Earth Fare, a natural and organic food chain based in North Carolina, opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. in the Atlantic North shopping center.
Today, it provided media tours in advance of the opening to the public.
The company, whose tag line is “Real Food For Everyone,” says its food never contains artificial ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup or antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones in fresh meat or dairy.
Earth Fare hired 85 people to staff the store, which is next to Academy Sports & Outdoors at northwest Kernan and Atlantic boulevards.
Customers may sign up online at earthfare.com for promotions.
The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Wednesday and the store will open immediately after. To start, hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Hours might be adjusted based on customer needs.
Earth Fare is based near Asheville, N.C. It began in 1975 and, with the Jacksonville opening, operates 33 stores in nine states, including a Florida store in Tallahassee.
Earth Fare’s Jacksonville store appears to be at least a $2 million construction job. Target Contractors Inc., associated with center developer Sleiman Enterprises, is the contractor for the 24,000-square-foot store construction and build-out.
The store also offers a café area near the entrance.
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