2014 Business Class Honoree: MaMa Jean's Natural Foods Market LLC

MaMa Jean’s Natural Foods Market LLC is leaving its mark on Springfield by leading an organic and locally grown foods movement that’s becoming big business in the area and around the country.

In recent years, the company owned by Diana Hicks and Susie Farbin is growing revenue as fast as its vendors grow produce thanks to its focus on expansion.

The past three years, MaMa Jean’s has recorded revenue increases of 12 percent, 15 percent and 31 percent, respectively, bringing in $17 million in 2013, which Hicks says is due to the physical growth of the company.  

Last April, the 12-year-old business opened its third and largest Springfield location in 24,000-square-foot former Furniture Broker space, 3530 E. Sunshine St.

“It’s helped a lot, because the more you buy, the better deals you get,” Hicks says. “We really couldn’t get big purchases before, and if we did get one, it was just a burden on both stores. We didn’t have room to hold it.”

In 2008, Farbin and Hicks opened their second store at 1110 E. Republic Road, one year before they expanded their original MaMa Jean’s at 1727 S. Campbell Ave. In 2010, they expanded their Republic Road store before they began to make plans for a larger facility.

Hicks says the moves have been driven by changing attitudes at a cultural level about where food comes from and what’s in it.

“Dr. Oz has helped a lot. And Oprah has helped a lot to bring things to light about additives and preservatives and pesticides – everything we like to stay away from,” Hicks says.

While profits were down more than 9 percent in 2013, Hicks says it's because the company has been busy investing in the future. She says the owners expect double-digit revenue growth in 2014.

“We’ve tried to use a lot of our money to fund the expansions,” she says. “At Republic Road, we were getting in such large trucks that our back room was totally full, and we couldn’t hardly move around to get the stock checked in. So, we said, ‘It’s time to do something.’”

Beyond investing in the future of MaMa Jean’s, Hicks says a company value is to invest in the community. Through it’s Change for Change program, the company highlights a local charity each month to support with donation canisters at the registers, and then matches collections up to $250.

Donating local, buying local and staying local has been a mission of MaMa Jean’s from the beginning, Hicks says.

“Back when we started in 2002, we sought out all the local vendors we could because that’s very important to us,” Hicks says. “It’s not always easy to have 15 farmers come and drop off produce at your stores, but it is worth it to us to get the freshest produce and support our local farmers.

“The easiest thing for us would be to go to our organic-produce supplier and get everything from one place. We wouldn’t have to write as many checks, and we would always know what was coming in. But it’s very important to us to support these local people.”[[In-content Ad]]