Last month, Mother’s Market & Kitchen opened a new store in Hollywood, making it the health food retailer’s third Los Angeles location and twelfth store overall.

Like all Mother’s Markets, the Hollywood store features a produce department that is predominantly organic.

“Mother's is proud to offer one of the widest assortments of organic produce in the country,” said James Saldutti, Mother’s Market’s senior director of produce and floral. “Over 90 percent of our fresh fruits and vegetables are organic in any given season.” 

James Saldutti, Senior Director of Produce and Floral, Mother's Market

“We look forward to introducing the very best produce to the Hollywood community as we have done for decades in our other Mother's locations,” Saldutti said. “Working collaboratively with our local farmers and trusted distribution partner Charlie’s Produce, local, organic, and non-GMO produce continues to be our focus. We do this by building lasting partnerships with growers and creating sustainable business models that will ultimately benefit our customers.”  

“Over 90 percent of our fresh fruits and vegetables are organic in any given season.” - James Saldutti

As is the case with other Mother’s Market stores, the Hollywood location features an organic juice bar, offering 100 percent organic juices, smoothies, shots, and bowls. In addition, bottled juices made fresh daily are available in Mother’s convenient “Homemade Grab & Go” section.

Saldutti said this fall and winter, some popular organic produce items at Mother’s Market have included SugarBee apples, pomegranate arils, and Fuyu persimmons. “I am excited, too, that citrus season is ramping up,” he said. “We are looking forward to having Sumo Citrus, stem and leaf mandarins, and more. Our assortment will not disappoint.”

In terms of new organic items in the produce department, Saldutti shared that Mother’s has recently expanded its fresh cut fruit and vegetable offerings. “We have also included fresh-squeezed seasonal orange juice blends that we know will be a favorite,” he said. “We always use organic fruits and vegetables when available.”

When asked whether Mother’s has started carrying any Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) items, Saldutti said, “While ROC is very new, the Mother's team was excited to partner with California stone fruit grower Peterson Family Farms this summer, which was well received. Our customers rely on Mother's to provide organic fruits and vegetables and want to support growers who keep raising the standards on organic farming. Our team has had the opportunity to visit Peterson Family Farms where we saw firsthand their commitment to caring for the land and caring for people.”

“While ROC is very new, the Mother's team was excited to partner with California stone fruit grower Peterson Family Farms this summer, which was well received.” - James Saldutti

Saldutti said his department is also aware of several other fruit growers who are currently in the process of becoming Regenerative Organic Certified, and he said they know they can count on Mother’s to support them by selling their ROC produce.

In addition to visiting Peterson Family Farms, Saldutti shared that he and his team have had the chance to visit several other produce operations over the last year. “We've toured multiple fields, learning about the growers, their teams, and the challenges they face. These are folks driven by passion, who employ a ‘never settle’ attitude to make a difference to bring the best end result to shelf for the communities we serve. As a retailer, those facts are important to remember to ensure produce is handled with care and respect, just as it was on the farm.”

Given that inflation has been a big issue of late, OPN asked Saldutti how it’s affected the Mother’s produce department. “That is a great question,” he said. “While inflation is a reality, supply chain issues due to various reasons have been equally challenging. Our commitment to our customers has been to minimize those challenges by leveraging our relationships with our partners while providing value and the best quality and assortment of organic fruits and vegetables daily. Mother's has been the premier destination for organic produce, and we will not deviate from that as that is what our customers expect.”

Saldutti also shared some of his department’s strategies for the new inflationary environment. “Mother’s has been offering great deals on organic produce, including weekly deals with ‘buy one, get one free’ on select popular items each week,” he said, noting that these promotions are a big hit with customers.

“We've toured multiple fields, learning about the growers, their teams, and the challenges they face. These are folks driven by passion, who employ a ‘never settle’ attitude to make a difference to bring the best end result to shelf for the communities we serve.” - James Saldutti

In addition to a wide variety of organic produce and fresh organic juices, Mother’s Market’s new Hollywood location offers traditional grocery items and wellness essentials (including vitamins, supplements, and body care) as well as beer, wine, and spirits.

“We’re excited to be joining a community that values health and wellness as much as we do,” said Mother’s CEO Dorothy Carlow of the Hollywood store. “We hope to be a place where people want to go, not just have to—because grocery shopping for healthy options should be affordable, convenient, and most importantly, a feel-good experience.”