[New post] Hundreds attend grand opening for Woodland’s first Sprouts Farmers Market
Gerardo Zavala posted: "Hundreds attended the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony for Woodland's first Sprouts Farmers Market early Friday morning to enjoy samples, prizes, gifts and more at 1430 E. Main St. The first 200 shoppers received a 'Goodness it's Free' reusable go" Daily Democrat
Hundreds attended the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony for Woodland's first Sprouts Farmers Market early Friday morning to enjoy samples, prizes, gifts and more at 1430 E. Main St.
The first 200 shoppers received a 'Goodness it's Free' reusable goodie bag filled with special products and samples and a vendor village allowed customers to taste new products while they shopped.
Sprouts Manager Kedrian Brown said he's been with Sprouts for seven years and has worked at nine locations – including Woodland's – and managed seven of them.
"I think we're going to be a great addition to things that are already here in Woodland," he emphasized. "Judging from this turnout, we're going to have to hire more people, which is great."
Brown noted that out of the 2,000 people who applied to Sprouts, only 82 were hired.
"I'll be going through applications and make sure we can serve this community that's so excited for us to be here," he added.
Sprouts staff member Aliana Saragoza (center) hands a flower to a shopper Friday during the grand opening in Woodland. (Gerardo Zavala/Daily Democrat)
Brown said that Sprouts attempts to engage with the communities they are located in "not just as a retailer," but as a partner that is dedicated to serving. One example of this is the company's food rescue program which diverts 80% of products that expire to composting or feeding people and recycles soft plastics, cardboard and other mixed recyclables.
"We date our product so that it has time at the end of it to feed somebody," he explained." We do 'Day of Service' where we build gardens for food deserts… that need to know how to grow food and how to eat healthy. So we have a Sprouts foundation that does education and feeding."
Furthermore, Sprouts is known for working with local farms and notably already works for Gotham Greens in Davis. If any local farms are interested in working with the company, Brown recommends they apply online by visiting sprouts.com and signing up to be a vendor.
"There's a process because we want to be sure that we can verify organic and verify their processes," he explained. "We pull as much local as we can with a company our size. We may be new to Woodland, but we have 403 stores."
Boar's Head staff Larry Moscato and Lisa Raffi prepare ham and turkey that will be served to shoppers Friday in Woodland. (Gerardo Zavala/Daily Democrat)
Woodland resident JD Trebec attended the opening ceremony because he was excited to have another option available in town for grocery shopping. Although he usually shops at Nugget, he said it's nice to have more products and more competition in town.
"Instead of having to go to Natomas for Sprouts, we got one local so I don't have to travel as far, so it's more convenient," he highlighted. "More products and more opportunities to buy different stuff here in Woodland."
Woodland Councilwoman Mayra Vega said she's heard from residents that some people drive to the Sprouts in Natomas and is happy that they no longer have to do that.
"When you look at the Sprouts being added to the rest of our grocery stores in town, it's a nice variety for everybody," she remarked.
When asked how the city plans on informing local farms about Sprouts and the opportunity to become vendors, Vega said the city's economic development team has been "really good at plugging in."
"They're actively engaged and have been in anticipation of this opening to see how they can facilitate those introductions," she stressed.
Vega is also a member of the Rotary Club of Woodland. Although her club hasn't been involved in any projects involving the grocery store, she said, "We're always looking for opportunities, especially around the holidays."
"It's really exciting to see this part of town get a little bit of a facelift," she added. "This whole corridor is the entrance into the city so I'm excited to see it have more attractions."
Tania Garcia-Cadena, Woodland's next mayor and executive director for the Woodland Food Closet, also attended the event and applauded the company's commitment to work with the Yolo Food Bank, the job opportunities its created and the fresh produce it'll provide the community.
"We were just having some conversations about collaborations in the future," she said regarding collaboration between the city and Sprouts. "I don't think any plans have been set in place but definitely something we'll be looking at."
Celebrations for the opening will continue through Sunday, offering a variety of activities, including a "pop-up party" from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday out front that will give guests a chance to taste seasonal produce from the tasting bar and play games, among other things.
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