One of my favorite places to grab lunch between jobs W/Digithauling & junk removal

Dont buy their purple produce! I cut open my bell peppers and potatoes only to find that they were entirely devoid of color inside. And then, as if to mock me, when I cooked the peppers, what little color was in the skin disappeared completely. I will definitely be taking my business elsewhere, as these people would rather resort to trickery and deceit just to keep their precious purple essence for themselves.

Very big inside, surprisingly so ! Many of the locals support Organic 👏 whole foods and homeopathic healing methods . Beautiful products with knowledgeable employees able to make suggest. Could have stayed all day! Lovey outdoor space for visiting and having lunch. Still has the yummy buffet style foods I loved so much.L3employeesIG

One very very very long line but they Checkers moved as fast as they could. Excellent store with excellent products although today seemed a bit crowded as they were stocking shelves in every aisle seamed. If there was any way at some point in time those aisles could be a little wider? And I love this store and I will continue to shop for the amazing healthy foods. And the bakery department is the best ever

Look Peeple ~ this place is the REAL Deal ! ~ A natural food store that is wildly & epically successful, but didn’t franchise AND didn’t sell out to Amazon ?? THAT is one of the natural wonders of the REAL Santa Cruz !! Original founder has been the same owner since the beginning. Richard gave me my first job in Santa Cruz back in 1983 & I will be forever grateful.Whole Foods is just down the street but I’ll never step foot thru their door while it’s owned by Amazon ~ OR while Staff Of Life is alive, vibrant & LOCAL !{Think Local, Shop Local !}

I was refused service for not wearing a Real face mask. I have severe asthma and have to wear a face shield. The up front manager confronted me and said they were going to refuse me service because I did not have a face mask on me. Bold of them to assume I carry a worthless piece of cloth that does absolutely nothing to stop a virus with a 99.97% survival rate. I am so glad I am moving out of this garbage pile of a state. This store is overpriced and staffed by authoritarians.

Staff of Life is suppose to be a health store but yet violates our freedom of choice to access oxygen while shopping in their store. This is not OK with the people that awake to this scam.Notice to Stores and Employers created under authority and the power of the PeopleName of Store or Company:__Staff of Life_______________________Address of Store or Company: _All Stores in CA__Name (Man or Woman giving Notice): Bernadette of the Alvarado Family ______NoticeNotice to Agent is Notice to Principal and Notice to Principal is Notice to AgentThis document is being given as notice for all employers and corporations of any type that are enforcing mandates, social distancing between family members and or other rules that interfere with the free exercise of use or expression of religion in the above named store or company. After this notice is given it is the responsibility of all employees and people working for this establishment to look deeper into the law that they may provide due care to any of the members reserving their rights based on the declarations of membership association they are part of or as private people.Any corporation or entity doing commerce on the land of the people be it in the United States or any of the several states (the 50 states) are all established and allowed to do commerce by the power of the people who created the governments and the constitution empowering the governments to give statutory power for companies to create entities to do commerce on the land of the people. Please see the following evidence below:Article 1 Section 8 of Federal Constitution:Clause 3: [The Congress Shall Have Power…] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; …The people created the constitution of the United States as well as the Constitution of the several states, giving power to governments to allow for the establishment of entities in commerce that would use the peoples roads and at times carry passengers and or products in order to build wealth that was outside of the individual rights of men and women handling their own private affairs. Because you are working by privilege and in use of the power of the people, you are not allowed to restrict access of the people to full use and service of your establishment for certain reasons. Please see the following evidence:Public Law 88-352, Sec. 201 (a) “All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin in.Please notice above that relation is mentioned in the law that governs your store or employment facilities. The member of this Private Association, as a religion is not to wear a mask, consume blood of man or receive vaccines, or submit to accept any tags or labels in order to be able to by or sale. If you or any of your employees or officers wish to prevent the use of any of your facilities without intervention and forced wearing of any garments or mask, this member agrees to not use your facility for $10,000 per incident and that the man or woman, reserves the right to use an arbitrator of his or her choice after serving an affidavit, to exclusively hear the matter.Autograph of member:____________________________________________Memebers of staff of Life refused to sign

I must have rated them, five stars over and over and over and over and over again. The only problem is that they are so close I go all the time. But Ill probably live an extra 10 years lol

The best organic grocery shop super kind service

Staff of Life is and always has been #1for natural food and personal care products on the entire Monterey Peninsula, in my opinion. The staff is highly knowledgeable, and if they dont know the answer they will find the answer. I no longer live in Santa Cruz but still shop at Staff (a 35 minute drive) when I cant find what Im looking for here at home. Which is about once a month.

