PRODUCE NEWS
It is seed time again! This year the produce department features several seed racks from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, a seed distributor that focuses on heirloom and open-pollinated varieties, most of them certified organic. Southern Exposure selects seed that perform best under our Southern growing conditions.

We are offering several flower and herb seed varieties, lots of great tomatoes and squashes as well as melons, peas and beans. All seed packets are 99 cents, an incredible price for certified organic and non-hybrid garden seed. You will not find a better price our quality anywhere else. Look for transplants soon as well.

We continue to load up on local produce, continually expanding our suppliers and variety. If you haven’t signed up for the Black River Organic Farm CSA box, you still have time. More information is available at blackriverorganicfarm.com

And please check out cricketbread.com/blog for continuing adventures in local eating!
Trace, Mike and Nicole

GROCERY NEWS
The bulk department has made some great changes. They have added a fabulous sea salt called RealSalt. RealSalt’s unique flecks of color are the result of more than 50 natural trace minerals essential to human health; including natural iodine! They have also added mung beans to the bulk bins that reduces the cost in half. To make it easier to shop wehave added a bag dispenser that can be found right in the middle of the back wall. We also will be adding some much needed light to the back aisle in the next few weeks.

In grocery we have added some very tasty organic juices from Woodstock and some super fun drinks from Function. Each Function drink was
physician-developed to provide unique, concrete functionality, without having to wait hours in a doctor’s office.

In our Perishable area I am excited to be able to offer fresh local all natural chicken, pork and beef. The chicken and pork come from Rainbow Meadow farms and the beef products come from Nooherooka. All the beef is dry aged which means great flavor but also means we will only get fresh products every three weeks. Thanks for your support and feedback!

Craig, Lydia, Sean, Rob,
Mike, Karla, Brandon

WELLNESS NEWS
Greetings from the Wellness Department! We are hoping to start the New Year off right, with everything you need on special. In this edition of the newsletter we will discuss the results of our Wellness Department survey. Thank you to everyone who turned one in! We hope to plan a course of action that will address your concerns about potentially harmful ingredients. Also, we have introduced a few new products in dietary health and women’s hygiene. Finally, we would like to welcome our newest employee, Luke Titus, formerly of the Front End staff who has joined the Wellness Department ranks.

The Wellness Department would like to thank everyone who turned in their surveys. The results indicated that the majority of responders are most concerned with reading ingredients on product labels. The importance of researching unfamiliar ingredients was also somewhat/very important, although several responses articulated an assumption that the Tidal Creek staff already screened products. While we do try to offer the healthiest products, we would also like to offer a choice between products made with the purest ingredients and those that are above average, but are still affordable. All of our products are better than traditional offerings, but it we encourage you take an active role in selecting the best products for your unique needs.

Based on the survey, there is a demand for “cleaner” products and while we will look into offering a larger selection of cleaner items, we will continue to offer a full range of alternative beauty products. Some useful websites in researching the health effects of potentially harmful ingredients include www.cosmeticdatabase.com and www.ewg.org. Both sites have a search field to look up specific ingredients and get detailed information on research and the industry stance on them. These websites also have extensive articles, blogs and other resources to aide with researching and selecting the best supplements for you and your family.

As for new products, we have recently introduced a vegan meal replacement supplement called Vega. Formulated by a vegan tri-athlete Brendan Brazier, Vega is a complete meal replacement that is comprised entirely of vegan ingredients. It was created using “… the highest quality, least processed, plant-based superfoods available” (Brendan Brazier). Some of the benefits of choosing plant-based whole foods include reduced biological age, longer life expectancy, less body fat, more lean muscle, improved productivity and mental clarity as well as a higher quality of deep sleep (Sequel products, myvega.com). Vega is especially formulated for the vegan athlete, but suitable for everyone.

Another new item we recently started carrying is a product for women called the Diva Cup; an ecological choice for women in all stages of menstruation. The Diva Cup is a flexible silicone cup that is odorless and easy to clean. Take care of yourself and the environment with the reusable Diva Cup. Visit www.divacup.com for more detailed information.

And lastly, to assist our customers with their shopping needs we have hired a new member in the Wellness Department. Luke Titus is the newest member of our wellness family. Luke became interested in nutrition more than six years ago as part of a family initiative into healthier living. Luke is a biology major studying at UNCW with aspirations of studying nutrition on the graduate level. This past summer he spent six weeks studying with Laurence Layne at the Healing Waters Clinic and Herb Shop in St. Augustine, Florida. Welcome Luke!
Renee, Kelly, Laura, Katheryn, Stephanie, Luke

Deli News
Forefront on our agenda at this time is the upcoming expansion and “face lift” of the Deli. Plans are still being reviewed and discussed regarding how we as a department can better serve the Tidal Creek customer. As of now, plans are to move a lot of our prepared foods into a service display case. This would allow us to offer more selections at price points that are reflective of actual costs rather than trying to fit everything into one cost point. More variety would be available for take out, and who knows, some prices might even be able to be reduced.
Hopefully, our use of plastic packaging could also be reduced.

Our plans also include a sandwich to order program and slicing our own meats. This option would , once again , provide variety and allow us to offer more of the traditional deli platter options for those of you searching for those products. As you know, especially those of you who graciously eat with us on a daily basis, parking is a ‘bear’ at lunch.

Through some reevaluation of how we can service our customers we want to appeal to more people throughout the entire time of store operation. This in turn, increases our ability to enhance variety and freshness in our product line.

One last item… please know we are listening to you. Hopefully, amidst all of our revamping, we will be also be developing new products for those of you with special dietary concerns and request.
Deb Lovan & The Deli Staff