Happy Earth Day again! One of the earth-friendly practices is eating organic/sustainable foods. Fortunately, organic food has become more popular, accessible and thus a bit more affordable in the last decade. Many converts also stand by it because it simply tastes better.
So today on Earth Day, I absolutely have to share with you this stunning find - Supernature, Singapore's largest organic store (at Orchard Boulevard) with over 4,500 square feet of wholesome natural goodness. It blew my mind away.
There is so much here, I spent more than 2 hours perusing and photographing everything. This may be a super bumper post with a record-breaking 44 photos but I can tell you it was hard narrowing down to even these! And this is only part 1 - the food and produce section. I'll have more tomorrow on their lifestyle and wellness section, and on Saturday an organic-friendly recipe!
You can click on the photos to access larger versions on my Flickr set.
Supernature is owned by the COMO group (which includes Club21, COMO Hotels and COMO Shambhala). COMO Group founder Mrs Christina Ong was apparently a regular customer. I guess she liked it so much, she took it over to complete the wellness empire she has with the COMO group.
There are fresh greens from all over the world like Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Europe. I love the market-like display crates. Unfortunately Singapore is just too small for farms, so we can't get to "eat local" as much as we'd like.
Supernature also does delivery of themed boxed produce sets. For example, the Western box (S$70) contains apples, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, salad mix, spinach, cabbage, parsnip, capsicum, pears, nectarines and bananas (items may vary according to seasons). See their website for full details on other boxes.
The fresh produce is sorted and packed on the premises itself. Supernature also does wholesale supplies to stores and restaurants.
When you walk in, you will see on the right a whole section on chilled and frozen organic goods.
Organic salmon and mahi-mahi, deepsea perch, orange roughy, wild-caught albacore tuna, wild barramundi and wild Alaskan salmon. There's lots of frozen seafood like shrimp, oysters and scallops too, that aren't laden with mercury or lead. Canned seafood (sardines, mackerel, anchovies) are in the grocery aisles.
Organic Welsh lamb in the frozen section. Organic lamb is much more earth-friendly than pork or chicken as the production is less resource-intensive. It's a good lean protein alternative.
The meats come in a variety of cuts. They also carry grass-fed beef which feature better muscle and fat balance, compared to grainfed cattle reared in feedlots.
Organic chicken and other poultry choices abound. Free-range birds which aren't fed artificial hormones to be plumped up. Next to this, you'll find another freezer filled with organic breads, pies, muffins and other baked goods.
They also carry Eco-pork from New Zealand. These must have been some happy pigs with no jabs, hormones and running free.
Organic desserts like rice dream, ice creams, waffles and pancakes.
Organic dairy products - milk, cheese, butter, sour cream and yoghurt. Plus juice and eggs. Everything you need for an organic breakfast.
The cheeses originate from 100% organic milk, and are free from antibiotics and growth hormones. They are lauded for exceptional levels of vitamins and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a beneficial fatty acid that is said to lower cancer risks.
Organic eggs generally provide more Vitamin B, Folic Acid and Omega-3 benefits, as the hens feed on natural grass and grains.
Burgers, pizzas, bacon, sausages, chicken cutlets and other happy convenience foods, all organic. There are even meatless meatballs and gluten-free patties. The organic hams, sausages and roasts in the deli are nitrite-free.
If you are a vegan who love organic, you might like this mayo substitute. Vegenaise made from grape seed oil. How healthy!
Organic miso, tofu, natto, pickled shiso leaves, sauerkraut, honeycomb and spreads.
On the grocery side (this has to be Singapore's largest selection!), there is a wide range of organic oils, sauces, condiments, herbs and spices.
This includes a variety of Asian and Japanese products!
What's truly luxurious is the organic black truffle extra-virgin olive oil (imagine what Rachael Ray would say of of these! "Holy EVOO"?) and white truffle balsamic vinegar.
And my jaw dropped when I saw these babies! Jars of whole black truffles!
On the everyday side - lots of organic pasta sauces to choose from.
And this is probably the widest range of organic dry pasta and noodles, made from a variety of grains.
Speaking of grains, there are all kinds here. Quinoa, amaranth, spelt...you name it.
Would you like some Black Venus Rice? Or some Asparagus Risotto? How about a bowl of Bhutanese red rice? I want some of whatever's making those people the happiest on earth!
Dried fruit and nuts of all kinds. There are also canned varieties. Everything from petit pois to Hokkaido heirloom quality adzuki beans!
Haha, I was really happy to see these!
And if you ever need organic panko...you know where to go!
Pink Himalayan salt? Take your pick.