Have everything you would need for any particular diet or allergy you might have to be on. Got great lunch food.

Very expensive. Nice produce and lots of bulk items. It takes forever to pay. The cashiers have no energy. Slow robots is what they look like. Im glad to see the pastries are individually wrapped now. I hope that they continue to wrap it. Quite a few customers use their bare hands when choosing their pastries.

Great local grocery store where you can pick up organic and local foods

This place is so much better than whole foods., and its locally owned. Tremendous selection of organic, vegetarian, vegan foods plus plants and all the supermarket favorites but much better quality products.

Staff of Life is dependably healthy and high end. While Whole Foods quickly went from wfpb high end to selling itself out trying to get conventional customers & now surviving as a barely passable remnant of healthy, clean ingrediants controlled by the mega monopoly Amazon, Staff of Life has remained focused on the descerning clientele catering to the educated health nut & those seeking clean minimally processed & organic. Such a great relief to know its there after the gold diggers have come and gone! And with a great juice & smoothie bar! The eye of the storm. Love this place.

I was looking for some super weird ingredient while trying to make tofu and the staff there tried really hard to help me find what I was looking for. At one point 4 people were trying to figure out if they had it which honestly was probably more than I could handle this late in the pandemic, but it was a generous gesture nonetheless. Thanks for the help today everyone

Great bulk section, produce, and meat/fish counter.

This is a wonderful store but I hesitate to call it a store... Its more of an cultural experience and a lovely one at that! You can purchase everything you need and have an enjoyable time doing it! Both the staff and your fellow customers are friendly, pleasant, and knowledgeable! See a product youve never used? A staff member well explain it to you and the person shipping next to you will give you a recipe or a tip! This place is like going to the old country store where you knew everybody your while life. Only here its strange who are helpful and friendly. If you need groceries, go there, if you need produce, go there, if you need health and beauty products, go there, if you need a hug, go there. Its that kind of place. Even if you dont need anything, go there.It smells as wonderful as it looks. There is a coffee shop in the front. This store is clean, well stocked, beautifully displayed, and has plenty of knowledgeable, helpful staff. The produce is lovely. The bulk food section is plentiful. The health and beauty department carries all the best natural beauty products and cosmetics and has a full time manager who is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. They carry everything from Burts Bees to Annemarie Borland! I had a great time there. Prices are fair and comparable to other grocery stores. Go, youll never shop at Safeway again.

I have been shopping at Staff for 50 years very good productsA little pricey

Wish we had one of these in San Jose. So many healthy options and great hot food bar!

Wonderful selection of fine foods. Better selection of organic and special dietary needs foods than the whole foods down the street. Excellent wine and cheese corner, with very knowledgeable sommelier. Overall feels like what whole foods used to be before amazon bought it.

Been going here since I was a kid and now as a chef this and Shoppers Corner are the only way to go with regard to the produce and awesome grocery items. No joke bought the best tomato plants there last year, gave us dozens of amazing tomatoes.

Amazing store for those who have special diets (vegan/vegetarian) and are looking for a high end grocery store which won multiple awards for its selection. Complete with coffee/smoothie stand in the front, outdoor dining area (with sink to wash hands) and deli- this store has a little bit of everything including tons of products you can’t find anywhere else (egg, meat, dairy, gluten substituted products). Be prepared to pay a little extra for your groceries but it isn’t outrageous in the slightest.

Simply top notch on everything - great staff, wide selection of products, clean & well laid out store and several ways to enjoy the shopping - in person, curbside pick - up and I think they deliver too - local favorite for decades

My name is Curtis Reliford my experience at staff of life the food was excellent the customer service who served the food was really down to earth talk to me like a human great conversation while waiting theres a couple people need a little help with their personality and how they greet me I say this because Im a black man and theres a lot of people dont like black people and they dont know when they are being rude you cant say nothing in line then Ill look like the bad person I just be quiet and pray for them most of all I appreciate the store the product thanks for letting me shop there.

Great supplement selection, I was amazed.

Local business has been alive & manifesting life for decades. Outdoor patio. Bulk grains, spices, & comfort food. Deli & salad bar. Butcher counter. Great produce.

Very helpful staff and easy parking.

Wonderful, difficult to find products, local stuff, helpful staff, kind people, genuine in their goals and concerns with their products. I love this store.

