By: Raffi Torres

Organic food may just seem like a healthier option to some, but to Steven Strzelecki it’s a lifestyle and passion. Five days a week you can find Steven managing all the organic produce at Red Barn Grocery as he goes through it making sure every product is up to standard. For someone who has been working with organic produce since he was 15 years old, Steven knows exactly what to look for in healthy organic crops. Along with this, Steve is highly experienced in how to cook and prepare the wide variety of produce sold at Red Barn Grocery.  The excitement in Steven’s voice as he talks about having full control over the produce at Red Barn Grocery shows that he has a true passion for what he does.  His passion for organic produce goes back before Red Barn Grocery. Steven knew that this was something he wanted to dedicate his life to since he was a young boy.

Ever since 11 years old, Steven has lived a vegetarian lifestyle. This lifestyle began because of his growing knowledge of the less harmful effects of organic farming on the land. “I’ve always been pro-environment so organics has always made sense to me and been important to me,” said Steven. He began to read books about organic crops and how to cook them. By the time he was 15, he got his first produce job at a large retail grocery store called Giant where he already felt like he knew more about produce than his manager.

Once in college, Steven decided to take his knowledge to the outdoors and began to work on small organic family farms in Connecticut and Florida. After a few years on the farms, he decided to travel out West with friends. Once he settled in Eugene, he began to work at a grocery called Capella. At Capella, Steven felt like his knowledge and experience wasn’t being used to its full potential. After one year, he realized he wanted to have total control of the produce being provided. He decided to leave Capella and found Red Barn Grocery where he has full control of the produce which allowed him to put all his knowledge and experience to use. 

“Steven knows a lot about produce and has really helped our produce grow since he has been here,” said a fellow co-worker of Steven. Since managing produce at Red Barn, Steven has helped improve the diversity and food mileage of products. He hopes to continue this trend in the future and to help expand the type of products being sold. He believes that the more diversity in produce means happier customers at Red Barn Grocery.