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Conroy's Organics
Forget the health food aisle at Price
Chopper, Conroy's has a whole store.
Story and photos by Hannah
Trott
The smell of vegetarian chili greets you at the door. The girl at the
counter smiles and invites you to sit down while she prepares a bowl of
chili. Forget the health food isle at Hannaford’s or Price Chopper, take
a walk through Conroy’s and fill a bag with organically grown pears. Pick
up a pound of beef made from cows raised on the Conroy farm, grab a loaf
of wheat bread delivered that morning by the local bread man, and some
truffles for dessert.
have a cup of coffee and pick something from the menu |
Conroy’s Organics has a humble beginning. Before the health food store
and Deli on Route 9 in Beekmantown was built, there was a booth at the
local
Farmer’s Market. The Conroy’s built up local clientele that depended
on them for their organically grown baby spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and
green beans. Although the farm was first purchased by the owners’ great-great-grandfather,
it has only been growing produce since '99. If customers weren’t looking
for fresh greens, they were after the Conroy’s beef from the Scottish
Highland Cattle raised at the family farm. “Animals in huge farms are
really stressed, and we try not to do that to our cattle,” said Simon
Conroy, owner of Conroy’s Organics.
Conroy's has everything for your organic food needs |
After five years at the Farmer's Market, Conroy decided to take it a step
further. In May of 2004, a store was built and the faithful customers
of the Farmer’s Market followed. Although the store is known for its produce
and beef, it sells much more than that. They provide all the conveniences
of a grocery store with a variety of bread made locally by Crown Point
Bread. “We try to appeal to broad crowds, not just people looking for
organic food,” said Conroy. They also sell cereal, chips, jellies, nuts,
homemade pies, coffee, and even beer. If the Conroy’s don’t raise it or
grow it, then the items in stock come from places near by. “We try to
keep the local flavor,” said Conroy, “I like to call it backyard beef,
beef raised so close it's like it's in our own backyard.” Farmers who
have an extra cow raise some of the beef available at Conroy’s.
"I like to call it backyard beef. Beef raised
so close it's like it's in our own backyard."
Aside from the grocery-store essentials, Conroy’s makes breakfast
sandwiches, wraps, quiche, tuna salad, potato salad, and a variety of
soups. Their specialty foods allow you to venture from local tastes
to experience international ones. They offer stuffed grape leaves, tabuli,
and baklava (Greek dessert with honey and walnuts baked into layers
of fillo dough). If you would like to stay a while, you can enjoy your
food in the dining area overlooking the 300-acre farm and read a book
to read provided by the employees at Conroy’s.
Conroy's also serves as a tourist location |
Lots of familiar faces, as well as first-timers, make frequent detours
to get a flavor of Conroy's homegrown health food. Many vacationers from
Canada stop in to the store because they are looking for a place that
represents the local area's essence, yet is reminiscent of their neighborhood
grocery store or cafe. The store has unique souvenirs that are ‘tourist
must-haves,’ such as maple syrup in specialty bottles and Lake Champlain
chocolates. Employee Natasha Trott said, “I felt great coming to work
here. The Conroy’s are fun to work with, and this isn’t some convenience
store. It’s a store with everything you need to eat, but it’s all healthy
things.”
If you come to Conroy’s and Simon Conroy
isn’t there to greet you, then his parents, Liz and John Conroy, or
a fellow employee will be. When you are done getting your groceries,
you can watch the cattle grazing in the back pasture or order something
from the deli menu. Take a seat, feast, enjoy, and feel guilt free -
it’s organic.
What would you like to know about organic food?
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What makes organically grown produce different?
-Organic produce is free of synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, irradiation, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
- Laws require that at least 70% of its
ingredients should be produced naturally in order to be considered “organic.”
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