Last summer, natural foods pioneer and Pacific Foods Co-Founder Chuck Eggert announced plans to enter the competitive Portland, Oregon, grocery market with a new, mission-driven small-footprint grocery concept. Basics Market’s first location opened soon after in the city’s Rose City Park neighborhood. And with three more stores planned—the first of which will debut later this year—the start-up shows no sign of flagging in its efforts to empower shoppers and pair nutritious and convenient fare with educational resources.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Eggert some questions about Basics™ Market, its mission, unique format, and the company’s plans for the future.
Robert Schaulis: Can you give me a little general background on Basics Market? What is Basics Market? When and how was the company founded?
Chuck Eggert: Basics is a market, classroom, and gathering place designed to help more people cook healthy meals at home. Basics finds the freshest, most flavorful ingredients, pairs them with simple, seasonal recipes, and shares kitchen skills and nutrition know-how so everyone has just what they need to cook at home.
The store is supplied by a network of organic, sustainable farms and Oregon food producers that prioritize soil health, animal welfare, regenerative practices, and seasonal rhythms. The store is structured around convenient meal stations which feature seasonal recipes. Each recipe can also be customized for personal preference. Basics is designed to work for both people new to cooking and experienced epicureans looking for nutritional guidance.
It was founded in 2017 (the first store opened in 2018) by a collective of farmers, entrepreneurs, culinary experts, nutritionists, and natural foods veterans inspired to nurture health through food.
RS: What is the ethos behind the company? Tell me a little bit about the impetus behind the creation of Basics Market: to what pressing need, in terms of grocery retail and its relationship to community, were the company’s founders responding?
CE: Basics is reinventing groceries to nurture stronger, healthier communities through food. We’ve integrated a market, nutrition classroom, and discovery kitchen under one roof with a mission to increase access to foods at peak nutrition and help more people cook at home. We believe when people cook at home, they’re fixing more than dinner. They’re taking their health into their own hands, doing more with less and connecting to others with the end result of building stronger, healthier communities.
We see an opportunity to help more people improve their health through food by making locally grown and raised foods more accessible. We’ve cut down traditional layers of distribution by going direct from farm to store and working with other partners interested in doing the same.
RS: Small format stores seem to be increasingly important—even for large companies traditionally associated with box stores like Target Corporation. Why do you think the small format grocery is becoming so much more prevalent? How does the small-format store approach help serve Basics Market’s mission?
CE: At 7,500 square feet, the small footprint is designed for easy access and focused on providing customers with just what they need to cook healthier meals at home. We’ve kept our markets small and choices simple to focus on products selected for quality and peak nutrition.
RS: What can you tell me about Basics Market’s focus on education? Can you break down some of the process involved in programing Basics Market’s educational platform and curating a selection that corresponds?
CE: A third of the market space is dedicated to a Nutrition Classroom and Discovery Kitchen. A full calendar of diverse daily classes (currently, all free) include nutrition information, cooking demos, and kitchen skill building for a variety of levels and interests. We work with our team of nutrition and culinary mentors to develop classes that are on-trend and useful, building confidence in the kitchen for new cooks and providing inspiration for those who are more seasoned.
RS: How does Basics Market differ from a traditional supermarket in terms of its approach to sourcing?
CE: We partner with local, sustainable producers whenever we can and work together to keep prices accessible. Our meats, produce, and eggs, and much of the cheese and dairy, come from nearby farms with a priority on sustainable producers. Shelves are stocked with choice foods and staples in every category, prioritized by local and sustainable suppliers whenever possible. The best produce of the season is delivered fresh daily, and shoppers can choose from high quality regional meats and dairy products.
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