Good Earth Food Co-Op — Restaurant in St. Cloud

For those looking to make a healthy change in their life, this is definitely worth checking out. Although stores like cash wise and coborns offer an "organic" section, Good Earth is a local co-op that also offers classes and meetings where you can get to know others and learn about how to make changes all around for a better and healthier life. The Good Earth is about helping with a healthy lifestyle all around. Staff is very knowledgeable and always willing to help. They have a cafe area that offers delicious food and beverages. Where they really excel in my opinion is their bulk grain and seed section. If they don't have a certain item in stock they are willing to help try to find it for you. Be sure to check out their dairy and cheese section also, I always leave with a few pounds of delicious smoked cheese. A some noted, the prices on some items are a bit high but quality, local food will cost a bit more. Cheaper preservative loaded "food" is available at Walmart, but the flavor and quality of foods offered at Good Earth definitely make the higher price worth it. Stop in some time, you won't be...

Good Earth has bulk teas and spices available that put many off-the-shelf options to shame in terms of quality, while being understandably more expensive. But for anyone outside of the specific ethos of local-and-organic, the organic options are simply obscenely overpriced for any comparable conventional option. For the exact same goods, I'm not sure if Lund's & Byerly's would be cheaper or more expensive—since Good Earth is not the only store in town that carries the organic options that live in the dry grocery section of their little store. Many other stores also offer organic produce options, particularly Fresh Thyme. The member discount doesn't seem like it would do much to offset the price difference. They carry vegan deli options, some of which are from a place in Minneapolis, I think. We tried a veggie loaf. It was... disappointing. And it cost a lot.

So, it's not our first stop for groceries. But we do visit from...

I've worked here for 6 years so a review would be biased. I will say that the community of people who shop here are so welcoming and very friendly. The Co-op offers community events, local fare and a delicious selection of deli made foods and baked goods. All in all this little co-op offers a unique selection that's comparable to some of the bigger co-ops in the cities. There are a variety of community events in store as well as events throughout the area including participation in Munsinger Art in the Park. The vegan selection is extensive. Gluten free items are color coded with an orange tag. The Good Earth places its focus on the local economy which is something that the big box stores and other food markets don't seem...