Newflower Farmers Market employees will realize the fruits of their labor when the store opens Feb. 10 in Bee Cave.

Teams of cashiers were taking timed checkout tests and stockers were filling shelves last week to brace themselves and the store for a public clamoring for fresh produce and leaner meats.
The all-natural and organic grocery store at the Shops at the Galleria will treat the first 200 early-bird customers to a reusable shopping bag full of groceries worth $50 with any in-store purchase as well as vendor samples, demonstrations and live entertainment.
The grand opening will kick off at 6:30 p.m., and a garland-cutting ceremony will mark the occasion before doors open at 7 a.m.
Hundreds of shoppers have lined up in anticipation at other Newflower store openings to ratchet the intensity level even higher.
“The energy that we get back from the customers on that opening day makes the process all worthwhile,” said Joseph Cummins, director of new store operations.
The store also will barbecue all-natural beef from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. opening day and host cooking classes, crafts and games in a children’s activity tent.
The 31,000-square-foot store will feature a produce department, market counter with all-natural meat, seafood and poultry, dairy section, food service area with pre-packaged meats, cheeses and ready-to-eat meals, bulk nuts and candies and organic coffees.
“We have a very good selection of everyday household food items,” store director Bill Thrasher said, noting that the store’s customer base is hungry for healthier food options. “They are looking for healthier living – fresh products, natural products and organic products. They want to feed their family without growth hormones and artificial supplements.”
The Bee Cave store also will house a post office annex, Thrasher said, noting that it will begin operations at a date to be determined, but certainly after Newflower opens its doors.
He declined to comment on hours or services, citing ongoing discussions.
“That piece is still in the preliminary stage,” Thrasher said.
Company officials say the time is ripe for Newflower to expand in 2010.
“It’s a great time for us right now. People are gravitating more toward the smaller market concept it seems rather than the big box or the conventional [grocery stores],” Cummins said.
Sales of organic products in the U.S. sprouted to $24.6 billion in 2008, up 17.1 percent over 2007 sales, according to the Organic Trade Association.
“Organic products represent value to consumers, who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,” OTA Executive Director Christine Bushway said on the association’s web site.
The chain and its sister company, Sunflower Farmers Market, have opened four stores in Texas in the last 18 months and plan to spend $35 million to open more stores in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Texas. Seven to nine stores are slated to open this year.
Thrasher said the company, which was founded in 2002, operates 29 stores total and plans to reach 50 locations by 2013.
Each store creates 80 to 90 jobs with most of those full-time positions.
“Our growth plan is pretty aggressive, and it’s great that we’re creating jobs during a time when other people are laying off [employees] or shutting down businesses,” he said.