Bulletin E-Edition:
more photosNature’s General Store manager Calen Jessee says the Bend store follows the 150-mile rule for products it labels as local. “If it’s coming from within 150 miles, we can justifiably call it local, if you can get there on horseback in a day,” Jessee says.
Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
Keeping it local
Nature’s General Store tries to eliminate the middleman, bringing food straight from growers and outlets to customers
By Tim Doran / The Bulletin
Last modified: March 11. 2010 8:46AM PSTThe employees at Nature’s General Store in Bend made local a habit long before it began appearing on bumper stickers.
For 27 years, Nature’s has sold natural and organic products in the Wagner Mall at Northeast Third Street and Revere Avenue. Founded by Debbie and Gordon Smith in 1983, the 5,200-square-foot store sells organic or naturally grown fruits, vegetables, beef and other products, many of them grown, raised and made in Oregon, and as often as possible, Central Oregon.
If Nature’s advertises the product on display as local, it has to meet the 150-mile rule, said Calen Jessee, store manager.
“If it’s coming from within 150 miles, we can justifiably call it local, if you can get there on horseback in a day.”
It sells beef raised on ranches in Tumalo, Alfalfa and elsewhere in the region. The beef from Borlen Cattle Co., in Alfalfa, feeds on spent grain and hops from local breweries.
Nature’s also works to keep prices low and products fresh by picking up its products from growers or outlets in the Willamette Valley, rather than having them age on trucks as they travel to distribution centers before heading to Central Oregon.
“We pride ourselves in not listening to distributors, not listening to suppliers,” Jessee said. “That’s really where our niche is, looking forward.”
One example is providing gluten-free products, which are becoming more popular with consumers with food allergies.
Nature’s also stresses customer service, said Jessee, 29. Employees seek out customers’ questions. If they can’t answer them immediately based on their knowledge, employees have plenty of reference materials at hand.
The store has available a computerized health reference, and a copy of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing, The A-Z Guide to Supplements,” sits on a book stand near one of the two aisles devoted to vitamins, health products, freeze-dried herbs, organic herbs and herbal tinctures, such as Good Mood Tonic, Nervous System Tonic or Healthy Veins Tonic.
Gordon Smith died in 2007, but the store remains a family business. His former wife, now Debbie Sloan, owns the store, and Jessee, a Bend High School graduate who began working at Nature’s 12 years ago while attending Central Oregon Community College, married their daughter, Andee.
Calen Jessee agreed to discuss Nature’s General Store with The Bulletin.
Q: You’ve been in business for 27 years. To what do you attribute the longevity?
A: It’s really just being strong on fiscal responsibility and providing good customer service. This store is a niche market. We’ve been able to bring local (goods to our customers). We go to the (Willamette) Valley twice a week, to the Eugene-Springfield area, (for example), and we’re seen by our customers as a reliable source. We keep it fresh.
Q: You mentioned your trips to the Valley reducing your carbon footprint. Can you explain that?
A: There’s nothing from Springfield that comes (directly) to Bend. It goes to Portland or to a distribution center in Seattle. We take out the middleman. We’re able to bring it straight over the mountains. We’re way ahead of (the freshness date).
Q: How does making your own pick-ups factor into the revenue?
A: With Nancy’s Yogurt, (one of the products from the Springfield Creamery), we can save $1 a quart, and we can pass that savings on to our customers.
Q: Does that mean you have your own fleet of trucks?
A: We have our own truck, and a part-time employee drives back and forth.
Q: Nature’s also sells some fruits, vegetables, beef and other products grown, raised or made locally?
A: That’s the labor-intensive part. You have to be fairly understanding that sometimes it’s going to take some work to get it ready (for display and sale). You just do it because you know customers want it. Even if we break even on it, we feel good about it. We’ve kept the dollars local.
Q: The help you give local producers sometimes goes beyond simply selling the product?
A: We’ve really been a place where local producers (can find some help) to get their product to market. We help coach them through to get into other markets. We ask them where they’re at with the product. (If they want their company to get bigger.) You just have to help them so they don’t get off course.
I really enjoy being that steward for other startups. I don’t do it for everybody. If it’s not natural or organic, it doesn’t exactly work for me.
Q: Can you name any of the local companies whose products you have in the store?
A: The Cravings Place, (which makes allergen-free baking mixes.) Kombucha Mama, (which makes fermented tea).
Q: Have you faced more competition since Whole Foods Market moved to town?
A: They’re probably our top serious competitor. We share a lot of customers. We provide a lot of things that they can’t, (and vice versa). We call them a lot. They call us. We do the right thing when it comes to the customers. I think now it’s becoming more synergistic. ... (Same thing with) Trader Joe’s. It’s helped us in the long run. They’re teaching people to eat naturally. It brought a new customer to us, the informed consumer.
Q: With some people losing jobs or facing pay cuts because of the economic crisis, have you seen shoppers spend less? Has it had an effect here?
A: We’re dealing with local customers, the ones that have shopped here 20 years. The way that we stretch our pricing, we’re competitive. It’s a fair price. We sell some high-dollar items, but at the same time, we have bread and oranges and eggs, (selling for about the same prices as other grocery stores).
Tim Doran can be reached at 541-383-0360 or at tdoran@bendbulletin.com.
ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today!
comments powered by Disqus
