Welcome to Sprout Café

Fifty years ago Oryana started out as a small group of friends who joined together to purchase healthy food in bulk quantities. With a growing fanbase of families interested in unprocessed, unpackaged food, the group eventually had to figure out an actual retail space. Thus a tiny store was born on Front St. After a while, this space became impractical and a bigger spot was secured on Randolph St. Then, with continued success and increasing memberships, it was time to move again. Hello Oryana 10th St.! Then, with a solid foothold in the community and being a leader in the local, healthy foods business, the idea of expansion took hold and became a fixture in our strategic planning and visions of the future. In 2020 the vision became reality when Oryana acquired a second store, known at the time as Lucky’s Market. And three years after that, Oryana took over a cafe space at the Cowell Family Cancer Center, bringing the total number of Oryana locations to three.

According to Heather Busch, Coordinator Oncology Health & Wellness Services, Sprout Cafe opened 7 years ago alongside the Cowell Family Cancer Center at the Munson Healthcare campus in Traverse City. “Over time and through challenges, Sprout Cafe made changes and adapted as needed, but the intent always remained the same: to provide nutritionally focused food in a vibrant community space for our patients, caregivers, and campus-wide staff,” said Heather. After a few relatively short-lived stints with other food service providers and closure during the pandemic, the Cowell Center approached Oryana with a proposal. Steve Nance, the General Manager at the time, was thrilled with the proposal. “They were thinking that one way to reopen and serve the staff and visitors would be to have their beloved co-op operate it with healthy offerings that Oryana is known for,” said Steve.

It was a fairly challenging undertaking, with all the logistics and required licensing. The Cowell staff worked with Oryana staff to iron out the details of operating an off-site food service location and all the operational particulars that accompany such an undertaking.

After all the hard work and coordination, Sprout Cafe opened under Oryana’s management in July 2023. Heather and her team were also thrilled with the new arrangement. “One of our greatest endeavors and evolutions of Sprout Cafe has been partnering with community-owned and decades-favorite, Oryana Co-op, for the like-minded model and spirit of supporting whole-body health. We welcome the bright and fresh perspective, delicious food, and cheerful employees that Oryana has brought to our cancer center and look forward to a continued partnership,” said Heather.

Food and staffing for Sprout Cafe is all coordinated through Oryana West. Spearheaded by Malú Schlueter, Culinary Manager at West, the West team creates a variety of delicious, fresh, and healthy offerings that our shoppers and members have come to rely on.

According to Malú, “We offer a menu for breakfast and lunch that includes breakfast frittatas, granola parfaits, organic fruit, more than 10 kinds of sandwiches and wraps, deli salads, snack boxes, baked goods, smoothies, juices, coffee, and more. We serve staff and patients four days a week with quality, dedication, and compassion. We are proud to bring a little piece of Oryana to the Cowell Family Cancer Center.”

Sprout Cafe is located at 217 S. Madison St. in Traverse City. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 7 am – 2 pm. Stop by for a coffee or snack and say “Hi!”