Farmers to buy Sappington International Market
The Missouri Farmers Union has something new to grow. The state-wide group of family farmers is buying the Sappington International Farmer’s Market making it an owner of a grocery store for the first time.
Maria Mendoza of St. Louis washes
and sorts green beans in the produce
section of the Sappington Market.
Mendoza has worked there for six
months.
Elie Gardner | Post-Dispatch
Tessa Greenspan, the owner of the 24,000-square foot market in Marlborough, said she plans to stay involved in a marketing capacity. However, the operations will be turned over to the existing management team that has long worked for Greenspan as well as a business manager from the farmer’s group.
Terms of the deal are not being released. The sale is expected to close in the next few weeks.
“We are giving small, independent farmers a way to sell their products,” said Greenspan, who said the move will pave the way for a greater selection of organic and minimally processed produce and other foods at the store. However, it will still have its broad range of value priced items.
Randy Wood, a Licking, Mo. farmer who is the business manager of the team, said the union created the company called “Farm to Family Naturally LLC” to buy the market.
Greenspan is a well-known figure in St. Louis and last year was chosen the 2007 Woman of the Year by the Woman Grocers of America, a national trade group based in Arlington, Va.
She was the silent partner in a venture that opened the first Sappington market in 1981 at 11520 Gravois Road. After her partners went into bankruptcy, she took over the operations and moved to the current location in 1995.
The market, which has a loyal following, is known for its inexpensive and hard-to-find produce and more than 200 kinds of cheese.
Gail writes about business, health and wine for the Post-Dispatch. She joined the P-D in 2005 after moving from NYC where she covered federal courts and wrote about food and wine. In her free time, Gail lifts weights, and of course, wine glasses. 
It’s good to see that this wasn’t lost to the corporate greed type stores. I used to go a long time ago to the Farmers market on the Rock Road and I think she was related to the Kravitz’s who ran it back then. All such nice people, and it proves that there will always will be a market for the quality , “hands on service” type of grocery’s and stores. It was good to see her honored and appreciated, and not looking for the very last dollar she could get.