Nick Meyer – When most people think of organic foods and where to get them, they usually tend to think of Whole Foods first.

The Austin, TX-based upscale chain moved to the forefront of the organic grocery industry by making a commitment to local and organic food producers, and combining a love of good food with better quality ingredients.

But lately, the profile of the organic shopper has changed dramatically, as the movement has gone mainstream.

Customers are increasingly looking for cheaper organic options, and for the ability to buy everything they need for meals in one spot. And that’s where Costco, one of the biggest retailers of its kind in America, comes in.

Ranking as the second biggest retailer in America overall behind Wal-Mart Costco obviously has a leg up on the competition.

But they also deserve to be commended for committing to organics before most other large grocery and retail chains were willing to take the chance.

That commitment has been rewarded: Costco is now projected to sell over $4 billion in organic products this year according to this article by takepart.com, which trumps Whole Foods’ projected $3.6 billion and makes it the likely number one seller. The numbers were calculated by financial firm BMO Capital Markets.

The article mentioned that Costco has increased sales of organics by about $1 billion the past six months and is now going all in on that commitment, similar to the plans of other major store chains like Kroger (which was also expected to possibly surpass Whole Foods this year) and Target. Continue reading →