Nature’s Emporium opening first Toronto store

Downtown Torontonians will finally get a taste of Nature’s Emporium.

The family-run health food market, which has locations in Newmarket, Maple, Burlington and Woodbridge, Ont,. is setting up shop at One York, a mixed-use development that includes a commercial tower and a residential tower. Nature’s Emporium is expecting to open its new 25,000-sq.-ft store in early 2023.

“For years, people have been asking us to open a store in Toronto, but we just couldn’t find the right location,” says Joe D’Addario, CEO of Nature’s Emporium. “When we were presented with this location at One York, we thought it was a great location. The South Core has a void that needs to be filled in terms of a natural and organic supermarket. The nearby Harbourfront community is a very active and health-conscious community, and there are office workers all around who are looking for healthy alternatives when it comes to lunch.”

Nature’s Emporium was founded in 1993, with the opening of a 4,000-sq.-ft. shop in Newmarket. The store grew and evolved over the years, and is now a 50,000-sq.-ft. flagship location.

All four locations are a “one-stop shop” for organic and natural foods and products that meet various dietary and lifestyle needs. Nature’s Emporium sells a range of organic produce; gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and soy-free options; plant-based and vegan foods, fair-trade items; antibiotic-free, hormone-free meat and seafood products; eco-friendly household products, and more. There’s also an extensive selection of vitamins and minerals, and natural health and beauty products.

Each store also has a cafe offering healthy juices, smoothies and snacks to fit any diet or lifestyle; grab-and-go meals, pizzas, salads, sandwiches and snacks, etc. made from organic ingredients; and an extensive selection of local food brands and products.

“It’s a one-stop shop. Customers don’t have to go somewhere else to do a top-up or a main shop,” says D’Addario.

Nature’s Emporium is also expanding its private-label brand offering to include a wider range of products. Over the coming months, the retailer is launching products under its Always Organic and Naturally True brands. Currently, both lines offer an extensive assortment of items in the fresh, grocery and home-cleaning categories.

When it comes to expansion plans, D’Addario says there are three to four stores on the horizon, and within the next five to 10 years, the aim is to have 15 to 20 stores in the Southern Ontario market. Following that, expanding outside of Ontario might be in the cards, perhaps out West.