Jorleen Russell, owner of Good 4 You And Planet 2, is celebrating her first year.
What started as a conversation with her husband in 2009, finally became a reality in 2010, a process that took a mere 11 months.
Good 4 You And Planet 2 specializes in quality organic, green and local products.
It’s more than “just a fruit stand,” Russell said.
“We also have local meats, fresh frozen seafood, Avalon milk, natural organic grocery items and a wonderful veggie patch.”
Russell spent some time in Quesnel in her teenage years, moved for school and eventually returned in 2010 to open Good 4 You And Planet 2.
“There are great producers in the area,” Russell explained.
“I have always wanted to have a store that offered local as local can get and I knew I had to be in a location with producers that are easily accessible.”
Russell felt the need to get “back to basics” with groceries and believed opening a store offering organic and local products would do just that.
She started with an online store and realized she wanted to do more.
“We had to go big or go home,” Russell said.
“We decided to look to Quesnel, because this is where friends and family are.
“We looked for a location we could easily move into that had coolers and potential for what we wanted to do.”
As for pricing, Russell said she doesn’t see a big price difference between bigger grocery stores and her local offerings.
“With local meat producers, we feel we have a superior product, we know how the animals are handled, what they are fed and we know they are not given hormones,” she explained.
“The meats have no dyes in them, no extra water added to it, it tastes great.”
Another reason Russell recommends buying local and organic is the benefit to your health.
“Eating whole foods is so much better,” Russell said.
“No added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, dyes or other chemicals that can leave our body not working to its full potential.
“Organic products have ingredients you can actually read and understand, if you can’t read it, don’t buy it.”
Finding local produce can prove difficult, she said, especially in the winter months, but Good 4 You And Planet 2 is committed to finding reliable sources as close to home as possible.
“It is difficult to get B.C. organic and local produce in the winter months, unless it is from a hot house, but my distributors have sourced out wonderful farms in California, Arizona and Mexico, so we always have beautiful, fresh organic produce in the veggie patch,” Russell explained.
“We always source out local first, then B.C., then Canadian and then North American produce.”
Russell is grateful for the reception Quesnel has given her new store and is giving back to the community.
“We are growing and adding new products to the store and are always listening to our customers to see what they feel we need,” Russell said.
“Since we have been open for a year now, we are going to have 10 per cent off on the 10th of each month starting in December.”
Specific needs are also observed.
“With numerous people having gluten intolerance, we have a wide selection of wheat-free and gluten-free grocery items that have
been suggested by customers,” Russell said.
Good 4 You And Planet 2 isn’t using the words local and organic as a gimmick, they actively seek out sustainable and reputable products.
“Our green products come from a Canadian company that has been around since 1962, with a proven track record,” Russell said.
“We pride ourselves on local products because not only are the products fresh, but we know having local products can offer food security to the city of Quesnel.”
Russell has also been contributing to several local organizations.
“We donate our over-ripe produce to the Salvation Army soup kitchen, we donate to various organizations such as Cops for Cancer, the Quesnel and District Arts Festival and the SPCA,” Russell explained.
That mentality has helped Good 4 You and Planet 2 grow into what Russell had envisioned.
“My favorite part of the store is seeing our dreams evolve into the vision we have,” Russell said.
You can visit the store at 333 Legion Dr. or call the store at 250-332-5155.