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ASCENDANT INDEPENDENT
Jimbo’s...Naturally! —
Of And For The Community
San Diego-area grocer widely embraced for its organic and local products. BY KARI VOLYN
Jimbo’s...Naturally! in Carlsbad, CA, is a place where fresh organic food choices and community come together to create a unique shopping experience.
A complete natural foods grocery store, Jimbo’s...Naturally! carries a full line of groceries, vitamins, health and beauty aids, hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats, has an in-house deli, a made-from-scratch bakery and a juice bar.The store also offers many vegan, gluten-free and raw items.
But what Jimbo’s...Naturally! is really known for is its strong emphasis on organics and support of local products and for its finan- cial contributions to the local community.
Owner Jim “Jimbo” Someck has been in the natural foods industry since 1973 and has forged long-lasting relationships with producers throughout San Diego County.
He started working in the grocery busi- ness at Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food
Market in the 1970s and in 1984, opened his first Jimbo’s...Naturally! store in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. Since then, he has opened five Jimbo’s...Naturally! stores, all in north county San Diego, while closing the store in North Park.
As a leader and spokesperson for indepen- dent natural food stores, Someck helped found the Independent Natural Food Retailers Asso- ciation (INFRA) and served on the Non-GMO Project’s retailers advisory committee. Jimbo’s... Naturally! was awarded 2012 Retailer of the Year award by a natural products industry maga- zine and Natural Products Association’s 2012 Socially Responsible Retailer award.
Shopping the perimeter of Jimbo’s...Natu- rally! in Carlsbad, customers will find fresh organic offerings in all the perishable depart- ments including produce, meat, seafood, deli, bakery and the juice counter.
The center store offers a large selection of
grocery and wellness items, including several locally produced Non-GMO Project-verified, raw, vegan, and gluten-free options.
At checkout, customers who bring in reusable shopping bags receive a nickel or a Wooden Nickel per bag. The Wooden Nickel program rewards customers, the environment, and supports local nonprofit organizations. For example, each year, Jimbo’s identifies a unique non-profit organization to serve as the beneficiary of the Wooden Nickel program and customer appreciation sale. The organization receives 5 percent of the entire day’s sales. When customers save 5 percent on their grocery bill, they also have the option of donating their savings to this organization.
The produce department at Jimbo’s ...Natu- rally! is in a rectangular shape. The wet rack is 60-feet long, and the packaged produce/salad section is 12-feet long. Center tables run the length of the 60 feet and contain a mixture of
18 / APRIL 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS