BURLINGTON — Health-conscious consumers like Stacie Paganis who are looking for 100% organic produce delivered fresh seven days per week have a new place to shop in Massachusetts.
Mom’s Organic Market officially opened its 23rd location in the United States on Feb. 10 at 34 Cambridge St. in Burlington. This is the first location in Massachusetts for the company, which has locations in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Paganis, an Arlington resident who is an integrative health coach and is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical nutrition, said she discovered Mom’s Organic Market when she was taking a cooking class in Maryland.
“I am always looking for healthy and organic food when I’m traveling and I like to have snacks on the go,” she said.
She believes organic produce tastes better and has more nutrients.
“It’s really important for me to have something that I know is not going to be harmful to my health or the environment,” said Paganis, who suffers from allergies and other sensitivities.
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About the owner and company’s history
Mom's Organic Market founder and CEO Scott Nash said he plans to open three more locations in the next 15 months. He is in the process of signing leases for a second location in Massachusetts in Natick, and two additional locations in Washington, D.C.
Nash founded Mom’s Organic Market as a grocery delivery service in 1987 in his mother’s garage with an initial investment of $100. At the time, he had a partner who had a car, while he had the garage.
Five months later, he bought out his partner for $1,400.
How Mom’s Organic Market is different
Nash prides himself on offering what he considers to be the best organic produce and products with high ingredient standards and unique products that are hard to find elsewhere.
Excellent customer service is another way Nash says his market stands out against the competition. He is very much against self check-out and always wants to ensure his lines move quickly.
“We invest a lot in the front end,” he said, adding that registers are always open so no one is waiting and time isn’t wasted.
Nash said he wants all of his stores to be utilitarian with a calm, almost meditative atmosphere.
“We call it the stress-free oasis,” he said.
Aisles are purposely extra-wide, and customers are offered free coffee and tea as they shop.
“It’s a really nice, calming, pleasant shopping experience," said Paganis. "Everything is set up in a way that is easy for people to navigate. The atmosphere is really stress-free, which is important to me when I’m shopping.”
Paganis said she likes to take her time when she shops, and she looks at products she is choosing.
She likes the selection of snacks, supplements and tea at Mom’s Organic Market. She also likes that it sells a lot of locally farmed products.
“They have a lot of brands that are hard to get elsewhere and I would otherwise have to order online,” said Paganis.
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Comparison to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods
Nash said Mom’s Organic Market is like a cross between Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods on size and offerings. Whole Foods is much larger, typically at 50,000 square feet. Mom’s Organic Market is 14,000 square feet. Trader Joe’s is about 10,000 square feet.
On average, Nash said Mom's Organic Market prices are less expensive than Whole Foods.
The produce, product mix and service are the three reasons Nash said people love them so much and keep coming back.
Everyone has their own niche, he said. When comparing Ikea to Crate & Barrel, he said Mom’s Food Market is more like a Crate & Barrel.
“We are an alternative model,” said Nash of his stores. “Even though we are a small footprint, we have a lot of products. People are really going to like our merchandising, offerings, service and atmosphere,” he said.
Paganis said shopping at Mom's Organic Market feels less corporate than Whole Foods.
How Mom’s Organic Market got its name
When Nash started his business as a home delivery and mail order, it was called, “Organic Foods Express.” He then changed the name to My Organic Market when he opened his first retail location. However, he said, the logo was an apple between two M’s which looked like “mom,” and a lot of people were calling the market “Mom’s,” which is why he again changed the name.
Secret to success of Mom’s Organic Market
Nash said his team likes to make people happy. “We are people pleasers. That’s the bottom line,” he said.
He said a business mentor told him: “Dumb companies sit around concocting ways to screw their own customers. Smart ones think of ways to make customers' lives easier."
"We are always looking to people please our customers," said Nash.
About the products
Regional Manager Joe Hurley said if people are conscious about the food they are purchasing and eating, and how the impact of that food is on the world, then Mom’s Organic Market is the place to shop.
The meat and cheese products they sell have high standards for ingredients and treatment of animals.
Hurley said Mom's Organic Market may not have a full butcher shop selection and is more akin to the ethics behind the meat it sells.
It also has a wide variety of gluten-free and vegan products.
Mom's Organic Market also sells non-food items such as greeting cards that have stories behind them, including those made by women who escaped sex trafficking in the Philippines.
The chain trades directly with organic coffee farmers, and makes sure the people who work at the farms are treated fairly.
The seafood it sells is sustainably sourced and is not caught in a way that kills off the populations of species in the ocean or disrupts the eco system. All seafood is line caught or farm raised, said Hurley.
Mom's Organic Market also doesn't sell products that target children with licensed cartoon characters on the package.
Job opportunities
Mom's Organic Market has 1,500 employees company wide; it plans to employ about 50 in Burlington. Those wishing to join the team can apply by visiting https://momsorganicmarket.ttcportals.com/search/jobs/in/burlington.