Before greens powders lined store shelves and wheatgrass became part of everyday wellness, there was a simple idea: people needed an easier way to get more dark green vegetables into their diets. In 1976, Pines helped bring that idea to life by introducing wheatgrass to health food stores as a convenient, whole-food green that fit real life.
At the time, wheatgrass was far from mainstream. Most shoppers were not looking for “greens,” and most stores did not have a dedicated section for them. Pines entered the market early, helping shape the category by making wheatgrass easier to understand, easier to use, and easier to find.
The roots of that story go back even further. Pines’ founders were inspired by earlier cereal grass research and saw the opportunity to reintroduce wheatgrass in a new way — not as an outdated vitamin product, but as a nutrient-dense, economical dark green vegetable with the fiber and whole-food value people were missing from modern diets. That shift in thinking became the beginning of Pines Wheat Grass as customers know it today.
What came next was not a polished corporate launch. It was a startup story in the truest sense. Pines was built with support from a large group of small investors who believed in the mission, and the founders hit the road themselves to tell the story store by store. They traveled, stayed in campgrounds, met retailers face to face, and explained why getting more greens mattered.
That message started to catch on. One early turning point came in Colorado, where the original Vitamin Cottage became one of Pines’ first meaningful retail supporters. That early momentum helped prove there was a place for wheatgrass in natural food stores and that consumers were ready for a simpler, more practical way to add greens to daily life.
From there, Pines kept growing. According to the brand’s archived history, the founders repeated that grassroots sales pattern across the country, eventually placing Pines in more than 2,000 stores in 35 states during the company’s early expansion. Pines also describes itself as the first product in what later became the green food section of many natural food stores.
That history matters because it explains why Pines has never been just another trend-driven greens brand. From the beginning, the goal was not to chase hype. It was to offer a real food product built around real standards: properly grown wheatgrass, careful harvest timing, and packaging designed to protect quality. That commitment is part of why Pines still stands out 50 years later.
Today, shoppers can choose from countless greens products, but not many can trace their story back to the early days of natural food retail. Pines can — and the we're built around that legacy: the year 1976, when Pines helped bring wheatgrass to health food stores and into the modern wellness conversation.
For us, that legacy is not just about where Pines has been. It is about why the brand still matters now. People still need more dark green vegetables. They still want convenient whole-food options. And they still deserve greens they can trust.
Choose the brand that helped bring wheatgrass to health food stores in the first place. Shop Pines Wheat Grass and make real greens part of your daily routine.
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