Best grocery store for buying bulk? & What about "ethnic" grocers? (Denver: organic)

[bluecicada]

My family will be relocating soon to the area, and I was curious about our prospects at bulk buying out in the area, as well as what the best ethnic groceries in the area were.

We currently live in Olympia, WA and do our grocery shopping at the local food co-op, the employee owned WinCo, and a couple Asian grocers (one Thai/Filipino, the other Korean/Japanese). We are vegans so no need for a good meat or dairy section. We do buy a lot of various dried beans/peas/lentils, dried pastas, rice, and a TON of fresh produce. We like buying loose bulk a lot (tends to be cheaper). We prefer to support local non-chains, followed by employee owned chains, and then the big box stores if there happens to be something we can't find elsewhere.

Anything good in the area, or will we end up traveling to Denver?

[Maynerd]

Sunflower Market on North Academy is close to what you're looking for. It's a chain, but very limited. But, they'll have the loose/bulk goods.

You'll definitely enjoy the Asian Pacific Market on Wooten! It's by far the largest of the ethnic markets in town.

There's a small Indian Market connected to Taste of India on Academy and Flintridge. More than a few small Mexican markets. Several Korean markets.

And, in season, there are several Farmer's Markets. Nothing beats fresh produce.

[lalahartma]

Plus Vitamin Cottage/Natural Foods and Mountain Mama's.

[smdensbcs]

For a TON of fresh (organic) produce, I suggest you look into one of the CSA's that delivers locally (usually to a nearby residential drop-off):

Grant Family Farms: Vegetable Shares
CSA

[Mike from back east]

There is the Asian Pacific Market over on Platte, near Powers, a rather large one if IIRC.

For starters, here's our old thread on the topic of Asian Markets, with some very big Asian markets in Denver.

I know there are Mexican markets too, one of the bigger ones being Carniceria Leonela and also one called Liborio.

Google this: asian market colorado springs for a list of possibilities.

[SYS]

We shop at the aforementioned Sunflower Market for non-Asian grocery items. In October each year before the frost, we head down to the Don Mauro Farms in Pueblo (takes about 50 minutes from CS) and pick our own Asian produce like daikon, napa cabbage, red chilli, melon, onion, squash and various other produce items. We pick enough chilli peppers to last a whole year until the following October by drying them. Along with daikon and napa, we make months supply of kimchi and mu-kimchi, etc.

In CS, there are about 6 Korean grocery markets, 1 large aforementioned Asian Market on Platte, 1 Vietnamese market, and 1 or 2 Indian market. We shop in any of these markets for immediately needed items, mostly perishable, but we reserve our largest purchases of non-perishable as well as fresh meat and produce at Han Ah Reum Asian Market off Havana and Yale in Denver (Aurora) and Midopa Asian Market nearby. Han Ah Reum Market in particular is impressive with their selection of fresh produce and other items that you simply won't find in CS, period, or the entire state, for that matter. This is the only Asian grocery market in the state of CO that'd rival those found in L.A.'s Korea Town. We don't drive up north to Denver just for a grocery shopping. Basically, we time it to other visit needs.

If you're not an Asian, your needs for Asian grocery items would be met most likely without having to travel outside of CS.

[bluecicada]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

For a TON of fresh (organic) produce, I suggest you look into one of the CSA's that delivers locally (usually to a nearby residential drop-off):

Grant Family Farms: Vegetable Shares
CSA

It didn't even occur to me to look into a CSA out there, thanks so much for bringing it up!

[bluecicada]

Originally Posted by SYS

We shop at the aforementioned Sunflower Market for non-Asian grocery items. In October each year before the frost, we head down to the Don Mauro Farms in Pueblo (takes about 50 minutes from CS) and pick our own Asian produce like daikon, napa cabbage, red chilli, melon, onion, squash and various other produce items. We pick enough chilli peppers to last a whole year until the following October by drying them. Along with daikon and napa, we make months supply of kimchi and mu-kimchi, etc.

In CS, there are about 6 Korean grocery markets, 1 large aforementioned Asian Market on Platte, 1 Vietnamese market, and 1 or 2 Indian market. We shop in any of these markets for immediately needed items, mostly perishable, but we reserve our largest purchases of non-perishable as well as fresh meat and produce at Han Ah Reum Asian Market off Havana and Yale in Denver (Aurora) and Midopa Asian Market nearby. Han Ah Reum Market in particular is impressive with their selection of fresh produce and other items that you simply won't find in CS, period, or the entire state, for that matter. This is the only Asian grocery market in the state of CO that'd rival those found in L.A.'s Korea Town. We don't drive up north to Denver just for a grocery shopping. Basically, we time it to other visit needs.

If you're not an Asian, your needs for Asian grocery items would be met most likely without having to travel outside of CS.

I'll keep that in mind for next year, thanks! I'm Filipina, but since becoming vegan I've branched my cooking out into more Indian and Thai, and I've been experimenting in Korean and Japanese cooking. It looks like there is enough variety in CoS that we should be able to manage most of our Asian grocery shopping in the area with a couple yearly stock-up trips into outlying areas.