Earth Fare

Very nice grocery store with wide isles and friendly staff. I visited around closing time and unfortunately the smoothie operations were close down for the evening. Lots of food and grocery options.

Great concept in an area that desperately needs food options. I really like this place especially for the grocery items and meats. Produce however is a little questionable. Organic Mexican juice oranges? Need Sunkist citrus. Not generic labels and bags. Other than that, I like it.
;-)

One of the better organic food markets in the Gainesville area. I’m giving it 4 stars because of the take out food that they have. When I tasted it, it didn’t taste very fresh and the chicken was very cold, hard and bland.
I love to cook, so the spice rack in the back is always my go to place whenever I come here, you get to scoop as much as you please and not waste money buying huge bottles of each.

I love Eartthfare! So much so that going to southern FL for a few days so I arranged our drive down around a stop at the closest store to our destination, 3 ½ hours away. But worth the trouble and planning are worth it for the wonderful meat, seafood and produce we will enjoy. This appeared to be a new store and right on par with the ones I frequent in Indiana and Tennessee. Staff was probably even friendlier!

I waited for a long time for Gainesville, FL to get an Earth Fare after I encountered the glorious food wonderland of the one in Boone, NC. I will give this Earth Fare five stars when they overcome their stocking problem. I was informed Gainesvillians don’t buy enough specialty food (such as gluten-​free) for the company to make restocking this particular store a priority, so the shelves are often bare in crucial spots when I go looking for gluten-​free mushroom ravioli or some such.

Overall, Earth Fare is a good supermarket. It seems to have more variety for healthy food than anywhere else in Gainesville. The issue is that most items, not all but most, are overpriced and the identical item can be found cheaper elsewhere. The store is never busy when I’m there and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of the high prices. I’ve seen some disappointing produce there as well. That all said, I’m glad to have Earth Fare as an option but it is certainly not my first or even second choice when I’m grocery shopping.

Having been in Gainesville for the last 7 years, I have seen a lot of new shops pop up and succeed. For a while, the go to organic supermarket in Gainesville has been Fresh Market. While good, it was always out of the way for people living around the Archer Rd. and 34^th Street area. But all of that changed when Earth Fare opened.
Earth Fare, while smaller compared to Fresh Market, brings its own unique vibe and style to an area of Gainesville that has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. Upon entering Earth Fare, you are greeted by a well lit interior with an extremely modern feel. Everything in the supermarket is extremely well organized and you get a feeling that the people working there really care and really love what they are doing. Every time I have gone to Earth Fare, I have never been disappointed by their service. Their employees are always happy to help you, very polite, and maintain the utmost professionalism. I love the variety of meats, produce, and cheeses that Earth Fare carries. Being a person that enjoys cooking and making food with fresh ingredients, I love coming to Earth Fare and seeing what they have in stock.
The only downside is that things do not come cheap at Earth Fare. But in my opinion, I think it is well worth the cost. Though the prices may be much higher than Publix for example, you are getting products of excellent quality. Earth Fare has now become my go to place to shop for groceries and I hope they keep up their excellent service and the quality and quantity of products that they carry.

With so many organic markets in Gainesville, it was surprising when they decided to open another one right in my backyard. Earthfare had a lot to live up to, with Lucky’s and Trader Joe’s nearby. Their prices are extremely steep when things are not on sale. $ 7 for two pounds of grapes?! $ 5.49 for a small box of cereal?! On the surface, Earthfare seems kind of crazy and you would think that it would not stand a chance in Gainesville, let alone the shopping plaza that is notorious for tanking businesses.
I first came to Earthfare on grand opening day. I was not early enough for the free gift cards, but what I came in time for, was the Tomato Bank Reward program. Although the the benefits are not awesome, getting 5% each time plus some points really made me smile. Earthfare is not a weekly destination for me. Their marketing is definitely what brings me in because their daily prices are unreasonable for a student.
Earthfare sends out deals via text and e-​mail. Most of the time these deals are mediocre, but sometimes they’re actually pretty great. Earthfare has become my destination for wild caught seafood. They have THE BEST deals on shrimp, mahi mahi, and salmon. You really cannot beat $ 7.99 a pound! They have recently started having more sales and that is what brings me in (BOGO BEB.)
The décor is beautiful. It is chic and modern. I really enjoy purchasing groceries in dimmer lighting. It makes it a more relaxed atmosphere. To compliment that, the employees are helpful, but not pushy. Someone will help you if needed, but they won’t bombard you with questions every step you take.
I really love eating healthy, non-​GMO foods and I am glad that Earthfare is making it somewhat more affordable (sometimes). The prices will never be as low as Lucky’s, but I do not mind paying a few dollars more for sustainably sourced protein! Kudos to you Earthfare, for bringing fresh seafood and other healthy goodies to Gainesville.

