Reply #14: Alfalfa [View All]

[shifting_sands]

Before it was bought by "Wild Oats" it was Alfalfa's and it was better than Whole Foods and Wild Oats combined. When Wild Oats bought Alfalfa's they continued to model their stores after the extremely successful organic model of Alfalfa's, unfortunately the integrity was not there. Alfalfa was the first successful organic grocery in this country and then came Whole Foods and then came Wild Oats and they did not know how to compete. Hoss (the man who started Alfalfa's) was ready to retire and wanted out and he sold his stores to Wild Oats at a very good price, before they bought Alfalfa's they were a little hole in the wall on Colfax. As a bit of Denver history, before it was Wild Oats it was the Rainbow Grocery and owned by Rev. Sun Yung Moon, the same guy who owns the Bush family today.

Actually all these stores were modeled on the successful local Vitamin Cottage and they are still successful in their limited market and they are happy with that.