PCC Community Markets opened its newest location in Burien on Wednesday May 23 with a traditional gesture of welcoming, the cutting not of a ribbon but a pineapple. Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta and PCC CEO Cate Hardy did the honors welcoming a large crowd into the new 25,000 square-foot store located in the Five Corners Shopping Center at 15840 1st Ave. S., The store is the area’s first certified organic grocery and PCC’s first location slated to operate on 100 percent renewable energy.

Matta said, "Here's a good partner in our community that understands what good paying jobs are, understands what it is to be part of the community, and I'm very excited to have them here."

Hardy thanked those who made the store possible introduced Store Director Eliza Hollingshead and said, "We approach all of our decisions from the perspective of a triple bottom line. We consider the financial, the social and the environmental impact of everything we do."

With a long-standing commitment to the neighborhoods in which it operates, PCC will bring more than 100 union jobs to the community with its Burien store. PCC also will expand its charitable giving program through community partnerships with the Des Moines Food Bank and the Highline School District. PCC secured a $5,000 grant to Para Los Ninos as well, through the co-op’s partnership with the Paul Newman Foundation.

“We are always excited to join a new community and introduce all that PCC offers to future members and new shoppers — whether that’s our fresh, sustainably sourced organic foods; community support, food donations and giving; or new job opportunities we add to the economy,” said Cate Hardy, PCC Community Markets CEO. “The passion we’ve seen for Burien PCC through letters, emails and social media posts shows the feeling is mutual, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone into the new store.”

As with PCC’s other locations, Burien PCC will celebrate products that are fresh, local, organic, sustainably sourced and seasonal. More than 95 percent of PCC’s produce selection is organic; its meats are 100 percent organic, non-GMO or grass fed; its seafood is sustainably sourced adhering to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch standards; and, whenever possible, the co-op sources its products from local producers, farmers, ranchers and fishers. Using those same ingredients, PCC chefs make salads, soups, entrées and side dishes fresh from scratch daily onsite in each store.

Additional highlights of the new store include:

• New subscription-free, grab-and-go PCC meal kits featuring easy-to-make original recipes — like Sesame-Gochujang Steak with Kimchi Fried Rice & Shirred Egg, and Simple Cassoulet with Chicken and Sausage. Each kit is hand-packed in PCC kitchens and includes fresh, organic produce and non-GMO, locally raised meats along with compostable, recyclable packaging.
• PCC Pizzeria with fresh-from-the-pizza-oven and take-and-bake pies.
• PCC Taqueria with pork adobado, beef barbacoa, roasted squash and garbanzos, chicken verde, rice and beans, aguas frescas and freshly prepared salsas.
• PCC Yogurt Bar featuring PCC Organic Grass-fed Yogurt from Pure Éire Dairy, the only local, organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, animal welfare-certified yogurt of its kind — including the newest flavor on the block: lemon.   
• Handcrafted espresso and tea beverages and freshly baked goods,such as scratch-made breakfast biscuits and the PCC “Crownie,” a chocolate chip cookie, brownie mash-up drizzled with caramel.
• A carefully curated selection of Pacific Northwest-produced spirits to complement the co-op’s collection of exclusive wines and local beers and ciders.
• An affordable line of certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified pantry staples from Field Day, including more than 150 items from canned beans and extra virgin olive oil to peanut butter and oatmeal. PCC also offers a wide selection of bulk items, where shoppers can get just the amount they need while reducing packaging.
• Free cookbooks to borrow from or donate to PCC’s Little Free Cookbook Library, celebrating the joy of cooking in the community.

Burien PCC was thoughtfully designed to deliver on PCC’s long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility and to help reduce PCC’s carbon footprint. Tracking to LEED v4 certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, PCC has put into place systems and features to reduce lighting use by 25 percent and fresh water consumption by 45 percent annually. The store is planning to operate on 100 percent renewable energy through renewable energy credit purchases after the store opens. Seattle-based MG2 is the architect of record for the new Burien PCC store. The developer is Powell Development Company and the general contractor is Woodman Construction, Inc.

The new location is the first for PCC south of Seattle, serving Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, Sea-Tac, White Center and all areas in-between, and will act as the interim go-to for West Seattle shoppers until the store reopens in 2019.