially because our focus is on fresh and perishables, you really have to know what you’re doing.”

When asked about the best part of owning his own business, Lurie is thoughtful. “I think it’s the constant pursuit of excellence and adjusting and changing to make the business run better and more efficient and turn profitable,” he says. “Coming from a franchise background where you don’t have a lot of say in those types of things, it’s nice owning your own business and being able to have some control. It’s a double edged sword because then you’re responsible for all those things that you don’t really have to deal with in a franchise model, but I’m one of those people where I like to retain as much control over the business decisions as possible and owning your own business allows you to do that.”

Luckily for Organic Garage shoppers, he seems to have adapted well.

AT A GLANCE

NAME: Organic Garage

OWNER: Matt Lurie

LOCATIONS: 579 Kerr Street, Oakville, Ontario and 8020 Bathurst Street, Vaughan, Ontario

WEBSITE: www.organicgarage.ca

STORE SIZE: Both locations measure 13,000 square feet

STAFF: Both locations staff about 50 workers

TOP-SELLING PRODUCTS:

Food: Blue Diamond Almond Milk, Silver Hills Bread, Crofters Spreads, Lundberg Rice

Vitamins: Natural Factors Vitamin D, Vega One, Sun Warrior Protein Powder

Personal: Green Beaver Toothpaste, Nature’s Gate Body Wash, Jason Shampoo

Miscellaneous: Organic Garage Shaker Cups, World Cuisine Vegetable Spiral Slicer