January greetings and Happy New Year from all of us at Shelton's! Ushering in a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the year past, and we couldn't be more thrilled with our deepening relationships with our community of loyal customers (you!) and our fantastic vendors. We also couldn't be more grateful for our dedicated employees who help keep the store stocked with the freshest, most cutting edge products to benefit you and your health. 2011 brought notable changes and additions in all of our store departments. In the produce section, the most exciting development was the expansion of our certified organic micro-farm, Shelton's Market Garden , managed by Ernie Shelton and his partner Susan Bryer. Being able to feature 'farmer's market fresh' organic vegetables from own our garden, every day, has been a part of the store's vision since our inception and we are thrilled to be making this happen. We also love the closed-loop aspect of the garden project, as we send our compostable waste material from the store back to the garden where it is added to the garden's compost operation. In November we welcomed our produce manager Cory T. Mullahy and he's brought fresh experience, focus and creativity to this important area of our store. Tom has worked diligently in the meat department this year and as a result we now feature three primary meat vendors: John Ford "Ranch Raised Natural Beef" from Willits, CA; Sunfed Organic Beef, one of the first and only certified organic grass-fed ranches in California; and local processor Golden Gate Meat CO., focusing on organic, natural and grass fed meats, with delivery 5 days a week for the freshest product possible on our shelves. You'll find these meat selections in our deli case and in the freezer. Speaking of the deli, Juan and his crew just keep the fresh dishes coming: picnic salads, a daily hot food bar, two selections of homemade soup, a fresh salad bar, and sandwiches and paninis where you'll always find something yummy and new! In the refrigerated section you'll find beautiful, multi-colored eggs thanks to the happy and healthy hens at Wyeth Acres (right here in downtown Healdsburg) and Healdsburg Farm Fresh Eggs and Produce. Truly, every time we open a carton of these local, hand-harvested eggs from laying hens raised in pastures only moments from our store's front door, we can't help but ooh and aah. They join our other long-time local egg vendor Grandma's Pumpkin Patch. Also, we've got Alice's Salsa, straight from Cloverdale where Alice Lukins' gold-medal award winning fresh, natural salsa was an instant hit at the farmers' market. And from local chef Malaysia Mei, you'll find unique, super-flavorful, authentic Asian sauces: peanut, red and green curry, and pineapple chutney. So much new to try! Supplements and body care manager Arte has spent the past year evolving this section with an emphasis on small, local, and/or independent companies with high quality nature-based ingredients - companies such as Rosemira Organics , MyChelle Dermaceuticals, and OHA BioActive Organic Skin Care. Arte is constantly seeking out special additions to this section and it's definitely worth a few minutes to talk with him about these companies and their diverse product selections! We've also got a fantastic January 2012 month-long special: all Source Naturals products at 35% off! What a great opportunity to start the New Year with your health in mind first and foremost! Our deepest thanks to you for your support and continued input of ideas as we put our mission into action: bringing together producer and consumer in a spirit of partnership, community and trust.