little blog on the prairie

Let’s play a game of connect the dots.

• Within the past 18 monthsyears, Supervalu, one of the country’s largest retailers, opened a “speciality produce company” called W. Newell & Co. (sounds old, huh; circa 2005).
• W. Newell & Co. is headquarted in our own backyard.
• Supervalu is currently opening a chain of discount organic grocery stores called Sunflower Market. So far it has two locations, both in trendy neighborhoods of big cities — Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, and Lincoln Park in Chicago.
• Both Sunflower Market stores are (not coincidentally) within a few hour’s drive of Champaign.
• W. Newell & Sons supplies all the organic produce to Sunflower Market.

I haven’t been to a Sunflower Market store, so I can’t say whether this would be a good thing or a bad thing. The next Sunflower Market is headed for Columbus. Yes, Columbus is a college town, but it also happens to be the biggest city in Ohio. I just find it interesting to know that there is this huge warehouse of organic produce sitting in Champaign. I wonder if our local organic farmers are in on this gig.

It’s still not Trader Joe’s, but hey, it could be a start.