
Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers was First to Carry Pines
Pines became the first green super food source when it introduced Pines Wheat Grass in 1976. Pines' good friend and the co-founder of the Vitamin Cottage was the late Margaret Isely. She brought Pines Wheat Grass into her first store and taught us about the natural food marketplace. She went on to be President of the the national health food association. Over the years, her family expanded Natural Grocers to more than 130 stores in 19 States west of the Mississippi River.

Natural Grocers Prefers Earth-Friendly Packaging
Pines is the only green superfood company in the natural food marketplace to package in earth-friendly amber glass bottles with special metal caps that allow us to remove the oxygen from each bottle. This prevents the loss of color and nutrition through oxidation that occurs with plastic bottles. Further, the contents of plastic bottles may be contaminated by the fossil fuel used to make the containers. Unfortunately, it is difficult for any natural food store to avoid carrying supplements packaged in plastic. Even so, Natural Grocers makes a strong effort to provide a glass bottle alternative for every supplement they sell.

The ONLY Non-GMO Project Verified Alfalfa Powder
Natural Grocers shares Pines' strong commitment for sustainable organic agriculture. Like Pines, Natural Grocers opposes GMOs. The stores do not carry products that contain GMOs.
Pines is the only 100% organic grower of wheatgrass and alfalfa powders. We do not practice "dual farming." Other growers produce organic for only a few weeks a year. Then they return to pesticide-based agriculture for the rest of the year. Everything we grow is certified organic, gluten free, Kosher and Non-GMO Project Verified human foods. Alfalfa is an at-risk product for GMO. Yet, our alfalfa in Green Duo is the only whole food alfalfa powder for humans that is verified by the Non-GMO Project.
Green Duo is Good for Your Body and the Planet
Green Duo a great organic veggie source. Besides a great combination for your health, it helps with organic farming. The two crops enrich the soil in different ways. As a result, they are perfect for crop rotation. That's why when you use Green Duo and other Pines products, you support better health for yourself, better health for the soil and better health for the planet. At Pines, we do it all, from planting the seed to filling the bottles. In fact, our packing and shipping facility is right across the road from one of our fields! Because of our high standards, Delicious Living recognized Pines green super foods for the 2017 Supplement Award.

NO IRRIGATION for Pines' Green Superfoods
We grow our wheatgrass and alfalfa in correct regions that do not need irrigation. Pines is the only grower of green super foods for the natural food market that does not rely on ground water. Because our region receives plenty of rain, our crops do not need irrigation. By contrast, others grow irrigated wheatgrass and alfalfa in dry parts of Kansas without enough rain.
The other Kansas grower's "family farm" has pumped water from the Ogallala aquifer to grow pesticide-based animal feed for more than 70 years. Most of it fed confined animals waiting for slaughter by the meat industry. The abuse by farmers in those dry regions of Kansas has all but destroyed this once-plentiful and clean fresh water resources. They have drained it and poisoned it. Besides the severe depletion, more than 75% of wells test positive for Atrazine herbicide. In less than 100 years, these careless farmers have nearly used up a resource that took tens of thousands of years to accumulate. It is not possible to replace the water that was used up or to remove the poison from what remains.
Besides being the only 100% organic grower of wholefood wheatgrass powder from Kansas, Pines is also the only one not to use irrigation and to take a strong stand against the poisoning and draining of that precious ground water resource. We are also the only growers of green super foods in Kansas to not practice dual farming. That is a practice where farmers grow both organic and non-organic crops. We have used 100% organic farming practices for more than 40 years.
Support 100% Organic by Sincere Organic Family Farmers
We hope you will support our more than 40-year relationship with Natural Grocers and our shared commitment to organic farming. For more information on how Pines works to improve our planet, please follow this link.