By Ap
Oklahoma City, OK –
Pioneering Okla. grocer says change is constant
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Changes are afoot in the Oklahoma City grocery market and a longtime member of the industry says the key to success is understanding shifts in consumer habits.
J.B. Pratt started selling organic, locally grown produce a decade ago. With Whole Foods to open in the coming week and Sunflower Mart having opened two weeks ago, the changes mark the culmination of a trend Pratt saw coming.
Cheryl Camp, who coordinates the OSU-OKC Farmers Markets, says Pratt was a pioneering grocer who helped lead local consumers to organic produce.
Pratt told The Oklahoman he saw people eating too much unhealthy food and saw a potential market. For a time, Pratt even rented a trailer and took his message to schoolchildren.
Pratt still sells organic produce at farmers markets.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.