Online shoppers now have a convenient way to buy organic and eco-friendly products without leaving the house. shopOrganic, an online-only retail store, launched last week to the delight of customers who prefer to… well… shop organic.

On the website, www.shopOrganic.com, you’ll find organic versions of popular grocery store items, from organic snack foods and boxed meals, to natural soaps and sponges made of loofah. You’ll also find unusual or hard-to-find products such as organic cocktail mixers and items for those with special dietary needs like gluten-free and kosher products.

Founded with the intention to ‘do well by doing good,’ the company favors smaller vendors and privately held companies. “Developing personal relationships with small vendors allows us to provide our customers with firsthand knowledge of the products,” said Mainz, adding, “I can say, for instance, when this coffee was roasted, or when that jam was bottled.”

While the company does not have a bricks-and-mortar store in Tucson, local customers can order online and pick up at their facility. Susan Snedaker, co-founder of shopOrganic, explains, “We want to make it easy for customers to purchase organic products. Local customers can order online and pick up their orders, however, we encourage people to ‘let their groceries carpool’ and have their package delivered.” Studies have shown that the amount of gas used to have a package delivered is often less than that of driving to the store, parking, shopping and driving home again – so ordering online, even locally, can lead to a greener future.

With food costs rising, many consumers are making the choice to cook at home rather than eat at restaurants. shopOrganic intends to focus on including more and more bulk foods like grains, beans, nuts, seeds and other staples to their product selection in order to help families with ever-shrinking food budgets continue to enjoy organic food.

So far, customer feedback has been very positive. According to one of the online retailer’s first customers, the website is, “easy to use, opens fast and is very intuitive.” Another added, “Love the layout, great products and great prices. I shop several other stores and I believe you've topped them all!”