Healthy choice
BLACKFALDS — When starting a new business, it helps to have friends in high places.
Byron Anderson believes his venture has support from the highest level possible.
Anderson is helping with a Seventh-day Adventist Church initiative to open a café, food store and education centre in Blackfalds. Slated to operate as Nature-al Lifestyle Centers — or simply Nature-al — it will promote a healthy lifestyle through its three components.
The café, said Anderson, will serve wholesome foods, including vegetarian and vegan selections. Starting with basics like sandwiches and soups, it will broaden out from there, he said, with an emphasis on homemade.
The food store will focus on bulk products and fresh produce.
“We want to get as much as we can locally,” said Anderson, expressing optimism that producers from the area will participate.
Items like vitamin supplements will be available, he continued, but the goal is to teach consumers about the benefits of natural whole foods.
This learning will be supported by the education centre, where group classes and individual counselling will be offered.
“We want to educate the public that eating healthy doesn’t have to empty the bank account,” added Anderson.
Nature-al is expected to open by the end of this month or early in November. Anderson has been working on the project for the past year, along with his fellow directors Landon Sayler, Jon-Ross Ennest and Michael Willing.
But the biggest contributor isn’t even on the board, he pointed out.
“It wouldn’t be possible without God’s help.”
Anderson described how roadblocks were overcome and money arrived unexpectedly at critical times. As a result, Nature-al will open without debt or in need of government grants.
Located in Blackfalds at 5049 Parkwood Rd., Nature-al is expected to fill a need in a community dominated by young families. Anderson said consumers face an onslaught of information and misinformation that can make heathy choices difficult. “Even if it says ‘organic’ on the package, a lot of the ingredients are not the best.”
The business will operate as a not-for-profit entity, with proceeds from its operations to support community programs.
Members of the community will be able to help out, said Anderson, including submitting their own recipes for use at the café.
In time, Nature-al might devote some of its 2,400 square feet to other healthy themes, he said, such as outdoor equipment.
hrichards@reddeeradvocate.com
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