There was a lot of hype when this store opened, and I have to say I am a little disappointed. The selection is not that great– there’s more variety at Lucky’s or Publix. I have tried some of their prepared foods and it is just okay. I really like their macaroons at the bakery. The prices are not that great here. I feel like I can get a better deal on the same quality food elsewhere.

This is by far our favorite food store in town. The customer service is always wonderful. The quality of their products is always excellent. Earth Fare has taken the best of all the food stores and put it all into one. Taking a Fresh Market quality of goods, Publix customer service and prices. They really are an excellent cross between Trader Joe’s and Luckys.
We typically shop the sales. From time to time they have $ 10 off of $ 70 coupons. My favorite is the meat and cheese departments. This is the first place EVER in Gainesville that sells 28 day dry aged beef. I never thought I would taste the difference between hormone free antibiotic free grain fed chicken. But WOW their chicken breasts wonderful. We’re convinced.
The cheese department is great, for the fact that you can pick any cheese in the cooler and ask for a sample. So easy, and so much fun to try different cheeses you might never buy or try.
98 cents for a full length baget (small french bread). $ 2.98 everywhere else. They sell macaroons which are hard to find.
All in all Fare Market is an excellent shopping experience !
Highly recommend paying them a visit and enjoying the experience.

While my star rating has not really changed, I felt I should update my review of Earth Fare because when I reviewed it in August it has just opened for business. Now, I have visited Earth Fare nearly every day I’m in town, so I have a more complete impression of the supermarket.
For one, I like it better than The Fresh Market (which I find nearly inept in several regards) and Lucky’s Market: the produce seems fresher, the deli and bakery is better, and Earth Fare makes fresh (and very good) smoothies to order, which these other markets do not, nor does Publix or any other local grocer I’m aware of, so there is that. The smoothies are a huge selling point to me because I love smoothies and they only use fresh fruit and organic bases (green tea, coconut water, whatever you select) for the smoothies while in contrast places like Tropical Smoothie and Smoothie King seem to use a lot of syrups, frozen fruit, and far too much sugar/​sweetener. The main reason I visit Earth Fare nearly daily in fact is on account of its awesome smoothies and the equally awesome people who work in the that department and make the smoothies.
The deli itself however is another matter: some of the food is pretty good and their hot bar and salad bar concepts are great, but it seems the hot bar isn’t restocked that often throughout the evening so food sits out and gets stale like at a seldom-​visited country buffet. The pizza is pretty good, I will give them that, and the deli salads are hit or miss, but mostly far too salty for my tastes. Some bakery goods are pretty good, others are not. I don’t much care for their cookies but their sweet rolls are better than Publix’s. Their bread is very good, though and often one type of bread is on special, which is a deal. The cheese counter is pretty good and their olive bar is far and away better than any other area grocer’s.
The general grocery/​dry goods selection is health-​minded and ok but not exceptional. Make no mistake, this is not a Whole Foods, alas, and I do wish we had a Whole Foods here. None of these other grocers compare. Why no one else has copied Whole Foods’ trail mix bar where you can create your own trail mix, I do not know. Earth Fare’s own selection of trail mixes and bulk goods is ok, but not outstanding. Their selection of energy bars though is pretty good. The health and beauty section pretty much mirrors that of Lucky’s – about the same brands and selection.
The staff, especially the younger kids of the deli area, are very friendly and helpful but at times it seems things are not as well-​organized as they could be: the smoothie bar is supposed to be open to nine at least, but sometimes no one is around. It was open up to ten when they opened but that was changed – I guess they’re short-​staffed? Everyone still seems to be learning everything, but it’s a new store so be patient.
I will certainly keep coming frequently for the smoothies, the deli (to an extent), some baked goods, and a few general grocery items. Also for the cheese and olives and they have a good selection of pastas, too. However, just like Lucky’s and Fresh Market, it seems to aspire to Whole Foods’ legendary status but isn’t big enough nor tightly-​run enough, nor has the deep quality in things like the deli to elevate it up there.