Bakers can go wild here. There are a bazillion baking ingredients, from mixes to extracts. If you have special dietary needs (wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free), you will definitely find something here too. They even have unbleached paper baking cups!
Agave nectar as alternative sweetener. Of course they have organic maple syrup and all sorts of sugars too.
Fibre for the whole family! Psyllium husks, which are rich in soluble fibre, have been found to give better benefits than oats in lowering blood cholesterol. You can also find lecithin granules, nutritional yeast flakes, wheat germ and other health-food ingredients here.
They even have organic essence of chicken. This I hear is quite different from Brand's as they do not use caramel for colouring.
Organic kuzu powder (from wild kuzu root) and nigari (magnesium chloride for making your own tofu)!
Organic candies, bars, biscuits and other sweet treats! Savoury snacks also abound, like organic corn chips, spelt pretzels, vegetable and parsnip chips.
Sick of peanut butter? Try almond, pecan, walnut and even coconut butter!
Supernature also carries the Duchy Originals line of biscuits, jams and drinks started by the Prince of Wales. They also own the Duchy Originals store at the basement of Paragon.
Cereals of all kinds. They also have a lot of snacks for kids.
Kids will find this irresistible!
There is practically a whole wall of organic teas and coffees!
A corner curiously filled with Tasmanian herb teas - echinacea, dandelion, burdock root, nettle, wormwood, hawthorn berry, lemon thyme, sage and the more common varieties of chamomile, ginger, applemint and lemongrass. There are also mixed concoctions for pregnancy, stress, kids, and digestive relief.
A small selection of wines.
There are many organic beverages too. Cherry ginger brew, root beer, cream soda and spiced apple brew, just to name a few! I picked these because I love the packaging.
Organic acai berry juice! This is USDA certified organic.
There is a mini juice bar within Supernature itself, using organic ingredients.
The benefits of organic food are obvious. But for most of us, the biggest concern is still cost. Even Oprah's O magazine asked, "Is Organic Food Worth The Price?" - a pretty good article. In general, organic food is still better in terms of nutrients, anti-oxidants and it helps better in disease prevention. You are what you eat, ultimately. I figure that even if I can't eat organic every day, maybe I can do it once a week.
Supernature occupies two units at Park House facing the Four Seasons Hotel on Orchard Boulevard. One side is the fresh food and groceries section, and the other carries their wellness and lifestyle products. I will be posting photos from the latter tomorrow.
SUPERNATURE
SuperNature (Flagship Store)
#B1-05/09 Forum The Shopping Mall
583 Orchard Road
Tel +65 6304 1336
Fax +65 67350366
Opening Hours:
10am – 7.30pm daily
SuperNature (Mother & Child)
B1-20A Paragon
290 Orchard Road
Tel +65 6304 1339
Fax +65 6735 4207
Opening Hours:
10am – 9.30pm Monday – Friday
10am – 10pm Saturday
10am – 9.30pm Sunday & Public Holidays
Acknowledgement: Photographs in this post were commissioned by and belong to Supernature, but the blog post is mine.
Love this find. I'll definitely be stopping by in the next few weeks. One thing to note though. You mentioned that the Organic lamb is better for the environment and is more earth friendly. This is only the case if the animal was shipped here, stored and packaged with earth friendly materials and processes.
ReplyDeleteIf the lamb was packaged in plastic, shipped by plane, and stored in sub zero temperatures the whole time, then it's actually worse for the planet than say a chicken that was killed in Malaysia and driven into Singapore that day.
Still, organic is the way to go. ;)
Very good point, Phil! I should emphasize that it's the resource production specifically that is more earth-friendly. But yes, anything airflown and deepfrozen actually has its the earth-friendly benefits pretty much reduced. But it could still be tastier and healthier eating. :)
ReplyDeleteI should say the the benefits of "industrialised organic" might be no-other than to fill the wallet of the people selling the product.
ReplyDeleteI think Malaysia could play a bigger part in the production of luxury food for Singapore
Look at those prices! I can't believe this place actually thinks people are crazy enough to pay S$69/Kg for pork chop and S$89/Kg for pork belly. I don't care if that pig was papmered to death, that is an outrageous price. I'll be surprised this shop is still in business 6 months from today...unless the shopkeeper rethinks his pricing strategy.
ReplyDeleteCharles: Malaysia with all its resources should have done many, many, many things. :)
ReplyDeleteAnon: LOL@pampered pig! Well the shop has been around since 2001, almost 10 years now. And they do say there are more and more millionaires in Singapore...
