Eat Healthy Foods is an organic grocery store in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  We opened for business on July 2, 1996.  We operate in a manner that minimizes our ecological impact and promotes the development of a bioregional and fairly traded food system. 

We sell only Free Range meats and animal products, including Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate.  Whenever possible we sell Local organic products in a Fair Trade type relationship, in preference to any products from outside our Bioregion.  We have also products for people with gluten, dairy, perfume and other allergies and sensitivities.

I started the store for several reasons. 

1) Friends wanted such a store and so did I.  Regina didn't have one, so I decided to open one.

2)  As an organizer in the environmental movement, i concluded that we had to go into business to generate our money from a support base that was not reliant on the friendship of government or industry.  In many cases, our values oppose those of these people, and to truly do our job right we have to be able to do things that these two funders will not support.  We have to have our own money to be free to do our job properly.  The profits from Eat Healthy Foods are destined to be used on environmental and other social change projects.  We also intend to provide means for approved non-profit groups to raise funds through our activiteies. 

3)  Having worked with businesses on corporate greening programs, I realized that what prevented businesses from operating in an environmentally friendly fashion simply required the will to do so.  The measure that one takes to operate a business with minimized environmental impact saves money and does not need to be more time consuming than more wasteful practices.  Yet, existing businesses seldom make this a serious priority.  I believed what was lacking is the will at management level to make it a priority.  If we want to have an economy that incorporates green values, I believe environmentalists or environmental groups have to own the businesses.

4) the people doing most of the damage in the world are the multinational corporations who own so much of the world's production.  They need to be stopped.  What better way than by replacing them?  Then we have the money instead of them, and people work for our values instead of theirs.  If the resources now controlled by multinationals were instead controlled by environmental groups, international development groups and peace groups, it would be a very different world.  Even if we can eventually control 5 or 10% of the worlds production, we will have the resources to control the rest of the production through activism - politically.  I'm not holding my breath for this to come to pass, but it would work, so I had to try it.  We'll see how it works in time.

The goals described above are very ambitious.  If nothing else gets done than that I have built a lovely little organic store, a jewel shining a different set of values, which employs people and gives local farmers a market for their product, then that is fine too.  But with support, imagine what could be achieved!  We'll see how far it gets on the path to the ultimate vision.  I am very grateful for the support of the customers, producers and staff who have helped us get to where we are today.  We have built something special, something good in the world..