Fresh Thyme: Growing by leaps and sprouts

It's a small grocer in a big hurry.

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, in business for only three years, is opening new stores in Indiana and across the Midwest so fast you almost wonder how it can find enough crates, barrels and display counters for all its natural and organic foods.

The specialty grocer opened its first Indiana store in Greenwood last year and has since opened two other stores in Indianapolis, as well as locations in Lafayette and Fort Wayne.

Two other stores are set to open this year in Westfield and Fishers, and yet another next year in Broad Ripple.

It's a company on a tear, determined to get its name out and gain a foothold in a competitive grocery landscape.

The stores are meant to resemble a farmer's market, with organic and natural foods, and a dizzying selection of bulk goods.

At about 28,000 square feet, each Fresh Thyme store is about half the size of a typical Whole Foods Market or supermarket and about twice the size of a Trader Joe's store.

The stores boast healthy, natural merchandise that includes natural meat raised without hormones, seafood flown in daily, locally roasted organic coffee beans, barrels full of organic bulk foods, and gluten-free and dairy-free options.

Shoppers say they appreciate Fresh Thyme's inviting atmosphere and interesting product mix.

"It is fun and a good place to explore for new items," said L.A. West, a former private chef, as he carried a bag of groceries into the parking lot at Fresh Thyme's West 86th Street store. "In the frozen section, I found baby artichokes. I've looked all over Indianapolis for that."

Another shopper, Raquel Williams, said she follows a vegan diet and can find plenty of healthy options.

"Stores like this bring a sense of community — people coming together to make the best decisions for themselves," she said.

The company did not respond to several requests for interviews. But in a question-and-answer on the company website, CEO Chris Sherrell called Fresh Thyme the "natural and specialty food store of the future."

The company's biggest selling point, he said, is healthy food at an affordable price.

"We're bringing a natural option to the Midwest with incredible values and trying to make the natural lifestyle affordable to the masses," Sherrell said. "That's really going to be our goal."

Sherrell has racked up nearly two decades of experience in the specialty grocery world. He worked for Colorado-based Wild Oats for about a decade. Then he moved to Sunflower Farmers Market in Arizona, which he led for about nine years.

Fresh Thyme was founded and based in Phoenix before moving its headquarters this year to the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.

In addition to Indiana, the company is targeting Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio for growth.

Within two years, the company plans to open 15 to 18 stores in Chicago, eight to 12 in Minneapolis, six to eight in St. Louis and up to 10 in Ohio.

The company appears to have plenty of money. Much of its backing is coming from grocery superstore Meijer, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., which confirmed its investment in Fresh Thyme but said it would have no management involvement.

Fresh Thyme — like other organic grocers — is hugely popular with young shoppers, said Britt Beemer, a retail consultant at America's Research Group in Summerville, S.C.

"Many millennials just want to eat more healthy," he said. "They are more interested in shopping at an organic store than your mother's supermarket."

Other specialty grocers are springing up fast, too, seizing the chance to supply a growing demand.

In May, Lucky's Market, an independent organic grocer based in Boulder, Colo., opened its first Indiana location in a closed Marsh Supermarket in Bloomington. It said it was attracted to a "vibrant, young community that fits well with our demographics."

Earth Fare, an organic grocer based in Asheville, N.C., last year opened a store in Greenwood. It also has locations in Carmel, Noblesville and Fort Wayne.

Whole Foods, an upscale natural foods supermarket based in Austin, Texas, has stores in Carmel and Indianapolis. It recently signed a deal to anchor a 28-story apartment tower Downtown in the 360 Market Square development, on the site of the old Market Square Arena.

That's a lot of natural food stores springing up around the state. But Fresh Thyme's performance gives it reason to be optimistic, said David J. Livingston, a supermarket resarcher and consultant in Waukesha, Wis.

He said each Fresh Thyme store rings up an average of $280,000 a week, or roughly $14.5 million a year. Its small size gives it another advantage: Its sales per square foot rank it higher than the industry average.

"The company is trying to make shopping more fun and more healthy, and customers are responding," he said.

Call Star reporter John Russell at (317) 444-6283. Follow him on Twitter: @johnrussell99.

FRESH THYME AT A GLANCE

Headquarters: Downers Grove, Ill.

CEO: Chris Sherrell.

Founded: 2012.

Description: A natural and organic grocery chain built on a farmer's market theme, with affordable prices.

LOCATIONS IN INDIANA:

* 4225 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis

* 2342 W. 86th St., Indianapolis

* 8750 U.S. 31, Greenwood

* 220 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette

* 4320 Coldwater Road, Fort Wayne

OTHER LOCATIONS UNDER DEVELOPMENT:

* 11481 E. 116th St., Fishers

* 3400 E. 146th St., Westfield

* College Avenue and 63rd Street, Broad Ripple