Category: | Natural Foods Store |
Address: | 701 W Buffalo St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA |
Phone: | +1 607-273-9392 |
Site: | greenstar.coop |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM |
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Rebekah Axtell
GreenStar Coop is always on my top places to visit when I come back to my hometown. I love the fresh sandwiches at the cafe and the friendly service. I grew up in Ithaca and *never* shopped at GreenStar. As a proud right-wing conservative kid, leftie hippie zones like GreenStar were basically off-limits for me. As a "first generation off the farm" rural family, we had a very, very tight budget, grew lots of our own veggies, did most of our shopping at Aldi, and went to Wegmans for a few extra goodies. As I grew older, I learned that the industrialization of our food supply had shut down thousands of small farms like ours that had been prospering well into the 70s. Consumers had stopped supporting their local economies, in favor of cheap imports pumped up with preservatives. Local food production began to all but disappear from our regional landscape. I now have a different perspective about small grocery coops like GreenStar - and am deeply grateful for them. My favorite products are: > Anything made by GreenStars kitchen, its all fabulous > Ithaca Yogurt (Lemon & Maple are my faves!) > Fingerlakes artisan cheeses (but would love to see more - Ithaca Bakery has got GS beat for selection...) > Locally roasted coffees > Widest selection of Kombucha and Kvass fermented drinks in town > Incredible selection of artisan energy bars packed with nuts, fruit and seeds (great road food) > Bulk grains, oils, vinegars and teas I could seriously do all of my Christmas Shopping for my foodie family and friends at GreenStar. For a small business with tight resources, the people of GreenStar Coop hands down do the best job of curating a healthy food selection while supporting many local family farms. I appreciate their persistence - for over twenty years they have consistently showed up to champion the restoration of our regional food system. GreenStar staff are also (neurotically) vigilant about monitoring factors like pesticides and genetically modified ingredients - providing a critical gathering place as well as food savvy education in the community. Im always impressed to meet fresh faces of volunteers and a healthy crop of young people contributing to the coop effort. During my last visit (2014) I learned that GreenStar was supporting "Living Wage" pay for its employees. You dont find this happening everywhere in America... so hats off to them for that. Ithacan Eaters are blessed to have a resource like GreenStar - while 99% of other American towns have sold to big box grocers, downgraded into quality food deserts, quit supporting local food production, sucked pesticides into their bodies, and contributed to the near-extinction of regional family farms and crushed the viability of local food supplies. Im excited to see GreenStar is expanding its presence downtown, and look forward to supporting its participation in the Good Food Revolution for many years to come.
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Kala Viv Williams
Ksenia Verdiyan and few other commenters who do a blanket pan of store are clearly biased-I say that as they name numerous bad experiences in various product categories,ice cream, eggs etc. How likely is that really- esp for a long-term coop (meaning folks r coming back repeatedly.) I have never had a issue with rotten eggs- lke eggs move so fast in that store- perhaps someone left them out and the got re-refrigerated?? This coop is wonderful overall. The bulk section is the largest I have ever seen (even compared to NYC,) so things like nuts, grains, etc are numerous and even overwhelming. When Ive had questions I have literally had staff stop take time to help me more than once even when they were busy stocking etc. They are heavily slanted to support the local economy (thats huge thing in Ithaca,) so local/regional small farmers, producers (honey etc.) In fact the only problem I see is if a staff member is helping someone (they are so friendly and its a community vibe,) they will tend to talk to them for a while so you may have to interrupt and say "can you help me..." Prices are something coops try to control, better quality food costs more- they dont have the economies of scale of agribusiness. Thats why they buy and form a coop with other stores to be able to buy large scale. I highly recommend it. Cookies n desserts are the bomb. Esp there is a lavender lemon bar-delicious! Oh and as to "vegan with a scowl" comment- folks the place is not vegan there is great meat products one place (among others) called the Piggery has its products there and are delicious, so meats are avail. Prices reflect high cost of small scale production vs. factory farming.
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Estefanía Alvarado
I can get a dozen jumbo eggs for $2.40 dozen but I can buy 1, 2, 7, 18, or 60 at once and no one bats an eye. I literally have bought a single egg before. And a single stick of butter too. They have sheeps feta fresh and delicious. I love the Hidelberg (?) French peasant bread at $1.99 and the Multigrain also for $1.99. They had organic avocados for $1.25 each for months and months. In short their prices are very affordable when they can have them and reasonable when they dont. I love their dips and incredible variety of granola, like someone else commented it is a pretty huge bulk section for such a tiny store. The store is, well cramped at best but it grows on you, you realize you get even toilet paper if thats what you need and youre off the store pretty fast with all your (grocery) shopping needs. Im happy when I go there, and you can ask for a tour if you get lost getting things.
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Ksenia Verdiyan
Im not sure why the reviews for this store are so high. It seems like the employees themselves are trying to boost the ratings. We really tried to give this place a chance, since it is conveniently located near our house, but the latest purchase of rotten eggs made us decide not to come back again. Two issue with this store: poor quality and bad taste. Fruits like avocados and coconuts are sometimes rotten. Fish in the sushi turns a weird color and does not have the test of fresh product. We realized eggs were rotten after making an omelette. Regarding bad taste- Im a supporter of organic products, but it doesnt seem that the products pass a taste test before making it onto the shelves. Ice cream is watered down, provolone cheese is so salty it cannot be consumed and many of other products have a weird texture and taste. Local and organic does not have to taste like crap.
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Michael Stewart
So, Greenstar and I have a love-hate relationship. I love high quality food, but Im also cheap. I make the relationship work, as I rely on Greenstar for specific staples that they tend to stock at a reasonable price, and for products not available anywhere else. As far as co-ops go, their pricing is quite competitive, however for people not used to buying organic the prices may seem a bit eye-popping. I usually buy bread, eggs, coffee, yogurt, specific vegetables that are better organic, and lots of bulk food items (flour, nuts, etc.), and a limited amount of food products like peanut butter that are also reasonably priced. Definitely appreciate they are here, but couldnt ever do all my shopping here.
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River Howell
Greenstar rocks! Delicious deli and hot bar, wonderfully huge bulk section, great dry groceries and refrigerated foods too. The wellness section is bursting at the seams with good stuff & the staff really knows how to help you out. Fabulous sales as well-check out the Basics program (look for the shelf tags) for some additional excellent prices. Always seems to be a bargain on local brews as well! This place never lets me down. I moved away from Ithaca-i really wish we had a resource like this where I live!