Wow, I could spend all day in that store. How beautiful. I have 2 health food stores so close to me, but not nearly the size. I like to get most of my organic veggies at our farmer's market. Our regular grocery stores are getting more and more organic food readily available in them. I do try to get organic as much as I can afford it. Thanks for taking us along with you. How are the prices?
ReplyDeleteI like their tagline - "Organic freshness in a box." I want a box, too! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I can imagine walking around this store, picking up stuff to cook later, would be like a culinary version of me as a small kid in the library or the bookstore. Very nice post, dear!
Nature's Glory carries quite an extensive range of products too and the prices are quite reasonable. Zhenxin is also another place which carries a good range of fresh veg from their farm in M'sia. And there's growmax.com, order online and products can be delivered to your doorstep.
ReplyDeleteNice to see the emergence of an organic and local grocery. Great news.
ReplyDeleteWow! Such a huge variety of products. But to pay so high a price is definitely not easy
ReplyDeleteIt was intriguing to read about this new organic store and I arrived there after some tough hunting around Tanglin area yesterday afternoon. The store was huge and indeed the stock was rather comprehensive. However, one of the staff's attitude was so obnoxious and humiliating that I left the store fuming with anger.
ReplyDeleteIs it wrong for anyone to visit a store with no intention to purchase, other than the fact that we were excited to check out this new store and what it has to offer? Barely 10 minutes into the fresh produce store, this tall male store attendant had to check upon me and my girlfriend, not once, not twice but THRICE, as to whether we were buying anything despite the fact that I had given the same reply that we were just browsing with nothing specific in mind. His repeated questioning, and derogatory tone, certainly conveyed his doubt in our intentions in that shop. Was that a outright challenge to our moral integrity?
By this point in time, my girlfriend and I were already feeling uncomfortable. But we decided perhaps he was just too earnest and straightforward and the fact we had taken quite some effort to locate this store meant we weren't willing to let this small episode ruin our mood. Then came the LAST STRAW.
As we made our way into the confectionery and canned produce section, which was located in the aft of the store, this particular store attendant motioned another of his colleagues to keep an eye on us. While he didn't instruct them blatantly in front of us (if there was any benefit of doubt, it was non-existent at this point) we clearly observed a staff stalking us throughout the whole period we were browsing. Needless to say, we left very dissatisfied and unpleasant shoppers.
Perhaps we do not fit in with the European clientele Supernature is targeting, but that doesn't meant that undergraduates donning bags deserve tags as potential shop-lifters. It was unnecessary and utmost humiliating. While I give the store credit for providing a variety of brands, and applaud their effort in promoting organic food(which I'm still a strong advocate for), this experience has left me very bitter and I will NEVER return to this store ever again.
If anyone feels the need for clarification, you can contact me @ lesterlz@hotmail.com.
Lester, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. You might be heartened to know that you are not alone here.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are in our thirties and like you and your girlfriend, we like to check out new stores. I discovered Supernature through an email advertisement from Supernature itself and we checked out the place this weekend. Throughout our visit, we had a male attendant stalk us from a distance, making sure that we were visible to him no matter which aisle we were at. The manner in which the "surveillance" was carried out was really unique to Supernature because we have never encountered this in any other store in Singapore. Suffice it to say, the store has succeeded in conveying clearly the message: "Go away if you are not buying. Or cannot afford it. Whatever."
honestly.....i have seen some packing from this store that are repacked and without Expirey date....and customers should demand that the expiry dates are from the manufacturer such items to proof my posting is the seeds or rice section...where you will find self label withour the origin of the farm or manufature.... ( i know their ethics working) ..beware...i am not here to tarnish their business..but it is important to highlight as it is regards to food...and not non-consumables porduct!!!!
ReplyDeletebasically......this so called oragnic store is installed for people are rich enough to buy their so called international consumables organic brands...locals...are welcome if you have the $$ to effort...otherwise..back off... skins and status is a issue for them as the people who generate sales are those on the upper class..sorry for those middle or lower class people...sad to say even though is a super market..hahahah!!
ReplyDeleteI do agree this place has a pretty good selection of stuff, but their attitude and pricing are awful. I have repeatedly found products they sell for up to 40% less in other shops. I used to buy a liquid iron supplement they were selling for almost 50 SGD, then found it in a wonderfully inexpensive shop in Peninsula Shopping Centre for 27 SGD, same brand and size. Same story with other items. When confronted, the story is it's imported blahblah. As long as some ignorant ang moh will pay the price,let's fleece them. I'm staying away from them. Enjoy the pork chops.
