A good grocery store sells products. A thoughtful one helps you make sense of them.
At Amaranth, the difference is not how much fits under one roof. It is the thought that goes into what earns a place there.
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Amaranth began in Calgary in 1994, when founder Ken Klatt set out to create a welcoming health-food store for people at every stage of their journey. Today, his son Brendan continues the family business across four locations in Calgary and St. Albert. The original idea remains: ask questions, discover something new and leave feeling more confident.
Not everything makes the shelf.
Grocery shopping has turned many of us into label detectives, scanning ingredients and wondering what natural, local and better really mean. Add a food sensitivity, a fitness goal or a desire to support Canadian businesses, and groceries can feel like research.
At Amaranth Whole Foods Market, some of that questioning starts before the customer arrives.
The family-owned Alberta market has spent more than 30 years shaping its shelves. Natural and organic foods sit beside selected supplements, clean personal-care products and goods from nearby farmers and makers. Products are considered beyond attractive packaging or passing trends. Ingredients, sourcing, processing and usefulness all matter.
Amaranth says its products exclude synthetic colours and additives including Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1 and titanium dioxide. Personal-care lines are free from parabens, phthalates and synthetic dyes, while most supplement brands it carries use third-party testing to help verify labels and screen for contaminants.
Not every product suits every shopper, but the starting point has been narrowed with intention.
Staff are encouraged to ask questions and recommend what suits the individual, regardless of trends or profitability. They may help track down products the store does not carry, or direct questions to a doctor, pharmacist or another qualified professional.
Among so many wellness claims, helping without pretending to have every answer may be one of the most useful things a store can offer.