I went to pick up food with my husband and went up to a group of women who were working and socializing near the entrance to ask for the bathroom and they were so rude. They acted like I was interrupting and bothering them when they are clearly in the clock and should be working. Horrible service. Bad attitudes from many of the women staff.

Placed an order online, no immediate response, tried calling, no answer. I got two texts from them, one saying someone will call, never happened and the other was confirming my cancel, which didnt take because they still tried to deliver way after. Not very good service and allot of confusion to whats going on with them. Do not recommend. Seems like most reviews are from the workers there.

Really like this place. Im new to the area, and their organic produce looks amazing. A wee bit pricey, but worth it

Amazona profucts love it

Best grocery store in the county for sure. Super high quality produce, tons of options for dried goods, massive bulk section, decent hot food bar and deli, they pretty much have everything (assuming youre not a soulless husk addicted to corn syrup and food coloring).

In love with their smoothies 😍

Been shopping at Staff my entire life. Love the community and staff are real ppl with quality food choices and an amazing gift shop.

Its an excellent example when a community comes together to promote healthy diet & unity.

Great selection in the bulk bin and very well prepared for COVID with a store attendant pouring, weighing, bagging, labeling for all customers. Some customers break the rules and go through the aisles in the wrong direction but otherwise the store feels safe. Everything is very well stocked, great selection of products. Very helpful butcher dept.

Love this place for 15 years. The best local, organic stuff

Normally I love shopping here. Fresh produce, great meat dept, bulk section good and I usually feel very safe. Today it was crowded and people not practicing distancing. Very upsetting. Hope it’s better next time.

Favorite grocery store in Santa Cruz! Friendly staff, awesome selection. Fresh produce!

Great store lots of great hard to find goods

Great grocery store. Lots of GF foods and great produce.

The least environmentally friendly natural foods store Ive ever visited. They wont let you use your own produce bags, your own bulk bags, or your own grocery bags. You have to take everything in their temporary plastic bags. More waste for the landfills!They also wont let you fill your own bulk. And you cant see the prices for bulk items, so you find out later that the employee gave you $20 worth of quinoa and $15 worth of cherries.The selection is good, but the whole shopping experience was ruined when I got yelled at (during checkout) for using my own grocery bags, and then I saw the bill. She finally stopped yelling at me when I promised to go to Whole Foods from now on.

I came here for local honey, looks good. Hope it is local and not from Midwest like it says it maybe. This place is a copy of wholefoods.

Heart of town 🎶✨⛲️

P.M. shift Manager Steve is one of the most even tempered managers I have ever met, leading him straight into my best Customer Service profiles in the health food industry. And I should know, growing up as a model health food child and worked industry for over 15 years.GREAT JOB Steve, I believe you will have many lifetime accomplishments that you desire, and with out having just s job the whole time..

If you like over priced bougie stuff then this is the place for you. Been around for a long time and Id rather give them my money than give it to whole foods.

Aptly named, providing a variety of stuffs to nourish, support and enrich our lives.

This is a wonderful place. It was my first time coming and I like all of the vegan products

Expensive! The staff there is very helpful though.

Great health products

Kind of Busy. Narrow Isles.Fast checkers. Well stocked. Helpful Employees.

We are SO excited the South County store is about to open. Counting the days.

Great store. Ive shopped here for decades and the staff are always so kind and helpful. And the products are always great

Incredible range of healthy food choices. Solicits customer input and responds! The bulk sections are spectacular. Beautiful presentation of foods. Helpful staff in medical section. Great new curbside delivery website during Covid19. A longtime Santa Cruz tradition with no sales to outsiders.

After shopping at different places in the last year on and off and this year 2021 picking up on good eating habits and going plant based I ran into my old kitchen manager mark pike and James frome my old jobs feels good to run into geniune good people both mark pike and James pure of heart by the way food is always delicious at the hot bar produce is always ripe and good as well thanks staff of life for keeping an up beat around this uncertain times all you guys are nailing it! Keep up the good work! I just also wanted to add the juice bar at staff of life is amazing smoothies bursting with flavors whome ever came up with the juice bar menu is a genius or just loves what they do period also coming back to staff of life ran into a couple of good friendly faces Dave and Eric really geniune kind people good of heart as well both working in the meat dept Walking into staff of life really gives me a different approach on eating to live and not living to eat I’m going to continue to shop local and support my community during this uncertain times I’m so thankful for good food and being local thank you kindly staff of life.

What a great store. Excellent produce and such variety. As good as most farmers markets--delicious plums and nectarines. Good variety of bulk items too.

Deli cheese looks tasty

This place is pricey but has lots of great stuff!

