FoodChain’s mission is to cultivate strong community ties, educate about sustainable food systems and healthier food choices, and provide the area with healthy, local food. A new way that vision is manifesting in the community can be found in the aisles of its 2,000-square-foot FoodChain Neighborhood Green Grocery, which opened in May at 501 W. Sixth St.
Leandra Forman, FoodChain’s co-executive director, said the grocery will be open year-round, offering both conventional and specialty grocery items, locally sourced food, grab-and-go items prepared by FoodChain staff, and products from other local businesses.
Forman said opening a neighborhood grocery has long been a goal of the organization, and a team effort made it a reality after a process that included strategic planning and community listening sessions “to ensure that the grocery was still in alignment with what people felt would best serve the needs of the community,” Forman said.
Continued community input will also be crucial moving forward, as the grocery is meant to grow and evolve, she said.
A few fun freebies can be expected as part of the grocery experience.
“We’ll always have some samples,” she said. “We’ll always have some popcorn and fruit slushies and things like that that people can taste.”
FoodChain officials were working toward approvals to accept SNAP payments and Kentucky Double Dollars. Shoppers are also encouraged to bring reusable shopping bags.
Partnering farmers are excited about the possibilities at the new grocery, including Ella Beatty Wilson, owner and operator of Great EggSpectations Chicken Run, which supplies the store with fresh chicken and duck eggs, homegrown tomatoes, garlic scapes, garlic, and fresh and dried herbs from an urban farmstead in downtown Lexington.
Wilson said she and her sisters are third-generation chicken farmers.
“We applaud FoodChain for its continued commitment to feeding and educating Lexington’s inner-city families,” she said. “As a small-scale, holistic farming entity, we are happy to offer our fresh, locally grown food items to their grocery shelves.”
For the past 12 years, Bree Pearsall and her husband, Ben Abell, have co-owned Rootbound Farm in Crestwood, a mid-sized certified organic farm that raises produce, eggs, and meat.
Though its main program is Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, Pearsall said they also offer products through farmers markets and small wholesale partners, including FoodChain’s new grocery.
“In the springtime, our first items will be the leafy greens like kale, lettuce, collards, broccolini, and green onions,” she said. “As we turn the corner into summertime in early June, you'll start to see more summer favorites like cucumber, summer squash, and by late June there will be tomatoes and green beans and so much more. We grow over 50 different fresh produce crops over the course of the year, and we imagine most of them will end up on the shelves at FoodChain.”
Noting her farm also seeks to remove barriers to consumer access to fresh local food, Pearsall said she has partnered with FoodChain in the past with food access initiatives like the Food Box program in 2021 and prepared foods and meals programs, and now is excited to also be a part of the green grocery space.
“Whatever FoodChain is doing, we want to be a part of it!” Pearsall said. “We are delivering product to FoodChain most weeks of the year.”
The grocery includes an area for people to sit and hang out for a while, and an outdoor patio is coming soon with expanded seating, Forman said.
“We’ve intentionally created this space to be welcoming for everyone and for people of all ages, and we’re trying to make sure that local food is not just accessible, it’s also exciting,” Forman said.
FoodChain Neighborhood Green Grocery is closed Sundays and Mondays and open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. A grand opening celebration is being planned for later this summer.