New Lombard grocer brings fresh food to table

Yellow onions the size of 16-inch softballs, coconuts, taro and Thai eggplant may not be staples at most suburban grocery stores.

But at Harmony Fresh Farms, a Lombard store that opened in late April, those items are among a wide variety of peppers, melons and other produce piled high on display tables awaiting a diverse crowd of shoppers.

“We didn’t see too many green vegetables here, so we want to bring freshness to the people,” store manager Ken Bind said. “So far the response has been good.”

Harmony Fresh Farms stays true to its name, purchasing some of its produce straight from farmers and the rest from a produce market in Chicago, Bind said. The store also includes a meat counter, dairy items and a variety of packaged goods that may shift based on customers’ needs and wants.

While the store is open for its first summer season, the Tri-Town YMCA in Lombard has released the results of a community survey about what residents need to achieve healthier lifestyles.

Among the answers: better access to fresh produce for low-income families, YMCA Executive Director Joanne Mitrenga said.

“In the survey process, there has been discussion on the accessibility of fruits and vegetables, of whole grain foods,” she said.

Harmony Fresh Farms may increase accessibility of produce, but at its 330 W. Roosevelt Road location, the store is not entering what’s called a food desert, or an area where healthy food is not available within a half-mile, Mitrenga said.

Many Lombard grocery stores, including some small ethnic and specialty shops, are located on or near Roosevelt Road.

Ultra Foods, 491 E. Roosevelt Road, is a few blocks east as is Mediterranean Market, 612 E. Roosevelt Road. A strip mall at the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Road holds a Jewel-Osco, and a family-owned grocer, Mr. Z’s Supermarket, is about a mile up Main, at 401 S. Main St.

While increasing low-income residents’ access to fruits and vegetables is one objective identified by the YMCA’s community survey, Mitrenga said it really is a subsection of the broader goals announced June 1: Expand opportunities for physical activity, increase access to healthy eating and promote active transportation such as walking and biking.

A community survey process that began in October helped the YMCA develop the goals for changing policies and environmental features that create obstacles to healthy eating and physical activity, Mitrenga said.

And although it hasn’t been open long, Harmony Fresh Farms hopes it can gain a following among Lombard area residents looking for healthy items and uncommon produce. The store is the company’s first, but if all goes according to plan, it won’t be the last, Bind said.

“It all goes to the accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Mitrenga said.