When her husband, Joe, was diagnosed with food allergies, Annette Scripa found grocery shopping a lot harder than it used to be. It was difficult for her to find food that not only kept her family healthy but tasted good, too.
Enter Green Planet Grocery, a small but growing local chain of organic grocery stores.
Brent Lewis opened Green Planet’s flagship store in Oswego in 2004. Six years later, a Fairmount location followed. And now, as of Oct. 18, Cicero is home to a Green Planet as well, thanks to Lewis and the Scripas.
Annette said Joe, who works in commercial real estate, befriended Lewis a few years ago and convinced him to branch out into Cicero. In July of this year, Green Planet announced a plan to open 10 new stores over the next three years.
Joe became a partner with Lewis, and the 6,000-square-foot store opened last month in the Lakeshore Heights Plaza on Route 31. Annette brings more than 20 years of retail management experience to her job as the Cicero store’s manager.
“It’s been hugely, hugely embraced by the community,” Annette said.
Another perk of the store is the presence of a Café Kubal’s. The local coffee roaster, which has locations in Eastwood, the university area and Camillus, serves its signature beverages and other goodies in a cozy corner of the store.
“You’ll find local throughout the aisles. Of course, that would include the café,” Annette said, citing Pastabilities’ Spicy Hot Tomato Oil, Better Brittle, MA’s Baked Treats, Stoltzfus Family Dairy and other local products as a few highlights at Green Planet Grocery. She said the partnership with Café Kubal is another way to support local business.
Green Planet also has an allergy-free section that contains products without gluten, dairy and other common allergens.
“It was important to us to create a shopping experience where people didn’t have to search the aisles,” Annette said. “We wanted them to be confident that it was [allergy-free] and not go through the whole rigamarole.”
Green Planet sells only organic produce and offers locally grown organic items when available. The store also features dietary supplements and health and beauty products.
One thing Green Planet doesn’t have is pet supplies. That’s because its next-door neighbor is the locally owned and operated Pet Express, and the Scripas didn’t want to infringe on their market.
A few weeks after opening, Annette said business has been steady.
“It was in our hearts to help people be healthy, get healthy,” she said. “We just want them to know you can eat healthy and have it taste good.”
Green Planet Grocery is located at 6195 Route 31 in Cicero. For more information, like them on Facebook or visit greenplanetgrocerycicero.com.
