The Corn Crib offers a long list of organic and natural products for those looking for a change

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By Susanne MacDonald
This Week Staff

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At a time where 80 per cent of new businesses fail in their first year of operation and 80 per cent of the remaining businesses fail within five years, the Corn Crib is a testament to a thriving family business.

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Susanne MacDonald/This Week

The Corn Crib has offered organic and natural food and other products for about 35 years in Moncton.

Started by Ed LeBlanc approximately 35 years ago, the natural food store began life in a different location, but has been located at 337 Mountain Road for a number of years.

When Ed retired around 10 years ago, his daughter Charlene took over the business.

In addition to Charlene, there are four full-time employees and four part-time employees. The store is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and from 12-5 p.m. on Sundays.

"I believe we have somewhere around 2000 different products for sale," says manager Kelly McCarthy.

Products include organic and natural foods; organic bread, cheeses, and butter; a wide variety of teas; and bulk food items such as spices, organic flours, grains, and nuts.

There are also books and cosmetics and a wide range of supplements such as vitamins, herbs, protein powders, and nutritional oils.

"One of the most popular items right now is coconut oil, which is supposed to be a good fat, a healing oil," says Kelly.

"Most people buy it because they want to take it for weight loss, which they've heard coconut oil is supposed to help with."

The Corn Cribs' customers span a range of ages.

"There are lots of older adults who are Ed's friends," says Kelly. "We're also seeing a lot of younger people and tourists who are looking for specific items while on vacation.

"We also have a lot of people who simply come in for information."

Kelly says one of the business's biggest challenges is keeping up with the trends.

"If Dr. Oz recommends something on Oprah's show, people will come in looking for it," says Kelly.

"If we don't agree with his advice, we'll let people know. It's important to educate people."

When an item receives good coverage in the media, such as Vitamin D recently did, Kelly says it can be a challenge to keep the item in stock.

"Our greatest success is being around for as long as we have," says Kelly.

"Similar stores have tried to open, but they haven't succeeded like we have."

Future plans for the store include an expansion of their organic section.

"We'd like to offer organic milk and produce," says Kelly. "We would like to offer one-stop shopping, so that people won't have the need to go to a grocery store."