The origin story of Wild Roots Market, our truly essential natural foods grocery stores in Felton and Boulder Creek, was aptly told by Edible Monterey Bay as these markets celebrated 30 years back in 2021.
This deeply local business, owned from the very beginning by Bob and Terry Locatelli, is strongly committed to promoting and providing organic food and supporting our local farmers first and foremost.
In fact, since 2000, Wild Roots has been sourcing 100% organic and local, becoming the very first Certified Organic Retailer in the country that year. Back then, the markets were still included under the New Leaf umbrella, but after New Leaf was acquired by New Seasons, Locatelli decided in 2018 to hold onto ultimate independence and get back to the markets’ San Lorenzo Valley “roots.”
“We loved our old name and the business relationship with New Leaf, but we split because we felt changes were afoot, and we weren’t sure we would fit in. We wanted to stay true to our beliefs,” he told edible in 2021.
But there’s a piece to the story that many folks don’t realize or remember, a detail that actually began everything back in the 1970s when Locatelli purchased the Boulder Creek drug store across the street from Wild Roots. His background as a registered pharmacist is the seed that started it all, a perspective that linked health and preventative care with the food we eat. For Locatelli, it was a lightbulb moment that paved the way for his dream of offering the community an organic grocery store.
And so, over 30 years later, it is easy to acknowledge that Wild Roots offers local, organic food and has been successful in that plight. But to only highlight the food would be omitting a puzzle piece of the Wild Roots story, a concept that Locatelli actually brought to the table in the very beginning as a pharmacist, and what we now call the Wellness Department.
The supplements, vitamins, tinctures, body care products and natural remedies that are curated at each Wild Roots location is a very intentional selection. The same strong philosophies that go into sourcing organic produce are employed in the choices behind the wellness department.
“We have really high standards on what we choose to sell. And we have vast knowledge,” says Tracy Frankel, manager of the wellness department in Felton. “We tell people the back story of companies like Natural Factors—a vertically farmed, family-owned company from Canada—or one of our private labels, Vitality Works, founded in 1982 by this great herbalist Mitch Coven in Albuquerque—he’s our friend!”
Frankel is a perfect example of what sets Wild Roots apart as a small, independent and high integrity business that employs staff with the same high integrity. Her background is extensive, beginning with a B.S. in Nutrition from Pennsylvania State University. She worked as a dietitian and then in nutrition research before getting disillusioned with the corruption of research funding.
That’s when she decided to come to California for herbal school. “I’m always on this quest,” she says. With autoimmune issues herself, she has been on a path of learning ever since, from naturopathic schools, to raw food classes, to having run her own practice in an office on the top floor of the historic Cremer House across the parking lot from Wild Roots in Felton.
When she became a mom, she pivoted to managing the vitamin department in Boulder Creek, then moved over to the Felton store in 2008. Today, there is a four person team in the department, all with experiential backgrounds and certifications, from aromatherapy to massage therapy to permaculture to nutrition.
It is a rare thing in this modern age to walk into a store and get an expert to help you. Frankel has seen many changes over the years and knows that a big strong point for Wild Roots is maintaining this specialized customer service experience from highly qualified staff members.
“It used to be the phone ringing all day for me, now it is way less. I think in the information age, with all these online seminars, people are not physically going into a store for advice as much anymore. People are learning online, from trendy impulsive things on tiktok,” she says.
“I’ve been telling people about castor oil for forty years, and now everyone is wanting it because it’s on social media. Maybe that’s one good part, it will bring people in who won’t normally come in. But it’s a more quick fix world, with less connection to nature,” she adds. “A lot of people are surprised when they realize we have a wellness department.”
Frankel says that in years past there was way more interest in herbs and tinctures and natural remedies. She has seen things change drastically, and ties it to the evolving industry with so much done online now. Another thing she has noticed more recently, “People are sicker than ever,” she says, with regret. “To be honest, it’s stress, sleep, anxiety, digestive issues and inflammation.”
Another trend she’s noticed is that people are really into mushrooms right now. During Covid it was all about quercetin and zinc. Now it’s a lot more about sleep, depression, and adrenal support.
“We will do special orders if we don’t have something and we listen and consider bringing things in that people request. I don’t know if people realize they have a say in that,” adds Frankel.
Ultimately, nothing can substitute real knowledge, skill and experience. She says she has learned so much from her clients and customers, many of whom she has known for as many years as the store has existed.
“After the fire we lost a big demographic, a lot of people moved out and we never saw some regulars anymore,” she says. “But people still come in and get consultations that can save them so much time and money, just from our knowledge and intuition from doing this for so long.”
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
