She Created a Pop-Up to Eliminate Food Deserts in LA

What you eat has a huge impact on your health. Eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables while avoiding junk or processed foods is the key to being well. But for more many families in the United States, it’s not that simple. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 23 million people in the United States live in areas without access to supermarkets or other stores selling a variety of affordable healthy food options. These communities, known as food deserts, are a serious environmental health issue that can impact the lives of families for generations.

Olympia Auset understands this issue and its impact, growing up in Inglewood, it quickly became clear that if she wanted healthy food options around her, she would have to create them. So, she created and launched her an organic grocery pop up to eliminate the food desert in her community.

SÜPRMARKT is a low-cost organic grocery servicing low-income communities in LA. It operates weekly, providing 100% organic produce to make great health and healing available to the community. SÜPRMARKT’s mission is to “[bring] organic produce at great prices, to people who normally wouldn’t be able to get it.” They also accept SNAP, the nutrition assistance program provided to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families.

Since its inception in July 2016, SÜPRMARKT has provided more than 1200 cases of organic fruit, veggies, and seeds affordably in South LA, a community which has 1.3 million residents but only 60 grocery stores. We aim to shatter longstanding barriers to health in low-income communities by making organic food accessible to all.

Olympia’s mission to provide fresh, affordable produce to her community is inspiring. If you are looking for a way to help your community check with food banks in your area. 

SÜPRMARKT operates weekly. To learn more, visit their official website.