Beautiful. Family style fresh market. You Just want buy everything. Nice and clean fresh from almost every food and drink u can imagine. Sure its not 100% perfect but its nice have store like that. They have for every day different event on sale. Fresh salad bar. Good place for lunch or snack time. Friendly crew and just u know where is what. Some stuff are $$ but still u can find better product then Publix or Walmart and u can easy find cheaper product then in both of these stores.

I have to say, I am definitely a fan! They have a great selection of dairy, produce, and meats. They have a cafeteria which is a great idea considering there is a kitchen near their deli, that appears to have some pretty tasty grub. I should be back soon!

Per capita, Gainesville has an unusually large amount of natural food markets. Each market has their own speciality. But, in my opinion Earth Fare has the lowest prices on produce and the best location. You can get 5 ears of corn for $ 2.79 or a huge bunch of organic kale for $ 2.50. There are always specials, just like at the other health food markets. But, there definitely is some competition going on between Earth Fare and the downtown market by another name.
What I really like about Earth Fare is the one-​stop-​shop approach, where I can get everything needed that week at one location, including most international food items to cook with. Even their selection of soap and natural cosmetics are impressive.
The café area would be a great place to meet up with friends and hit the salad bar, or try their crispy thin crust pizza. The pizza looked so good! It was fun watching the customer’s excitement about the huge chunks of delicious-​looking swordfish on the hot bar. Their bakery is large, and rivals even the best local bread and pastry shops. There is a self-​service case of cookies, the fresh strawberry poundcake cupcake I had was perfect, and the croissants looked light and crispy.
Earth Fare has also become popular because of their Tomato Bank rewards points program— where customers can earn rewards points on double days, extra points items, bringing their own shopping bags, and just visiting the store. Every 100 points earned= $ 1 in redeemable savings on purchases. Their flyers are also posted on their website, and their handy mobile app has some great $ 1 off coupons.
Gainesville, I am so jealous of you, we have nothing like this in Tampa Bay. And, in Tampa Bay we have 4.5 million people versus Gainesville at 128 thousand. Not fair!

I have been wanting to try Gainesville’s newest grocery store, so yesterday when I was in the area I stopped in and they did not disappoint. It is very clean, they have a good selection of different items and the employees are very friendly. The only reason I am giving it a 4 star instead of a 5 is because I tried out a few different trail mixes and they all seemed a bit stale to me. But I definitely plan on stopping in there in when I am in Gainesville.

This place is awful. Cashier had no idea what she was doing and needs to be fired. I was not impressed with the selection of products and produce. We already have trader joes, luckys, wards, fresh market… Earth fare is unnecessary

Sliding into home is a new player on the grocery delivery team, Earth Fare. This new hitter is half Fresh Market, half Trader Joes, and dreams of becoming a Wards. They have a permanent place on the home team roster if they do not stray outside the first base line.
I miss Baseball season.
Right off the bat, they were a big hit with me when I was greeted in the parking lot as I got out of my car by an employee marshaling carts, and then, BOOM, out of the park, when I was met with .99 cent Dole Pineapples just inside the double doors.
Once inside there were many super deals on sale. There were ample samples and employees giving away SWAG and being helpful everywhere.
Earth Fare is much more dedicated to organics than either Fresh Market or Trader Joes, and their stated company philosophy is to be more locally sourced like Wards. I did not see evidence that they have a sustainable chain of delivery from local sources, at least not yet, and I think that is too much to ask from the new kid; it takes time to establish those relationships, and I would take Earth Fare at their word that they will move in that direction. What I did see was super deals and specially marked items, while prices on non-​specially marked items were as high or higher then Fresh Market. This concerns me because once the honeymoon is over, and they reduce the number of specially marked items, this store may not be a less expensive alternative to Fresh Market, but rather tedium, necessitating that you go to all four stores: Earth Fare for specials, and Fresh Market for specialties, Trader Joes for staples, and Wards when you want to feel good about yourself and the community.
I have wondered for a while about local sourced markets vs. driving long distances to patronize these markets, and discount markets vs. both driving long distances and overbuying perishables because you have driven so far. I do not have answers. Just something I think about.
So, back to baseball analogies. Earth Fare is a hit. We will have to wait to see if it becomes a star player. James J. is right competition is good, and Gainesville is a winner with this new addition to our Grocery line-​up. I will review Earth Fare again, as we get to know each other better, and I hope she earns her last star.