Long wait for the bulk food section. Out of the product I was looking for. It wasnt listed on the Out of board.

I love the employees at this store, first and foremost, and the store itself: heavenly!

Beautiful fresh King Salomon

I love you!!! The outlets on the patio have been my savior since covid, staff are sweet, food is good and nurturing and worth it, (s o u p) they also sell korean cooking pastes and spices, they have electric car outlets, store is organized and clean. The best~ I will always support ❤

Probably the best grocery store in santa cruz

Freshest produce around, super friendly & helpful staff, lastly its locally owned... Keep your cash here, help our community navigate these troubling times.

Staff Of Life is, always has been and always will be the best. Wish I had anything comparable where I moved to in LA, so I buy some things there every time Im in town.

Been shopping here for years, decades even. Staff is the closest thing Santa Cruz has to an old time natural food store. The staff seem quite happy working there - always a good sign.Pricing is probably the best in town. You can park and lock your bicycle inside the store - more secure and out of the rain. The hot bar serves a lot of basic food, no sugar added - something you have to watch for in the more corporate stores with their long lists of ingredients.Finally they are locally owned and I hear going to open the first big natural food store in Watsonville. I feel good leaving my money in their till.

Healthy Hot Bar with scrumptious, simple, real food options. I loved choosing black eyed peas over my salad. And sitting in the open air with waterfall sounds and quality espresso. Peaceful delights. A win!

Fun & ethical selection of food & stuff. Many options for vegans.

Friendly staff and great healthy variety !!

OK minus one star because parking is tough, tiny spots, fairly packed, and just getting to the entrance can be tricky. But once inside its great. If you have any special diet needs, SoL has something for you. Lots of good organic, GF, DF, Vegan, etc. products. As expected, not a bargain bin store, but a place with nice selection of quality grocery items. Its busy because its a good place to get non-mass market food.

Says Senior AND High Risk not Senior OR High Risk before 9am. I was looking for a place to grab bacon near my house, and had already turned away from 2 Seniors only before 9 spots. I read signs. I respect what they say. Im an early riser because, well, my high risk condition also ruins my ability to sleep in, and I prefer to start my day instead of waiting for 4 hours to do stuff.I figured if they are advertising High Risk, as well, then they probably operate on the benefit of the doubt that the community will respect that. I am super disappointed to say that I was made very uncomfortable by a borderline interrogative group of staff members that immediately made me feel unwelcome. After being speculatively eyeballed, I was told it was seniors only, in which I asked about the high risk part. Indicated I was. A manager was retrieved to escalate the analysis of my situation. Would have preferred not to have to declare why but they seemed skeptical. They basically treated me like I was lying and then very begrudgingly agreed to let me in. I was over it by then. Unacceptable and unbelievable from a neighborhood store.Im not trying to be a Karen here, but if you guys put High Risk and a dude in his late 20s cruises through, he probably saw the sign. He probably is high risk. I was basically warned to avoid people and made it seem like I was an exception to their rule. I didnt shop here, and I highly doubt I ever will now. I have never felt so unwelcome and uncomfortable in any store in Santa Cruz.

There are some things, such as vitamins and supplements, that I feel are better purchased at a store such as Staff of Life. My physician often shops there, although he also makes purchases at other places. I have confidence in Staff.

My favourite grocery story in the US. Ive been coming here since I was a kid and it has every organic item I could ask for, plus sells flowers and had a juice shop!

I think the people who work there are great for the most part.

Below was my 5 star review, as previously this was my favorite grocery store. However, the store crushed all sense of customer service efforts during the covid apocalypse! Their staff actually literally cries at the register, like theyre held against their will! The staff throws tantrums that theyre being exposed to covid, and yells at customers, as if its their fault they didnt shop online instead of making them work in person! They have an actual crew of zombies, blocking the entry way, with arms stretched out, attempting to actually touch each customers mask upon entering their store, to ensure theyre fitted tightly. The staff is obviously emotionally illogical, while hysterically attacking customers... and management fully allows this!!!Somehow grocery stores operated throughout the covid apocalypse, and didnt attack their customers!!! No other grocery stores staff is having ongoing emotional breakdowns. Its unacceptable to have staff freaking out on the customers, throughout their entire work shifts! Theres plenty of people seeking employment, and plenty of jobs that are online or zero contact!But, allowing employees to touch customers masks in the entry way, and be yelling and crying at customers, that theyre risking the employees lives, just by merely shopping at their store... Is so over the top unacceptable... Ill NEVER shop at my favorite grocery store again, unless it changes management!!![Pre-covid review]This is the best health food grocery store ever!Ill gladly drive 45min. to shop here.Their unique selection and consistent supply of healthy foods, has been a Santa Cruz staple for decades. Their organic produce selection has the most variety year round. If youre trying to find items for a specific diet, this is your best chance at finding what you need. Theres a full vitamin, supplement, and nutrition section with their store brand at a reduced price too. Although packaged items can be found for lower prices elsewhere, their bulk sections are unbeatable. Theres bulk food ingredients, culinary herbs, some medicinal herbs, even lotion and shampoo too.This is one of the longest lasting health food stores in the Bay Area. I highly recommend supporting its longevity.

