It Was a Natural Choice

Kyle Moran ’98 and Catherine “Charlie” Elbert ‘98 Moran saw an opportunity created by a need in Evansville and acted upon it.  They opened  Elbert’s Natural Food Market on Evansville’s east side after tiring of a monthly drive to Louisville fueled by their Golden Retriever pup who was suffering from painful hot spots, shedding, paw irritations and more.  The veterinarian treating Savannah had her on a special diet, administering antibiotics and Benadryl and yet her health issues never improved and she was extremely lethargic – not acting at all like a puppy.  After a discussion with Kyle’s sister-in-law, who raises show quality Rottweilers, stated that her breeder had switched all of her pups to an all-natural diet which gave Kyle the alternative idea he needed.  He purchased a bag of organic dog food, “switched Savannah cold turkey” and noticed a difference within a month.  Her coat was shinier, the hot spots were no more and she finally had the energy you would expect from a puppy.

  As the young couple pondered Savannah’s transformation, they couldn’t help but think “if organic food had such an impact on Savannah, what could it do for us?”  So the monthly trips to Louisville to purchase organic groceries began for Kyle and Charlie.  Finally, after a vacation to Florida where they visited a large organic co-op that had “everything” they returned home to Evansville asking why can’t we have an organic market here?  That was all they needed to pursue their dream of owning a business together and now Elbert’s Natural Food Market is open and offers a quality of foods not available elsewhere in Evansville.  The Morans believe in the foods they sell and are passionate about what they are doing and their knowledge of the industry is impressive.  One hundred percent of the products they offer are all natural so they are totally preservative, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and fungicides free.  Ninety-five percent of the store is organic which refers to the way a vegetable, for example, is grown, a 3 year certification process of the farmland it is grown on, how the vegetable is picked, processed, handled, packaged, transported, and even where it is placed in the retail market.  Due to the thoroughness required to become an organic farm, it is easy to see why organic products are usually 20-25% higher in cost.   Kyle and Charlie currently buy local beef, poultry, vegetables, fruits and eggs that are all natural and they plan to expand their local buying.  Although there are misconceptions and just pure misunderstandings of the all natural and organic concepts, Kyle and Charlie are dedicated to educating the tri-state community to understand “it’s the way food used to be.”
  
Elberts’s Natural Food Market
5614 East Virginia Street
Evansville, IN 47715
812-471-5071
www.elbertsnaturalfoods.com