Drive Organics

They sometimes have really good sales. They have the largest selection of vegan friendly items on the drive (chips, candy, frozen foods, cooler etc.)
Staff are generally helpful and friendly.
If you are tight on food/​cash be sure to check out the back dock as they put out all the expired food there for the community to take, as well as the cart beside the till for quick sale items.
Edit: they have become a Choices Market and everythingbhas changed. Still alot of vegan options, just more expensive!

i shop here A LOT because it’s close to my house and it generally has what I need. Prices are a bit more but I’m happy to support a local business (vs. cheaper chain store nearby that I refuse to step foot in). Selection, especially meat and produce, can be a bit hit or miss. I usually buy produce at Santa Barbara or Donalds anyhow. Staff could be a bit friendlier but oh well…

This is now a Choices store, so high prices are to be expected…
Some things we buy are 30% more than Whole Foods even. Donald’s is still the best shop on the eastside

I can’t give a store that only has rosemary and mint for fresh herbs more than 3 stars. Sorry.
I like this store for other things, dry goods, organic soda, coconut water… but the produce is seriously lacking. I understand that they are limited in what they can bring in, but if almost every other grocer in a 10k vacinty can get organic produce, they shouldn’t have too much trouble. Maybe there is a standards/​qualifier I’m not aware of… but yeah.
I’ll be back for hair products and multi vitamins for sure, but I’ll get my veggies elsewhere.

I agree with other people here talking about how expensive this store is when the Drive has so many other stores offering similar products for much less money… much more expensive when comparing to whole foods for identical items.

Drive Organics is my second stop when grocery shopping. They’ve got a lot of things. Coconut milk, vegan cheeses, loads of natural toiletries and the best bulk selection.
Like Sara M said its easy to find what you’re looking for.
I find the produce to be lacking. Most stuff looks old and like its just about to go bad.

As far as stock and prices go, this store does OK. You can find everything you need to feed your self and family here, and there are even some good finds that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Prices on most items are a little higher than the competition but then they’ll surprise me and be cheaper on something significant, even not on sale. So it balances out. Produce is a tough section to manage, and I think they do pretty well though obviously there are better and worse days depending on stock delivery. They may have local produce more often than other stores do, but not always.
The downside of this store is, as a previous reviewer said, attitude. It simply oozes from the staff; I don’t know why the owner hires the same kind of people over and over. They are people who should not be in customer service because they themselves are so insecure that they need to put other people down and make them feel uncomfortable and insignificant. This is not how I like to feel when grocery shopping. The staff all seem to really badly need to be «special» in some way, and the thing is, «special» people do not help you pack your groceries.
And help packing your groceries is one thing you will not get in this store. They are really snarky about bringing bags (they will give you the Olympian nod of approval if you have your own) but they will actually stand there twiddling their thumbs and sipping their tea and chatting with coworkers while you frantically stuff your groceries as best you can in the minute amount of space they have allocated for you (counter layout is the second-​worst in town) (and typing in your PIN with what, your third hand?) so that you can get out of the cashier’s way, making you feel like you are working for the cashier, not the other way around.
So, I really hate going to this store but I go in quite often because they have the groceries I need, they’re open when I like to shop, and they’re close to home. Plus free parking at rear. But any time it is convenient to go somewhere else, I do.

This is the store to find whatever you haven’t been able to find in the other places right outside. They have a vast selection of all kinds of crazy stuff and have never let me down when I am gumshoeing about my shopping list.
I like the layout in here, everything is organised well and pretty easy to find. The sale prices can sometimes be a serious deal so pay attention.
They have a lot of things to make vegans happy, lots of superfoods, lots of sauces and mustard and dressings, bulk spice section that is pretty rad, and an alright bulk section (I find the items I would want to buy usually need to be restocked).
I use this store as a compliment to the Co-​op and Sweet Cheribum as it’s usually a lot more spendy for most items. But the staff are nice and helpful, the lines are usually pretty small and they have fun stuff.
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Another one of those places on the Drive that I go to all the time, just never reviewed. Better late than never I say. What initially attracted me to this place is that they were they had gluten free items before gluten free was a trend. I also appreciate how they have very different and unique alternative beverages. This is the first place I stumbled upon the cucumber soda after I came back from Seattle. Staff could be friendlier. The prices are fair market prices.

I come here fairly often — the service is always friendly. Today I bought ketchup sweetened with agave. Yesterday I bought some gum. Like other people have mentioned, it’s a great place to find speciality items that you can’t find elsewhere. I was hoping they would have some of those gluten free, coconut sap sweetened cookies they sometimes have but ALAS they were all gone. I’ll have to go back AGAIN! I enjoy just perusing the shelves and seeing if they got any neat new stuffs.

A small, local organic store along the Commercial stretch, close to me, maybe an alternative to Whole Foods, let me walk in and check it out. I’ve been here twice now, since not too long ago when I found it. I like that it is a small local convenient market. You may think it is small, but it’s fair sized, and with selection of organic items, as the name of the place says.
Occasionally there are deals here, which are labeled clearly when you enter. It’s a friendly store, and most of the things here are organic, if not, they are labeled. I’m coming in here picking up Liberte Yogurt buy one get one free, so I can’t complain. They are opened every night till 9, and a great addition to the community.
It is a relaxing place to shop, also knowing that they have quality foods in one stop, from your fruits, veggies, meats, dried, frozen and even canned, your set to go.

