EATING ORGANIC

Eating organic food is healthier for you. That isn’t exactly earth-shattering news. Unfortunately, you may have heard that eating organic food on a consistent basis means breaking the bank.

Here’s what you’re likely thinking to yourself: “I already have the mortgage payment, utility bill, car payment, and gasoline to worry about every month. Why tack on unnecessary food expenses when I can buy a week’s worth of cheap TV dinners for under $20?”

Time to nip that kind of thinking in the bud. Several organic food company owners in Lake County try to make organic produce affordable.

One of them is VeggieTable, owned by SHERRI OWEN. Her Eustis-based company is a cooperative, meaning members invest their time and money into the company and participate in the decisionmaking process. Because Sherri operates VeggieTable from her home and has no employees, overhead costs are minimal. Thus, she sells organic produce for a fraction of what you’d pay at a traditional supermarket.

“If you go to a grocery store, the price for one zucchini is $2.99,” she said. “I can charge $2.75 for three organic zucchinis.”

BUDDY WALKER is owner of Empower Organic Buyer’s Club in Umatilla. Being part of a buyer’s club is beneficial, he says, because members have access to high-quality organic products at a discounted price through bulk purchasing. This also reduces the amount of packaging produced by the manufacturer.

“Our members receive their organic food at nearwholesale prices,” Buddy said. “That is obviously cheaper than what retail stores can sell these items for. Many supermarkets do a 40 percent markup on their products while we only do a 25 percent markup.”

JESSICA GE NTRY is also passionate about introducing locals to affordable organic food. She is owner of Okahumpka-based Bountiful Farms, where she grows everything from cantaloupe and watermelon to papayas and lettuce. In November, she will open a 3,000 square-foot hydroponic greenhouse so she can grow tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers year round.

“My prices are never higher than Publix, and my food is substantially cheaper than food at organic markets,” she said. “I firmly believe that people should be able to eat healthy at an affordable prices. Sometimes, I think prices for organic food are outrageous and crazy.”

VEGGIE-TABLE

352.406.0085

EMPOWER ORGANIC BUYE R’S CLUB

352.978.0509

BOUNTIFUL FARMS

352.978.5904