Thousands of cars pass by it every day on Greenback Lane, although drivers likely haven’t given thought to what goes on inside the 8,500-square-feet building located next to Bubba’s Car Wash.
Hawaii-based Life Foods, Inc. opened its all-organic food production facility in Citrus Heights in 2015, followed by the grand opening of its “Nourish Cafe” the following year in a section of the same building.
A walk through the inside of the local production facility reveals a large floor plan with an industrial-sized kitchen and baking area for making gluten-free vegan burger buns. A separate fermentation room is also on-site for brewing batches of kombucha, which are fermented probiotic drinks that have risen recently in popularity.
Life Foods recently began supplying more than two-dozen Whole Foods stores and the company is now planning to bring its entire operation to Citrus Heights.
“We are currently working on consolidating all of our production at our Citrus Heights facility,” said Life Foods CEO Azeem Butt in an email interview with The Sentinel. “Once this consolidation is complete and we are able to produce for Hawaii out of our Citrus Heights facility, we will shut down the Hawaii production facility.”
The CEO didn’t share more about the reason for consolidation plans and a focus on production out of Citrus Heights, but previously told The Sentinel that Citrus Heights was selected as a central location for serving markets in northern and southern California, with “great proximity to farms and delivery routes all over California.”
Nourish Cafe Manager Danielle Bencomo said 30 different Whole Foods stores in the southern pacific region began stocking Life Foods products, beginning last month. She said the stores are being supplied with vegan superfood patties, sausages, and a spicy Italian “crumble” product.
In addition to Whole Foods, the production facility also supplies various products to a Southern California vegan restaurant chain and several burger bars and cafes in the state. Its products are also now carried by UNFI, a nationwide natural foods distributor.
Locally, Life Foods products can be purchased at Nourish Cafe, located at 7433 Greenback Ln. Menu items include a popular vegan burger made with fermented mung beans, a rotating variety of kombucha brews, quinoa bowls, and various veggie options.
Nourish Cafe coupon: click here to get a free kombucha or lemonade
As indicated by a sign outside the cafe, all food selections produced by Life Foods are certified organic, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO. According to Bencomo, a new summer menu will also be launching at the cafe by July 1, with more expanded options.
More information about Life Foods and Nourish Cafe can be found on the cafe’s Facebook page, or at LifeFoodsInc.com.
See prior story: New organic cafe in Citrus Heights offers burgers, kombucha
