Community Corner
Who's Who: Alicia Payne, Buyer for Natural Grocery
Alicia Payne and her boyfriend came from very different lifestyles, food-wise, than the one they embody now.
Name: Alicia Payne
Age: “I have a birthday next week. I’m almost 23.”
Occupation: Bulk buyer for
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How long have you worked here? It’s been about three and a half years.
What brought you to the Natural Grocery? Ever since I was younger, my parents fed us horrible, awful, processed food. When I got older, I started dating this guy who was like, “Noooo! What are you doing?” and I got a whole new knowledge for everything.
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I moved from Tuolumne County, the Sonora area, to down here. I randomly started working at Alameda Natural [Grocery] and then I moved back to the mountains to go to school. I worked for a natural grocery up there.
When I came back down here, I heard great things about this company, and I keep continuing to work for natural grocery stores.
You got set on the path. Now it’s a lifestyle. With my current boyfriend I’m changing everything — the way he eats, too.
It’s always hard to change the significant other, huh? Oh yes, especially when he’s set in his ways. But he’s happy now.
Does he notice a change physically? Yes, and more energy. He was eating all kinds of Morning Star GMO products. He’s not a vegetarian any more; he’s eating meat again now, but he’s a lot healthier and happier. I get the meat here.
What do you do for fun? He teaches photography in San Francisco. We go on road trips every weekend. Around here, we go on bike rides. Go to Pyramid [Alehouse, in Berkeley].
Do you live in El Cerrito, too? I do. I live right near Del Norte Bart.
How do you like living here? I love it. I love being able to walk to work. I love the neighborhood, . it’s just a nice town. It’s almost big city but nice kind of small feel.