I dont usually rate places but this has been consistently terrible. I have been to this overpriced store 3 times in 2 weeks and EVERY employee was rude. Never going back. Id rather give my money to the Whole Foods across the street. Its cheaper and Im treated with respect.

Friendly staff, amazing selection of different food varieties....and do not forget to check out their amazing plant selection for amazing proces

I didnt go in but I hear its good

Love this place for all my hygiene/ vitamins/small gift/ amazing organic food needs!

I love you Staff of Life

Ive been going to stop of life for I think about 40 years, and its always been an authentic piece of Santa Cruz. Always great food and great people and a great atmosphere. Stop by today and got some chicken enchiladas and broccoli and cheese soup that was absolutely amazing

Staff of Life is my happy place. They have amazing produce, the most incredible bulk section in town (I try to be zero waste and Staff of Life is the best for me bringing in my jars and reusable produce bags). Im here at least once a week if not more, all the employees have always been nice. I never even considered leaving a review of a grocery store, but Ive loved this store since I was little and it was at its old location.

Staff of Life has the best selection of zero-waste refill options in the area, from bulk foods to cosmetics, theyve got refills galore.I also love their gluten-free, dairy-free baked goods. I have often spent an hour or more in here just browsing their delicious food and unique body care products! I also found a new, healthier makeup brand here on recommendation of a staff member, and Im loving it.Try the ollalaberry pie. 😍

If you want to get good quality, well sourced food with local flair, Staff of Life is the place to go. Whether you want prepared food from the deli, a good cup of coffee or chai from the café, snacks for the family, or simply food and sundries to mark off your shopping list, you can get it here.Ive personally been going to Staff of Life for at least 20 years (since before their move), and have never gone wrong with what I have gotten there. My only complaint is that almost every time I go, I end up spending too much on things I found that I didnt necessarily need, simply because they looked good to me.If you want to support your local healthy food supermarket, Staff of Life is a great place to go. Go in to get what you need, come out with a good experience, what you went in for and a smile.

I can shop both local and organic here, and the location is convenient. On the negative side, its a little pricey/overpriced.

This grocery store is a true gem! I love supporting local businesses and Staff of Life has been in Santa Cruz since the 70s. Very cool!They have an amazing selection of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Seriously have the best strawberries in the summer.The store is pretty big and has any food you could possibly need, mostly organic and natural versions. They also have a fresh food section which I haven’t tried out much. I love the deli also, they have a great selection of pasture raised meat.

Love everything about Staff of Life...the helpful workers, the quality, the sushi, the availability of locally grown produce!

Amazing location with 3 star food. Good but not great great. Quick and easy too.

Great places to shop

Not sure about curb side pickup probably but you have to go on line or call so youll know the latest. They work with a delivery biz also.

They have a great selection, a beautiful, large selection of plants, its one of the only (actually I think its THE ONLY!!?!) place Ive found this Kefir I love!!! The staff are friendly... Its definitely one of my favorite places to get groceries!! Also the salad bar and hot food bar are great!! Really great selection and delicious foods to choose from!! I LOVE the hot clam chowder they make!! And the salad bar is one of the best too!! I love you Staff Of Life!!! ❤😁

I had a good experience as I usually do, though I didnt find what I wanted.

I come here almost every day for lunch. Their hot/salad bar is healthy with good choices. I shop here for groceries too as I prefer to support our local markets

Soooooo expensive though

Great healthy options and really good selections

Been going for over 40 years. Since it was a little coop selling a lot of bulk food. For years going to the restaurant for the meat loaf with cashew gravy 👍🏼👍🏼

Fantastic local grocer. Real organics and local produce at much cheaper prices than competing natural foods markets. Great wine and beer and cheese selections. Large beauty section.

Beautiful place, amazing selection but very expensive! Also, the cashier didnt bag my groceries, he just handed me the bag; not very nice.