In January, PCC Community Markets, a certified organic retailer and the largest community-owned food market in the US, opened a new store in downtown Seattle, making it the Puget Sound-area cooperative’s 16th location.

The director of the new downtown store is grocery management veteran Jai San Miguel, who previously served as director of PCC’s Central District location. “I am honored to open our newest location where my passion for team-building and supporting our local communities can be a focus every day,” says San Miguel. “As the anchor grocery source for a vibrant downtown, we are excited to be a part of the revitalization of the neighborhood and are committed to becoming a trusted member of the community where people come to enjoy a cup of coffee, catch up with a friend on a lunch break, and pick up dinner.”

As with all PCC locations, the produce section—which is 95 percent certified organic—is front and center at the downtown store. “The produce department is a vital component of PCC,” says Senior Produce Merchandiser Kevin Byers. “It is the department you walk into upon entering our stores and sets the tone for what PCC is focused on: cultivating vibrant, local, organic food systems. … Our downtown Seattle store is exciting in that it is a new neighborhood—and community of members and shoppers—for PCC to introduce our wide array of fresh products to.”

Kevin Byers, Senior Produce Merchandiser, PCC Community Markets

While PCC is a cooperative with over 100,000 members, membership is not required to shop at its stores. (For those who want to join, PCC offers a lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $60.)

“The produce department is a vital component of PCC. It is the department you walk into upon entering our stores and sets the tone for what PCC is focused on: cultivating vibrant, local, organic food systems.” – Kevin Byers

In addition to organic fresh produce, PCC offers many organic frozen produce options, including local blueberries under the cooperative’s own label. PCC also includes fresh organic produce in many of its salad, soup, and entrée deli options, which are made from scratch by PCC chefs every day. 

PCC also includes fresh organic produce in many of its salad, soup, and entrée deli options, which are made from scratch by PCC chefs every day. 

As its name implies, PCC Community Markets is all about supporting the well-being of its local communities—and prioritizing organic products is a key part of that mission. “Organic practices are better for the environment, the people within the supply chain, and for the people eating the product,” Byers says. “As a retailer, PCC thinks wholistically about the product we carry. Not only do we want the best produce for our shoppers but the best-grown produce for the planet.”

In an effort to promote healthy eating habits in children, PCC offers a free vegetable or piece of fruit to all kids during each shopping trip. And to help address food insecurity in the downtown area, PCC created the downtown Seattle Food Access Grant last year. Six local organizations received $5,000 grants from PCC to help them purchase organic goods—including produce.  

“Fresh fruit and vegetables are essential to good health, yet can too often be out of reach for people experiencing economic insecurity,” says Roy McCree, manager of Northwest Harvest’s SODO Community Market, a no-cost grocery store in Seattle and one of the awardees of the Food Access Grant. “This support from PCC [enables] us to procure more fresh produce, increasing access to healthy fruits and vegetables for hundreds of people who visit our SODO Community Market each week.”

“As a retailer, PCC thinks wholistically about the product we carry. Not only do we want the best produce for our shoppers but the best-grown produce for the planet.” – Kevin Byers

As part of its commitment to environmental health, PCC’s downtown store is in the process of pursuing the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal Certification, a rigorous green building standard. The new location features sustainably sourced nontoxic building materials, reclaimed materials from other PCC stores, and high-efficiency electrical and plumbing systems. It also showcases two wooden carvings by local artist Andrea M. Wilbur-Sigo, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe. Entitled “The Way of Life,” the Wilbur-Sigo installation highlights the relationship between people and the environment.

In terms of the cooperative’s future plans for its produce program, Byers says, “PCC will continue to support small and mid-size organic growers locally, regionally, and globally to bring a diverse selection of product to our communities.”