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Meadow Lane will be Nussdorf\u2019s first major opening and marks his official leap into the world of gourmet groceries. Before this chapter, he worked in venture capital for about six years, investing in a range of brands, some food-related. Retail, he tells me, is a completely different challenge though.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored and humbled that people are this excited for something,\u201d Nussdorf told me when I visited the store at 355 Greenwich Street. \u201cI am super passionate about it, of course,\u201d he added, \u201cbut I feel like a lot of people are equally as passionate about it, which is shocking to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
An upscale grocer focused on natural produce isn\u2019t exactly a new concept, especially for health-conscious shoppers in major cities. There\u2019s Erewhon, the LA staple founded in 1966 by Michio and Aveline Kushi, where $20 can buy you the \u201cHailey Bieber<\/strong> smoothie<\/a>\u201d and likely a few extra TikTok followers. Eataly<\/strong><\/a> has great authentic Italian produce and pantry staples at its outposts, located in places like New York, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles. And at Butterfield Market on the Upper East Side and Bonberi Mart<\/a> in the West Village, you can stock up on fruit, vegetables, and prepackaged meals, equally delicious with very New York price tags.<\/p>\n But Nussdorf\u2019s timing coincides with a new era of wellness. Functional nutrition is the latest thing for young consumers. From \u201cprotein-packed potato chips\u201d to \u201ccognition-enhancing mocktails,\u201d there\u2019s a flurry of new products that target everything from better sleep to gut health, according to McKinsey\u2019s recently released Future of Wellness Survey<\/a>. The same report says that in the US, UK, and Germany approximately two thirds of Gen Z and millennials say they bought functional-nutrition products last year, and much of what Meadow Lane stocks (matcha from Montauk General Store, speciality oils and vinegars, Sun Elixir juices) sits squarely in that niche.<\/p>\n