Best Organic Grocery Stores and Produce Markets in Aurora and Centennial, Colorado

Natural Groceries are sprouting up everywhere in the Southeast Denver Metro region. Some of these businesses are new to me, others have been around for decades. Luckily, these new stores are conveniently located, with a variety of price points for every shopper.

For my everyday shopping needs, I generally visit King Soopers, which offers a good variety of organic veggies and fruit and staples at reasonable prices. Within each aisle of prepared foods, King Soopers segregates the higher quality, organic and less common brands. Setting these foods aside makes them easier to find, but I prefer having the organic brands mixed in with the regular ones to make finding them and compare prices.

Sunflower Farmers Market recently sprung up at Cornerstar Shopping Center, on the southwest corner of Parker and Arapahoe Roads (15405 E. Briarwood Circle, Aurora 80016). There are 12 Sunflower Markets in Colorado, and the Aurora store is very attractive both inside and out.

Sunflower combines a good-sized produce and bulk foods selection with a healthy variety of frozen foods, dairy, fresh baked breads and cakes, cheeses, an olive bar, ethnic foods, and natural personal care and cleaning products. They also have three good sized aisles of vitamins and supplements, pretty much any herb, mineral, homeopathic remedy or multi-vitamin you could imagine!

Sunflower Pros: Helpful and courteous salespeople. When I'm looking for a specific vitamin, someone always comes over to provide advice or assistance finding a product. Also, the chicken, beef and lamb are great values and good quality meats. There's a post office inside, and their sales prices really are "silly" as they advertise. For example, this week, cucumbers and bell peppers are on sale for 50 cents each. Kashi cereal is $2.99 for a 13.4 oz box. And Braeburn or Fuji apples are 99 cents per pound.

Sunflower Cons: I don't like their open frozen food and dairy cases. Besides wasting tons of energy, the food doesn't stay as fresh. Also, they don't have as much organic produce as I expected. Much of the produce is conventionally farmed, and sometimes the produce seems inferior to what I've seen at King Soopers in size and freshness. Other times, there is great produce, so it can be hit-or-miss. Overall, the produce looks good, but not always as fresh as Whole Foods, in my experience.

The new Sprouts Farmers Market in Aurora is less than a year old, and conveniently located on
20811 E Smoky Hill Road, Aurora 80015, just west of Picadilly St. This new Sprouts is also attractive, bright, and open feeling. When you walk into Sprouts, thanks to low aisles, you can see across the entire market, from the breads and deli on the left, across the large middle produce section, to the dairy and packaged grocery products at the right. A large bulk foods section is located in the mid-section, toward the front.

Sprouts Pros: A nice bakery section with good variety of fresh breads and my favorite, German Sprouted Pumpernickel. They have a good Sabbath Challah, too. I bought a $13 organic, free range chicken to roast, and it tasted absolutely delicious! Very expensive, but worth the cost for a family treat. I think the produce variety and freshness is good, and there's a special section for organic fruits and veggies. The bulk foods offerings are very impressive, offering almost anything under the sun for self service. Checkers are very friendly, too.

Sprouts Cons: Quality food can be pretty expensive, so I visit Sprouts more occasionally than on a regular basis. When I go there, I stick to buying natural, gourmet and imported foods that I can't find anywhere else. Prices on bulk foods and sale items are great, though.

Mini Store Reviews: Vitamin Cottage has a flagship store on 5231 Leetsdale Dr , Denver , CO 80246. They have a great selection of natural groceries, both pre-packaged and bulk. Vitamins and natural personal care products are their specialty. I haven't seen their produce or meats selection in awhile, so I can't comment on the freshness or variety. I always found the vitamins, hair and skin care products I needed there, and this flagship location is their nicest one that I've shopped at in Colorado.

Whole Foods, located at Tamarac Square, 7400 E. Hampden Ave, provides the most fun, fresh and tasty Organic and Natural Foods shopping experience in SE Denver, in my opinion. As soon as you walk in, you are blown away by their produce section -- so fresh and vibrant! They offer lovely flower arrangement and potted plants, too. Whatever you're looking for, from chocolate to bread, meats, artisan cheeses and organic dairy products, they have the most bountiful selection under the sun! It's a great place to buy gourmet food gifts, like their decadent high-end chocolate boutique. You can also eat a meal at their sit-down cafe ~ soups, salads, pastas, entrees, dessert and more are self-service. The only con is price. Expect to pay more for the quality you receive, but the price is justified, in my opinion!