I enjoy shopping here for my organic foods especially produce. This place reminds me of Whole Foods but on a smaller and local scale. Knowing I am supporting local organic farming industry makes my shopping experience a whole lot more intimate and meaningful.
The selection of organic produce is plentiful and very fresh. A lot of Safeway organic section has organic produce, but they are often limited and not as fresh. The lettuce leafs are often soft and limpy. I don’t find this to be a problem at all when I shop here. In addition to fresh produce, this grocery store also offers organic meats (though minimal), freshly baked breads, health foods, personal hygiene products, skin care, bulk foods, canned foods, snacks (chips, chocolates etc), frozen foods with organic or natural concept in mind.
The atmosphere is relaxing and casual. I would recommend giving this place a try if you were a big organic food fan.

I hadn’t been in here in years, and recently rediscovered this little gem of a health food store.
It doesn’t have the produce selection of say Donalds, and some other places, but some of the prices in here cannot be beat! I paid $ 19.95 for Maca powder elsewhere, which Drive Organics sell for only $ 13.49… I am pleased with my recent purchases and will check them first from now on.

I’ve noticed that recently Drive Organics has been participating in a bit of a price war with Sweet C’s next door. I don’t mind at all — it means the lowest prices on specialty vegan items like Earth Balance, Daiya, and Vegenaise to be found anywhere in the city! Last time I was at Drive Organics I found packs of Daiya for $ 3.79. Unreal.
Drive O’s selection of specialty items in general is astounding. If you can’t find it there, good f’in luck. It’s also a clean and well-​organized store — so expect slightly less competitive prices on most items than some of the dirtier and less well-​staffed shops on the drive — but way less of a headache.

I really like Drive Organics for some products. The produce and meat sections are really good. I’ve found it increasingly challenging to find a good selection of organic, happy meat and Drive Organics is really consistent with that.
They also carry a really decent selection of gluen free bread including Udi’s products which I also very much appreciate. While their prices for most things are higher than the rest of the Drive, I find their prices for gf products to be pretty decent.
They’ve got a good selection of bath and body items, teas and other things. I wouldn’t go to Drive Organics for all my staple flours or other staple items but I definitely hit them up when I’m looking for more specialty things.

When I moved to the Drive, I was elated when I realized that I would be living within a couple blocks of a 100% organic grocery store. Unfortunately, I’m now left with mixed feelings about this little shop.
The pros:
–the produce section is pretty good with a lot of fresh, seasonal produce
–the variety of teas this shop carries is enough to make any tea-​lover drool
–there’s a decent bulk section that includes organic herbs and spices
–the bath & body section makes me as giddy as a school girl
–the place is FULL of healthy «hippy» food and delicious speciality items
The cons:
–the prices just aren’t in line with the rest of the neighbourhood. Price gouging is in effect here (except for their «specials», which can be suprisingly decent). I foolishly paid $ 5.99 for a 1.85L carton of coconut milk here
–from the few times I’ve been in here, the staff seem nonchalant at best
Overall, with options like Donald’s Market, Dollar Grocers, Santa Barbara Market and even Super Valu down the street, there isn’t much reason to shop at Drive Organics. I wanted to give them 2.5 stars, but having to choose between two and three, two felt like the better option.
Sorry, Drive Organics. Lower your prices to be in line with the rest of the neighbourhood and I’m sure you’ll see the number of customers skyrocket.

I’m always amazed by how expensive this store is when The Drive has so many other stores offering the same selection at much better pricing. A walk to either Donald’s Market for example will save you a LOT of $$ but East End across the street has good prices and even Super Valu is better priced everyday.
Hate to break it to you Daniel L but Drive Organics is also US owned… by a big US company called SunOpta which has some less than warm and fuzzy business practices.

You just can’t beat the variety of organic foods found at Drive Organics, even though the prices can be steep on some products, I always end up stopping in to see what’s new.
Today’s discovery is that they’re now carrying Udi’s products, and when I spoke with an employee to request two of my favourites, she actually wrote them down for later reference. Big points for that :-D
Also, there seems to be a crazy amount of chocolate products of all different types in there lol!

This is THE place to go for pasture-​to-​plate grass fed beef. Well, if you can’t make it straight to the farmer, that is.
It’s cute and small and friendly, and has a ton of great products.

During Yoga class on Thursday I had a brilliant zen moment. I was stretching, stretching, streeeeeeeeeetching and getting new depth to my postures. My zen moment came towards the end of class, when leaning backwards in camel posture I remembered the wonderful taste of coconut water after hot sweaty yoga. (I believe I was supposed to be concentrating on my breathing– and I was… but this though never the less crept in, which is why I attribute it to a zen state of mind.)
Prediction: Coconut water should be easily found on the drive, particularly on the northern part within a 2 block radius of 3 yoga studios and 2 health food stores.
Coconut water, at least the version I was seeking, is a natural but electrolyte-​filled drink. It’s a different, perhaps healthier, option than Powerade or Gatorade. Anyways, I find them tasty and refreshing, health concerns aside.
Outcome of my search: My yoga studio doesn’t sell beverages (at least not yet, they seem to be renovating.). So I went into the closest health food store. I looked in the chilled section and on the dry goods shelves. Finally! I found one, and when I picked it up, my hand was wet and sticky, and some more of the drink spilled out the top. Ugh. It was open. Brought it to the front counter, the lady (with no smile or interest) said they had nothing more in the back, sorry, have a good day. So, uh, I left that store. And being a bit dejected, I went home.
Today after yoga, I resumed the mission. This time going to the second closest health food store (you know like 10 extra meters away!) — Drive Organics. I walked the circumference of the whole store. Then on the dry goods section, I saw the label for it, but alas… they were all out! I sighed and started to leave, but the cooler right by the door had them! Oh I was so excited, that I only briefly flinched at the price (2.99, but I think it should only be 2.00).
Mission: Complete.