CHP Magazines CHP Magazines Spring 2019 #16 | Page 44

How long has Health Healing &
Harmony been operating?
Formerly Innisfail Health Care
Centre, Health Healing & Harmony
has been operating under the current
management since November 1999. It
started as a small store, mainly stocking
supplements, skin care products and
natural food staples. Sustained growth
allowed for the diversification of the
products and services, and eventually
the upsizing into the current two-story
building and transition into a wellness
centre.
Who are your main types of
customers?
Health Healing & Harmony’s
customers are as diverse as the
products we offer. As the only wellness
centre in the area, we have strong ties
with the health conscious locals as
well as travelers wanting healthy foods
or foods to suit their special dietary
requirements.
What is it about your store that is
distinctly different from supermarkets?
Health Healing and Harmony is
more than a health food store, it is a
total wellness centre. Our purpose is to
foster healthy living through ‘teaching,
44 Complete Health
learning, sharing and caring’. Home to
a variety of health care practitioners
and health enthusiasts, our team are
truly passionate about supporting
and educating their customers to live
healthily and happily. Our team takes
the time to listen to our customers and
then provide recommendations to suit
their unique needs and wants. Not only
do we sell a wide variety of healthy,
ethical and sustainable products, but
we also provide a meeting place for our
healthy community to dine at our café
and develop their physical, mental and
spiritual health through yoga, healing
therapies and educational and spiritual
development workshops.
What are the changes in peoples
buying habits you have noticed over the
past couple of years?
People are becoming increasingly
aware of the harmful effects of exposure
to chemicals, not only in their foods,
but also in the products they put on
their skin and hair, clean their homes
with and use on their pets. More and
more, our customers are requesting
plant based foods and products that are
minimally processed and contain as few
ingredients as possible. Due to increased
awareness of gut health and the impact
it has on your overall health, we’ve also
noticed that people are looking for foods
and products to help support a healthy
gut. People want to be able to buy goods
that proliferate healthy gut bacteria and,
perhaps more importantly, they want to
educate themselves on what “the gut” is
and how they can adopt habits to keep
it healthy. We noticed this trend a few
years ago, and have since been offering
gut health workshops, foods and drinks.
We make and sell a variety of probiotic
products, including kombucha, kefir,
sauerkraut, kimchi, as well as starter
packs for our customers to make their
own at home.
What are the fastest moving
categories within your store?
We’ve seen a significant increase
in the uptake of our wellness classes
(offered weekly) and natural therapies
(by appointment). In an age of
disconnection, we’re offering people a
way to connect with likeminded people
and simultaneously improve their health
and wellbeing. We expect this trend to