4/28/2009 9:35:05 AM

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By Dawn Schuett
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

An Iowa business that delivers organic produce to its customers has crossed the state border and expanded into Rochester.

	About Natural Living What the business offers: Delivery of organically grown fruits and vegetables Owner: Lori McCabe of Cresco, Iowa

Lori McCabe of Cresco, Iowa, owner of Natural Living, began filling orders this month for Rochester residents who want the nutritional benefits of organically grown fruits and vegetables and the convenience of having it brought to their home or workplace.

McCabe, an Iowa native, recently started the venture, but she's got some experience.

For about eight years, McCabe lived in Boulder, Colo., a health-conscious city where there's a significant demand for organic and natural foods. In Colorado, McCabe attended the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies to study herbal medicine.

When she returned to Iowa and settled in Charles City, McCabe wanted a job that she could do from home to spend more time with her daughter, now 8. McCabe also has an infant daughter.

Establishing a business to deliver organic produce suited McCabe's personal needs as well as her desire to raise awareness of such foods. She operated her first business in Charles City for three years before selling it earlier this year and moving to Cresco where she launched Natural Living.

Choosing to eat only organic or natural foods "takes a level of open-mindedness," said McCabe, who believes that "it's just a healthier way of living."

McCabe gets produce for Natural Living customers through an organic food wholesaler. The produce is grown on certified organic farms mostly in the United States, she said.

The arrangement means her customers can get a variety of fruits and vegetables year-round, including fruits such as pineapples, oranges and avocados that wouldn't be delivered by a local organic farm through community supported agriculture (CSA).

Boxes of produce delivered by Natural Living come in four sizes for households: The Mini, which has two kinds of fruits and two-three kinds of vegetables and costs $20; the 1/2 Size All Fruit containing four to six types of fruit for $30; the 1/2 Size Fruit and Veggie with two to three types of fruits and three to four kinds of vegetables for $30; and the Family Size Fruit and Veggie with four to six types of fruits and six to eight types of vegetables for $45.

Natural Living also offers a large box of fruit specifically for offices. With four to six kinds of fruit, the box costs $57.

McCabe said she hasn't yet marketed her business in Rochester but hopes it can take root here through its Web site and word of mouth.

"It's more a matter of putting it out there and seeing how it goes," she said.

Dawn Schuett is a Farmington freelance writer.

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