This is a one-stop superstore for the organically and healthy minded. There is a great selection…read moreof fruit and vegetables in front and a couple of isles full of vitamins, supplements, milks, breads, oats, cereals and other groceries down back. There is a decent selection of meats and dairy as well. They stock informative books and magazines and even cater those with a sweet tooth with a great selection of chocolate. The prices are pretty good too if you start to compare with other organic retailers. Some of their prices are even the same as the mega chain supermarket just down the road. Situated on Smith St and servicing the healthy for the last 20 years, this family owned business is a pleasure to come and shop in. There is a very earthy feel with passive staff and smiles and positivity all around. If you can't make it down, they also have an online shop and even do home delivery.

Firstly, a confession…read more Although I occasionally brought organic produce, I had not signed on to the organic way of life. I thought it would be too expensive, boring, and not flexible enough for my student life. How wrong I was. I discovered Organic Wholefoods on Smith Street a couple of weeks before, and am now prepared to make weekly migrations to stock up on fruit and vegetables and a few other products as well. Organic Wholefoods boasts some beautiful regional produce (juicy oranges, enormous mushrooms and free range eggs) as well as an enormous range of cereals, flour, tea, nuts and more. I was particularly impressed with the wide range of tea and coffee, and had to get my hands on some of the Mount Zero Extra Virgin Olive Oil (under $20!). I was surprised to see that the produce was pretty reasonable (a couple of dollars here and there more than Coles of Safeway) but after buying and trying out the food I could definitely tell the difference. Although I may not have the budget to buy organic for everything, visiting and trying the produce stocked at Organic Wholefoods was an eye-opening and enjoyable decision.

I love the Fruit Pedallers. It is a little bit like a little rabbit warren with lots of nooks and…read morecrannies to find yummy tidbits of organic produce. It can be hard to find exactly what you need if you are after something specific, as the shop is not laid out in a methodical manner, but for me this makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable. Sometimes I think the staff at the Fruit Pedallers must think I'm a little fruity myself, when I spend hours browsing the shop only to come up to the counter with a bottle of milk and a cucumber, for example. Up until recently their fresh fruit and veg have been very very expensive. But with a recent change to their buying strategy, they have dropped prices significantly. Yay! Now we can all eat more organic food. Who knows I may even come up to the counter with a cucumber and a head of brocolli. They also have naturopaths on staff - where you can get some free advice (as long as you buy their awful tasting herbal mixtures of course) on your lingering cold etc.

The Fruit Pedallers is a ditty little health food shop on Westgarth's High Street selling all…read moremanner of organic whole foods alongside natural therapies such as naturopathy, homeopathy, massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, kinesiology, art therapy, acupuncture and more besides. In foodie slash health conscious Melbourne, where organic food stores are ostensibly a dime a dozen, The Fruit Pedallers is notable for its friendliness and excellent range of herbs and vitamins alongside fresh organic fruit and vegetables and a ruddy good selection of organic and fair trade chocolate. Its staff are helpful and extremely knowledgeable and although The Fruit Pedallers can be a little dearer than its competitors, this little Westgarth health food haunt is a local favourite, and with good reason. The Fruit Pedallers is a particularly good health food store to visit if you're in the market for vitamins or supplements and don't quite know what you're looking for. Excellent all round.

When I want to buy nuts I go to this shop, I don't buy nuts at the supermarket, there is too little…read morevariety and the prices are too high there. This little shop in Coburg's Victoria St. mall is an Aladdin's Cave of nuts, herbs and spices and dried fruit. It describes its stock as "continental groceries" but it is more Middle Eastern and international than strictly European. Not that I care about old classifications I'm here for the food. There are so many bulk grocery goods in this small shop, large containers of various oils, hopper of nuts and dried fruit. I get a quarter of kilo of their unsalted royal nut mix, a quarter of a kilo of slivered almonds for cooking and half a kilo of dates. Do I want Chinese or Iranian dates? The countries of origin for all these products are displayed. On the crowded counter I see some cinnamon almonds that sound too delicious not to buy.

I absolutely love this place in Fitzroy! It has a very nice atmosphere and it's a peaceful place to…read moretake some relax in the city. The food is awesom and you can also buy something to take home. Imprescidible for veggie lovers!! ;)

Yes, Friends of the Earth sounds hippie and alternative. It is but it's great!…read more It's a cafe/organic food store where they focus on helping the environment and educating people on organic produce. Locally grown, seasonal produce, organic meals and fair trade teas are what Friends of the Earth are all about. This is a growing mentality that I support and feel like after visiting a place like this you understand why people are so passionate about it. There really is nothing better than the really fresh, organically grown foods they have on offer where it's guilt free and makes you feel fuzzy that you've helped the "little guys" and the environment. It's fantastic to wander through and look at the fresh products where the cafe idea is great and their coffee is amazing so it's definitely worth stopping by!

