Lifelong Greenwich resident Mike Geller unveils first-of-its kind marketplace and hub for food and wellness education
Mike Geller, Chris Kimball
This year marks a milestone year for Mike’s Organic: first, the 10th anniversary of Mike’s Organic Delivery, a farm to home grocery service founded by Greenwich’s own Mike Geller, and now the launch of Mike’s Organic Market.
Mike’s Organic Market
The first of its kind, the brick-and-mortar space will serve as a hub for food and wellness education, offering a series of events, classes and pop-up experiences, in addition to the finest grocery products.
Mike has been serving organic groceries to Fairfield and Westchester counties for a decade and the expansion of Mike’s Organic Market marks the brand’s debut in retail. Located just on the border of Old Greenwich and Stamford and tucked away in an industrial warehouse, the space previously functioned as the grocery delivery service headquarters and has now been renovated to offer a different take on the typical grocery store. The marketplace features a curated selection of items, from organic produce and pastured meats to grass-fed dairy and cold-pressed juices. Mike’s Organic partners only with small farmers, fishermen, artisans and producers and each item has been vetted and hand picked by the team to be sold in the market, ensuring the highest quality offerings.
More than a market, Mike’s is a center for the community to learn about wellness. A robust and diverse calendar of events and classes have been slated for the fall, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a variety of food-forward and healthy living programming. Culinary offerings include something for everyone, from a pancake power-hour to teach kids how to make breakfast healthier, to a dumpling-making and wine course led by Norwalk’s Nit Noi Provisions, to an apple pie baking class in collaboration with Ridgefield-based Ross Bakery. A calendar of chef pop-up dinners is soon to be announced, hosted by a variety of renowned chefs.
Additional market events and experiences will focus around a broad array of topics within the living well space, from Cannabidiol (CBD) and clean beauty to holistic living and fitness.
Also, a number of major events are on the docket, including:
- September 19, 7-10pm: Nola at the warehouse pre-event to the 2019 Greenwich Wine + Food Festival – Mike’s Organic Market is kicking off its fall event season…New Orleans style! Hometown legend Pete Francis (founder of Dispatch) will perform a special concert at the warehouse featuring his brand new song “Belong to the Band,” whose music video was shot in The Big Easy. The event will showcase signature New Orleans cuisine including Oyster Po’ Boy Sandwiches, Warm Beignets (a la Cafe Du Monde) and more prepared by culinary genius Chef Geoff Lazlo and utilizing the finest locally sourced ingredients from Mike’s. A portion of the proceeds will go to clean up efforts in New Orleans.
- October 6, 9am-2pm: Sheep Shearing Day – a fun-filled fest for the whole family where the kids can meet Farmers Pete and Carol from Sepe Farm and watch a live sheep shearing. The event will offer food tastings, crafts for the kids and a Sunday Market loaded with baked goods.
- October 17, 7-10pm: Oktoberfest – the ultimate Pig Roast in collaboration with farmer-owned butcher shop The Piggery. Two Roads Brewing Company will provide brew tastings and Chef Geoff Lazlo will roast the pig and create farm to table masterpieces.
Mike’s Organic Market is also available to host private events, seminars, cooking tutorials, and more.
“We’ve spent the last 10 years building relationships with the finest small farmers and artisans and now we’re thrilled to invite folks into our home to experience the most unique food experience in Fairfield County: Mike’s Organic Market,” said Mike Geller, Founder of Mike’s Organic.
“We’re more than a market to shop the best locally sourced products – this is a gathering place for the community to learn about living and eating well. The two words we use daily are connection and transparency – if we can’t tell you what’s on it, what’s in it, or when it was picked, we won’t sell it. Whether it’s to pick up the sweetest local corn, meet a farmer, take a cooking class or witness a live sheep shearing, we promise you a fun and educational experience that’s worth the trip.”
Founded in 2009, Mike’s Organic Delivery brings sustainable, healthy and delicious food directly to residents’ doorstep with the mission of making it easy to eat clean and wholesome food.
Geller left a career in advertising to launch the business after spending three months living and working in the Kalahari Desert, where his whole world changed.
Living outside “civilization” taught him to question not only what he was eating, but how it was grown and where it was coming from.
During his trip he faced several near-death experiences that made him look at life differently. When Mike returned home he was 20 pounds lighter, in the best shape of his life, and committed to sharing what he had learned.
Geller immersed himself in local sustainable farming and agriculture, including volunteering his time at nearby Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.
The entire team at Mike’s Organic has deep roots in Greenwich. Vice Presidents Chris Kimball and Mackenzie Judson both grew up in town, attended Brunswick School and are fixtures in the market and with customers.
Geller feels that giving back to the community is the responsibility of every local business owner, and so the company is involved with a number of charitable organizations in the area, including donating produce and goods to Person-to-Person, Kids in Crisis, food pantries, temples and churches.
Visit Mike’s Organic Market