(July 27, 2012) --The health-and-wellness industry has evolved to keep pace with changing concepts of how physical fitness and healthy diets can lead to fuller, more satisfying lives....
Mark Fergusson, CEO and "chief vegetarian officer" for Down to Earth for 20 year, said his company has grown "to support individuals taking care of their own health."
While conventional food stores will "sell anything that will make a profit, we're selling foods that are good for people," he said.
Down to Earth, which opened its first store on Maui in 1977, now boasts a group of stores, including a 10,000-square-foot store in Kapolei.
Fergusson noted that people are becoming more educated about what they eat. While organic foods were previously offered only at natural food stores, "now even Safeway has organic brands," he said.
He attributes the growth in nutritious foods to increased education, growing accessibility, and an understanding that a natural lifestyle is better for the environment, animals and health. Through education, people have realized that the concepts of food, fitness and health are related.
"One leads to the next," he said.
PHOTO: Claudine Cabison, manager of Down to Earth in Kailua, stocks up on organic produce as CEO Mark Fergusson looks on.
The above is an excerpt from Pacific Business News. To read the entire article (subscription-based) visit: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/print-edition/2012/07/27/roads-to-he… .