ReplyDeleteCould you please let me know the name of the organic shop in peninsula plaza
DeleteCould you please let me know the name of the organic shop in peninsula plaza
DeleteWow Supernature has such bad press here!
ReplyDeleteI visited them a month back. It was my first visit. Agreed that we as consumers should be allowed to browse freely. The same chinese tall attendent mentioned asked me 3x in a short span of 10 minutes if I needed any help.
I fled to the neighbouring section of toiletries in supernature and at least got some peace! But to be frank the pricing be it for food or toiletries is more marked-up as compared to the same organic brands found in other organic shops in singapore. Location is out of the way too. No reason to put up with over pricey items and bad service for me to visit the store again.
Great find! I'm coming home for the holidays and was hoping to find an organic supermarket to buy free range organic eggs from and your post was one of the first couple of search results that caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteExcellent product coverage with images too. I was surprised, however, that the eggs came from NZ and not Malaysia or even Singapore. Perhaps its just me, romanticizing the rural kampungs of our neighbouring countries?
I think the organic/slow food movement is gradually catching on in Singapore but is still perceived as an imported food culture from the West. Packed in plastic, air flown and deep frozen food is contradictory to certain aspects of the organic movement. Hopefully soon the 100mile food movement catches on in Singapore and perhaps we can move towards a holistic way of eating/consuming that goes beyond just benefiting ourselves.
& I thought I was the only one who was treated badly by their staff ;) I was there a long time back. It was a good half an hour before closing time. While I was browsing the dried food section, a lady staff came over & "reminded" me that they are closing a xxxpm. Guess she wanted to make sure that I am gone in time for her to close shop. So as you can guess by now, I told myself never to return. Besides, I totally agree with all who has posted on their crazy prices.
ReplyDeleteWonderful blogpost, well done, beautiful pics which must have taken some time and effort. Thanks for sharing! And what lively debate too! Very good input. True that prices are high and most things are imported. Unfortunately, Singapore is an island which has to depend on others to produce the food whilst they concentrate on other sectors.. high prices? perhaps it is a case of eating less, but eating selectively. Choose what we eat, and eat less, eat well. A wonderful thing of this store is the home delivery idea, keeps the CO to a lower level for all of us too. A beautiful store. Check out their organic olive oil, a particularly great one - Poggiagliolmi - unpronounceable name but has a child's penciled drawing as a label- beautifully green colour - high in anti-oxidants!
ReplyDeleteJust a note, I have always found the service at Supernature amazing – they sms me when the gluten free chicken nuggets my son likes arrive, they tell me about what’s fresh or in season or new, they unpack and pack my trolley, call a taxi for me, take my things to the car – I have never received this level of service at any other store in Singapore???
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the comments about the bad service at Supernature!
ReplyDeleteIt is such a lovely store to visit but the staff really put me off. My first visit to Supernature was great but subsequently, on my second visit, it was a nightmare. The exact same thing happened to me - being approached a few times and getting 'stalked' by a staff except my situation was even worse. I was messaging someone while shopping hence I was looking at my phone while browsing and halfway through, one of their staff actually came up to me and asked me if I was taking down their prices with my phone!!!!! I was appalled! How can you ask a customer that! It is absolutely ridiculous.
Since then, I havent returned and I have been visiting Brown Rice Paradise at Tanglin Mall instead.
Hi i am writing to complain about the pathetic state of supernature.The fruits r rotting and so called manager busy eating fruits.Once i heard the staff saying that they have to keep the vegs for her,nothing to sell.Can anyone tell me what happen to good old supernature?The people and service is terrible.Hugely disappointing.
ReplyDeleteThe selection of wine is small and no wine should be put in room temperature in tropical country like Singapore. For organic wine, O'Natural has a better selection. They offer organic, biodynamic and natural wine from France, most of the wine has zero sulfite.
ReplyDeleteHi Karl,
DeleteUnfortunately, It seems that they close down...
Do you have other recommendations to find these products in Singapore?
Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Philippe
I love fruits and wanting to buy a good juicer. I was recommended to go here: http://huromslowjuicersingapore.com Thank you for your kind service.
ReplyDeleteI think food items, which are packed in plastic covers are not healthy, especially I really hate to see the meat items when they are packed in covers and stored for many days.
ReplyDeleteBenefits Of Lecithin
Yes, how lovely if we can buy all our organic, grass-fed produce from Malaysia instead of flying in all our organic meat products from New Zealand etc.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for sharing this place! My husband and I have been searching for an organic supermarket in Singapore for forever!! I never knew one existed. Have you checked out Parsabella? We love that place!
ReplyDelete