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Missouri Farmers Union to buy
Sappington Market
by Gail Appleson
© copyright ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
(reprinted courtesy of ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH)
01/30/08
The Missouri Farmers Union has
something new to grow.
The statewide group of family
farmers is buying the Sappington International Farmers Market.
Tessa Greenspan, owner of the
24,000-square foot market at 8400 Watson Road in Marlborough, said
she plans to stay involved in a marketing capacity. However,
the operations will be turned over to Greenspan's existing
management team with the addition of a business manager from the
farmers' group. The format of the store will remain
basically the same.
"I'm not going
anywhere," she said. "I'll be the cheerleader, the
positive motivator."
Terms of the deal are not being
released. The sale is expected to close within the next few
weeks, and all of the approximate 80 employees will keep their
jobs.
Greenspan has been a longtime
promoter of local farmers, so the deal made sense, she said.
Greenspan started out running a produce stand in the 1970s.
"We are giving small,
independent farmers a way to sell their products," she said,
adding that the move will pave the way for a greater selection of
organic, natural and minimally processed produce and other foods
at the store.
As part of the change, the word
"International" is being dropped from the store's name.
"We want to make it
local. Our goal is to have as many Missouri products as
possible," Greenspan said.
Greenspan is a well-known figure
in St. Louis and was chosen the 2007 Woman of the Year by the
Women Grocers of America, a national trade group based in
Arlington, VA.
She was the silent partner in a
venture that opened the first Sappington Market in 1981 at 11520
Gravois Road. After her partners went into bankruptcy, she
took over the operations and moved to the current location in
1995.
The market, which has a loyal
following, is known for its inexpensive and hard-to-find produce
and more than 200 kinds of cheese.
The idea for the purchase started
more than a year ago when Greenspan was approached by an
accountant she knew who said the Jefferson City-based Farmers
Union was interested in the market.
The group was founded in 1999 by
Missouri family farmers concerned with the lack of profitability
in production
agriculture, dwindling market
opportunities and deteriorating conditions in rural
Missouri. It works to protect and enhance the farmers'
economic interests.
"I thought it was a
wonderful idea," said Greenspan. "It was a win-win
situation for everybody."
The business manager of the new
venture is Randy Wood, a Licking, MO farmer who grows herbs that
he distributes to the Sappington Farmer's Market, Whole Foods
Market and Local Harvest.
He said the union created a
company called Farm to Family Naturally LLC to buy Sappington.
"This is not a typical
move," Wood said about the grocery market purchase. he
said it was a first for the Missouri group and rare for any
cooperative of family farmers.
Farm to Family hopes to
eventually sell shares in the venture, Wood said. It also
plans to look for other similar opportunities.
"We want this to be a model
for other areas, so they can do the same thing," Greenspan
said.
The market hopes to get enough
locally produced items so that it can showcase certain products
each weekend, Wood said. The plan would include having representatives from farms and other local businesses demonstrate
and explain their products to shoppers.
Sappington also will showcase
Missouri wines, Wood said. While the store may continue
selling wines from other regions as well, it will likely
discontinue the sale of distilled spirits.
In addition to Missouri products,
the union also will bring in items from nearby areas. For
example, it has brought an interest in an organic buying club in
Fayetteville, Ark., that will allow it to expand the market's
organic offerings. These items will range from dog food to
health and beauty aids, Wood said.
However, the market will continue
to offer good values. Many of its regular customers are
low-income and elderly shoppers who can't afford higher priced
organics, Wood said.
"We do understand that
people have budgets they must live within," he said.
gappleson@post-dispatch.com
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