New Sequoia Location to Open in Fredericton
Frederictonians will soon have a brand new natural and organic health food store at the heart of downtown.
Originally founded in Moncton in 2004, the Sequoia Whole Foods brand has grown to three Moncton-area franchise locations and as of May 1, will be adding Fredericton to its list.
Fredericton location owner Chelsey Daley says she’s been passionate about the brand since she first shopped there while living and growing up in Moncton. We caught up with her surrounded by the busyness and hustle of opening the new location to find out how things are progressing.
How did you get into this?
I graduated from STU in 2015 and wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do so I went on a couple different adventures. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and do my own thing so I was looking at different ideas and franchises and I always loved Sequoia when I was growing up.
I have an allergy to food colouring so I’ve always had to read labels and I’ve always had to be really conscious of what I was eating so the freedom of going into Sequoia in Moncton was that I didn’t have to look at a label. I knew that everything was organic and everything was not artificially made so there was no colour. I didn’t have to worry about having an allergic reaction to the dye.
When I came to Fredericton back in 2011, there weren’t really any stores where I could go in and not have to worry. I was reading labels and I stuck to the stuff I knew I could eat but I still like to enjoy some fun things. I knew that I wanted to do something and when I started researching Sequoia, it just started falling into place. I’m really excited to bring this store to Fredericton because it’s definitely needed and it’s a really fun store. There’s a lot of neat stuff.
Why did you feel there was a need for it here?
There’s nothing with this much health food variety. We have everything from organic cleaning supplies to meat and alternatives, dairy and alternatives, all your supplements, grocery section, some fun gift stuff, essential oils and diffusers and salt lamps. We also have a really nice bulk section.
Why did you choose to do it in Fredericton?
I bought a house in Fredericton in 2015 so this is my home now. My husband has a job here with the federal government. We love Fredericton. We love this city. We both knew this is where we want to raise our kids so instead of going and living in other places, we decided to buy a house and kind of build our roots and grow.
What kind of interest have you had from the public so far?
We’ve had really good feedback. Everybody’s super excited. We have over 2500 followers on Facebook and it’s doing really well. Everyone we talk to, they’re really excited.
How have you been spreading the word about it?
Just Facebook and Instagram. It just got a really good response. I think Sequoia itself is a really good name and people recognize that name. There are people in Fredericton who travel to Moncton to go to Sequoia. It’s a name that people are excited to bring here.
What do you think is unique about the Sequoia brand in particular? Why did you choose it over something similar?
Everything’s organic and everything is Canadian-made or produced in Canada and we really support local. We have quite a few local vendors from Sackville, Nova Scotia, a couple right here in Fredericton. It supports a community. It brings everybody together. We have holistic nutritionists on staff that offer their information all the time. It’s not extra to talk and to learn. It’s part of the brand, just being able to talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about and who can help guide in any way necessary, whether it’s diet-related or anything that’s going on mentally or physically. We’re here to help in any way we can and we have a lot of resources in the store, books and such to help with that as well.
What kind of experience are you hoping people have when they come in?
I want them to feel like they know all the staff. My staff is really friendly and smiley and bubbly and I just want people to come in and know that we know each other by name, we can say hi, come in and have a smoothie. There’s going to be a sit-down area with free wifi. Just come and stay for a little bit and read a book or drink a coffee and talk with your friend. We’ll have tea and coffee and smoothies. It’s just very welcoming. We want to learn from the public just as much as we want to be able to educate as well.
It’s more than just a health food store. It’s a little family and we want to get to know everybody else’s family too.