Staff of Life Still Provides the Stuff of Good Living

For 55 years, Staff of Life has been supplying Santa Cruz County residents with some of the finest bread, produce, cheese, wine, bulk, and specialty foods to be found along the Central Coast—much of it local, organic, or sustainably grown, raised or caught. 

Whether you’re seeking cassava flour, cooked-to-order Dungeness crab or Bolivian pink salt, edible flowers or farmstead sheep’s milk yogurt, you’ll find it at one of Staff of Life’s two stores in Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

When founders Gary Bascou and Richard Josephson started the business in Santa Cruz in 1969 it was as a bakery. Bascou is of Basque heritage and comes from a long line of bakers, and Josephson was interested in using organic flour, which was initially sourced from Giusto’s, a family-owned business based in San Francisco. Not long after opening, the bakery expanded to carry bulk organic flours, a novel concept at the time.

Today, Staff of Life has the largest selection of bulk goods in the Monterey Bay area—part of the company’s bid lower its carbon footprint—along with a comprehensive wellness department, and in-house organic bakeries that also make gluten free and vegan offerings. 

The sheer volume and array of specialty foods—ethnic, imported, local, organic, vegan, keto, gluten-free and more—surpasses that of any other grocer in the region and Staff of Life has also been instrumental to the success of past and present California brands like Odwalla, Farmhouse Culture, My Mom’s Mole, LIFEAID Beverage Co. and The Green Waffle.

Staff of Life has also earned a reputation for high-quality made-to-order foods, prepared dishes and grab-and-go items. From the full-service delis come sushi, soups, side dishes, entrees, sandwiches, smoothies, fresh juice, gelato, and more. The Santa Cruz store also is home to the dedicated Café de SOL with a full coffee bar.

With the opening of the Watsonville store, an underserved region finally has access to what Bascou calls “good, healthy food.” In addition to a state-of-the-art green design and the largest cheese department in the South County, the store features a central produce department, 99.5 of which is organic, much of that local. 

When Staff of Life opened, the term “organic” was unregulated, but when CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) was created in Santa Cruz in 1973, Bascou—who had learned about sustainable agriculture while living in England in the late 60s—seized the opportunity to incorporate the concept into the company’s ethos. Having an owner so connected to the fledgling movement was crucial to Staff of Life’s identity as it expanded.

The produce department was a natural extension of the store’s bakery beginnings. With Bascou’s connections to local and organic growers, the finest fruits and vegetables procured a list that over the decades has grown to include Earthbound Farms, Coast Produce, Pinnacle Farms and Lakeside Organic Gardens and Happy Boy Farms. 

Cheese has always been a major focus at Staff of Life and the company was an early champion of acclaimed California makers like Pt. Reyes’s Cowgirl Creamery and Petaluma’s Andante Dairy. The cheese buyers make regular sourcing trip around the state and to Europe, a boon for caseophiles seeking hard-to-find offerings from places like South Australia, Corsica, and Cornwall; there’s also a stellar array of accoutrements including pickles, honey and preserves.

Staff of Life’s wine department grew alongside the cheese department, emphasizing local makers like Madson Wines, Kobza, Bargetto, Alfaro and Bonny Doon Vineyards, as well as international offering and an impressive selection of domestic and imported craft beers and ciders. 

Watsonville hosts a Wine Down Wednesday event every other week, where shoppers can talk to wine reps to learn more about specific labels (free tastes included; the program will launch in Santa Cruz as well in mid-April).

The meat department is a relatively new focus for Staff of Life. Prior to 2019, it was operated by a third-party vendor, but the revamped program places an emphasis on whole animal butchery and humane livestock management. All meat and poultry are free of hormones and antibiotics; Certified Piedmontese and Smart Chicken are two brands offered at Staff of Life that adhere to these standards. 

Both producers are based in the Midwest. Certified Piedmontese is a network of family-owned ranches that produce grass finished Piedmontese cattle, a breed known for its excellent flavor, high protein yield and lower fat content. Smart Chicken birds are raised in state-of-the-art ventilated housing that allows the birds access to roam outdoors. 

Sustainability is also part of the seafood department’s criteria. The counter follows the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guidelines, meaning it only offers species from well-managed global fisheries, with most of the butchery done on-site.

Despite decades of growth and change, Staff of Life still operates according to its founding principles including supporting the local food shed and responsible food production and sourcing. Says Bascou, “We started as a family-owned organic bakery and over half a century later, we’re still committed to providing the best products and serving our community for years to come.”

For information on special events including wellness workshops, wine tasting and healthy eating tours, visit staffoflifemarket.com