New Rachelle-Béry location opens in Montreal's Little Italy

Organic and natural health food chain Rachelle-Béry has opened its 11th store in Montreal.

The store is located in the heart of Little Italy, which Rachelle-Béry’s general manager Daniel Dubé says will help attract a diverse clientele.

“Little Italy is synonymous with freshness and quality, so it just made sense for Sobeys Quebec to bring its Rachelle-Béry organic health food store concept here to one of Montreal’s most celebrated food neighbourhods,” he said.

According to a spokesperson, with this opening Rachelle Béry is now the biggest chain of health food stores and boutiques in Quebec. Sobeys purchased Rachelle-Béry in 2005, and today the chain operates 20 boutiques inside IGA extra supermarkets alongside their 11 stores.

The new location spans 11, 000 square feet, and according to Dubé, is the format to expect from any future locations.

“We now build our current stores between 10,000 and 12, 000 square feet,” he said. “Two years ago our stores were about half that size.”

Dubé said additional square footage was needed to add more fresh food, including organic produce and a large selection of store-cooked dishes and hot meals.

One of the highlights of the Little Italy store is an extensive selection of bulk spices, teas and herbal teas. Dubé said the section is stocked with over 500 SKUs from serveral companies. Montreal-based Épices de Cru, for example, sources spices from around the globe and works exclusively with Rachelle-Béry.

The Little Italy store also sells organic foods imported from Italy, including olive oil, pasta and tomato sauces.