Punch yo' mamma!…read more I'm sorry, I can't help it. When this health store opened up I tried saying the name a couple of times, accidentally said "punch yo mamma" and now that's what we call it in our household. I feel a strange mix of shame and humour every time I say it out loud - so conflicting! It's not the best organics/health/ode-to-good-living in the area (I'm going to say that title is reserved for Wild Things) but it is rather good and offers a decent selection of grains, nuts, healthy snacks and goodies that make you feel virtuous when you buy them. The staff are always nice which is a big plus. The fresh produce section is lacking somewhat and I'd rather see them up the selection there or remove it altogether. The cafe at the back takes up quite a bit of space and I imagine it would be great for mums with prams as there's loads of space and easy access through the large back roller door. I've never stopped for a smoothie but the selection of Pana chocolate raw treats looks enticing. I mostly visit to top up on speciality items like kombucha or nut butter when I've been shopping at Barkly square and the easy access to parking means that Pachamama is a convenient stop on the way home from the city. Pro tip: ask to join their loyalty club for 5% off.

From the owner: We serve conscious health food that is full of nutrition and free of nasty toxins + chems in the…read moreheart of Brunswick. Our menu is inspired by Naturopathy (natural medicine) + south american traditions and we have options for all dietary requirements + all our food is 100% gluten free. We know how hard it is to find good food. Also how an unsatisfying meal can make you feel terrible + really impact your health. We created Pachamama's Kitchen to fix this situation. We believe food should be made by local humans who cook from the heart + who care about your wellbeing + the wellbeing of the planet we all call home. We think there is something wrong with food grown, processed + served by profit-driven companies who don't, at their heart, care. If you don't feel like the healthiest version of yourself, or if you just need a wholesome meal, smoothie, snack, conscious treat, elixir or coffee in a hurry, come on in and let us do all the work for you.

Hidden behind the busy Sydney rd of Brunswick, every now and again you catch them when they're…read moreroasting. There is nothing quite like the smell of honey toasted almonds. Yum! Well priced, with larger quantities available, and more than just nuts - fruit, candy, chips and more.

I had a little trouble finding this place all tucked away in a little side road and then some. But…read moreit was well worth it. The Royal Nut Company is the front of house shop to a factory that imports, processes and distributes a lot of (you guessed it) nuts and other bulk foods for other wholesale and retail companies. As such it is very very cheap and the range is quite diverse. The initial reason I went there was because I wanted some Szechuan pepper which I was having a hard time finding anywhere. Well the Royal Nut Company has a massive range of really really cheap spices. It is totally worth going there on a regular occasion to stock up your pantry with all sorts of tasteful goodies. You may end up spending far more than you initially thought you would. But don't distress - you will be saving money in the long run. Trust me. They stock a range of grains, legumes, dried fruit, herbs, spices, nuts, nut butters and tinned food amonst various other things.

It's bad enough being ripped off by national supermarkets but I never thought I'd be ripped off by…read morea local shop that I've been loyal to for years and years. They have recently changed their loyalty rewards scheme, I had so many points as I hadn't used them for years and years, even since the old shop. The value was big $ for me and my shopping. With no opportunity to spend them as no notice was given prior to the change to the new loyalty program, I am now told I am entitled to just $5 !!!!! I have raised my concerns with the owner and been ignored, I am also aware that the staff have too. I am now in touch with the ACCC to see if they can assist, but I will never shop there again as I will not be mugged off by greedy business owners.

Wow. How good is this place?!…read more On a random Sunday afternoon stroll in our neighbourhood, we stumbled in to Organic Wholefoods on a whim. While it is on Lygon Street, it is set back from the main road and all-but-hidden behind two tiny doors. However, once you walk inside, it's like you're in downtown Los Angeles and are just picking up lunch ingredients after your canyon hike. IT'S TRENDY. There's fresh fruit and veggies, fermented goods as far as the eye can see, and practically a whole aisle dedicated to grains. Yikes. Beyond that, they also stock organic pet food, organic soaps, shampoo, even organic hair dye! And, if you're wanting to make sure that even your boozy Saturday night is health-conscious, they have organic booze available too. Everything here is of absolute top-notch quality and definitely worth a drive if you live in a neighbouring suburb. Just be sure to wear your Lululemon and clutch a freshly squeezed green juice upon entry.

This isn't the closest fruit and veg shop to my house so I don't come here unless I happen to be on…read moreSydney Road and it happens to be a convenient time to do some vegetable shopping. The first few times I came here I thought they were rather pricey compared to my local fresh produce shop, but a recent visit has led me to change my mind. La Manna had lots of good deals going, and I managed to find tarragon there, which I hadn't found in other stores in the neighbourhood. I don't know if I just never get the nice, smiley staff member at the cash register, or if none of them smile or make an attempt to be friendly, but that's just how it goes in La Manna. It would be nice if they were nicer to me, but if it were that easy for everyone to be nicer to each other, there would probably be less fighting in the world. How on earth did I go from fruit and veg to more peace and love in the world please? I think it's time for afternoon tea break.

Last Sunday my partner and I did something we've never done before... we awoke before 9am. But more…read moreimportantly, we got our butts out of the house and decided to stock up our fridge for the week (and stock it healthy.) La Manna is just a short walk away and is an absolutely gem of a local grocer. Piles of fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and all that other healthy stuff that you look at in the supermarket but always walk right past. You know the ones - quinoa, freekah, sunflower seeds and anything green... We stocked our basket sky high with enough veggies to feed a small family and smugly strutted out on to Sydney Road - proud smile on our face for all that we had achieved before 10am on a Sunday - and all for just a few clams! A highly recommended destination when you want the best and freshest veggies without the hefty price that can often come along with them.