As Nature Intended, seems like it would be more at home in Melbourne rather than Canberra, but this Organic Café and Wholefoods store brings something unique to the nation’s capital.
Originally established at the Belconnen Markets, As Nature Intended has recently opened a second store in the New Acton precinct.
The clean, industrial, edgy design directly reflects what is offered within. The high ceiling and polished concrete creates the perfect backdrop for the various Mogo artworks that decorate the walls. It’s something fresh and different just like the food, living up to their concept: ‘industrial meets organic’.
The café provides a modern twist to healthy food, and everything is home-made, right down to the jam that goes with the toast.
The biggest crowd puller yet has been the ‘Big Breaky’ on weekends. The healthy lunch and breakfast menu is vast, ensuring all customers walk away satisfied.
Don’t be fooled by the word organic either. It simply means the food is healthy and preservative free, meaning you’re not adding synthetic chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified ingredients to your body.
Head Chef ‘Baz’ believes the rustic food minus all the polished edges allows the actual ingredients to speak for themselves.
“The Home-Made Baked Beans and the Brioche French Toast with yoghurt and berries have also been tickling the taste buds of many, as two of the most popular dishes,” he said.
“Whether you’re Vegan, Vegetarian, allergic to nuts or simply after a good feed, you will be looked after. The menu reflects a little bit of everything for everyone.”
As Nature Intended is impressive but what makes the place different is the combination of an Organic Café with a Wholefoods Store. The store features a great selection of top quality, fresh 100% organic fresh fruit and vegetables. The shelves are bursting with all the healthy foods you could imagine, such as organic and bio-dynamic dairy goods, bulk natural foods, sugar free snacks, gluten free specialty products, organic breakfast cereals, soy milks and grain milks, as well as authentic sourdough breads from a number of specialty organic bakers.
There is also various gourmet lines, including organic, preservative free, and biodynamic alcohol, cheeses, nuts, and dips, and even organic cleaning products, and pet food. It’s a corner store with your ‘one stop everything’ and even offers eco-friendly dry cleaning.
Co-owner Jamie Wilson knows the importance of meeting customer needs.
“We have a great selection of products here, and offer fresh, natural food which contributes to a vibrant, healthy body and mind. As Nature Intended is not only a great place because of the products we provide, but the fun and energetic atmosphere created by our staff makes the store electric. We endeavour to provide exceptional service, no matter what. As Nature Intended really is a place people enjoy coming to, and we enjoy building relationships with our customers”, Jamie said.