Earth Fare opened today at 7 am. Lets get to the point:
Pros: It seems that Gainesville embraces & welcomes health food stores, so theres a market for Earth Fare here. Everything is made with «good ingredients” — non-​gmo, organic, natural, antibiotic free items, as well as many gluten free items. They also have fresh food, salad bar, bakery & in addition have bulk items (such as nuts & dried fruit, candy) and a beauty/​wellness section. They have a card for an extra 5% savings (I think its called tomato bank), and they take coupons as well.
Cons: limited selection of items as the store is smaller, noticeably in the produce & meat department, prices slightly higher on non-​advertised items. Location– theres only one and its by Archer Rd & it will be packed for the next month. Not very many cons to be honest!
I saw a lot of things and will probably be back to see more of the store once the madness dies down. In short, check it out if you like organic, healthy food– its a good choice!

Competition is what makes good bizes better, and not-​so-​good spots fall off the map. Even carrying the exact same products you’ll still need good pricing, great service, and sometimes a pinch of luck (wink, wink) to keep the edge. Earth Fare looks to be well-​rounded, experience-​oriented, and ready to fight for a shot at grocery glory.
The Space
Currently the taking a big chunk of a newly-​renovated plaza at the south east corner of Archer and 34^th, Earth Fare has a sprawling parking lot to accommodate the crowd of go-​greeners and organic manics that’ll flock here in their opening month. Walking in you’re immediately in their produce section which is densely packed while still allowing for room to actually shop… ya know… without jabbing people or using miniature shopping carts.
Coolers line the middle of the place, meat cuts are in the back with their bakery, and both the deli café are at the front left corner.
The Service
Bright-​eyes and bushy-​tailed it’s clear they value the concept of a strong team. Grain of salt for it being a grand opening, staff were actively grabbing products off the shelf to discuss them with people passing by. Knowledgeable and passionate, the CEO of the company was onsite to deliver the store to The Swamp. If this part doesn’t fizzle after a bit and prices stay solid this’ll be an essential part of my grocery adventures
The Goods
Very, VERY similar to another place that recently opened aiming to provide big box organic/​local vibes, expect to find some awesome options: raw nuts for making your own butters, ready-​made and by the oz meals, in-​house baked goods, a café area… reminds me of the rivalry you see with chain pharmacies that open right across from one another. I checked the cost of a few personal essentials and the dollars made sense (laugh track).
I’m a big fan of their diversity in sampled goods though. Just in the quick waltz I danced I found diced pineapple, cheese, baked goods, and shelf items were being distributed to shoppers. People love food… especially free food.
Final Thoughts
With roots in Asheville I know the blueprint must be solid for this place. Execution and time will tell but there’s a new kid on the block prepared to bring a strong presence in a pretty stellar location. We’ll see which desperado fires first at ten paces…

Earth Fare had their grand opening today. I’m quite the connoisseur of health food stores, so naturally (no pun intended) I couldn’t wait to check this store out. I actually made two visits today, once this morning and once this evening.
I had already signed up online for their loyalty program, Tomato Bank, so I bypassed the mob scene out front and wandered into the store. As soon as I walked in I saw beautiful displays of organic produce. It all looked so fresh and the colors were amazing. Great variety and fair prices for organic. There seemed to be a decent variety of bulk foods and there was a large display of local honey. Keeping it local, I like that!
The beauty and wellness department was really nice, I’m going to go with the best in Gainesville. The baby/​kids health and wellness selection was the largest I’ve seen in town as well. Very impressive! I took home multiple organic hair and skin products since they were having a great sale.
The bakery and deli section of the store had a good variety. Baked goods and deli items are clearly marked as being vegan and the ingredients are all listed. I spotted a couple vegan cookie options, but decided to ask a bakery employee if they had any other vegan goods. She showed me where the vegan carrot cake was and also informed me that they will usually have vanilla and chocolate cupcakes as well. Oh, and the carrot cake was great… both pieces that I ate! Glancing in the deli case I decided to try the vegan «chicken» salad. It was really good. It was nice to see that they had some different vegan deli options. They have a small organic salad bar, hot foods station and pizza/​sandwich bar. Vegan pizza and/​or wheat free pizzas are available upon request.
All in all I was impressed with Earth Fare. They offer quality organic and non-​gmo goods, cater to all different dietary needs and they have a good customer loyalty program. The only reason I knocked them down a star is because they aren’t a one stop shop for all of my grocery needs. If they eventually carry just a few more of my organic grocery staples, I’d definitely give them that extra star!