OStore: Can an organic food market survive in Shanghai?

When we read today that Shanghai's first organic foods store has "underperformed" our initial reaction was, Shanghai has an organic foods store? The answer is yes. OStore launched last summer -- about the same time Shanghaiist launched -- and we're not sure why we hadn't heard of it until now. Well, perhaps its location has something to do with it. OStore is on Zunyi Lu, which, being west of Zhongshan Park, is outside of Shanghaiist's "comfort zone." Pathetic, we know. (We also would have learned about OStore if we would have read Shanghai Talk cover to cover like we should each month. Sorry, Shamus.)

One reason OStore is underperforming, one would guess, is because it is rather expensive. The store linked to above points out that organic potatoes at OStore run around 16.3 RMB per kilo, more than five times what you would pay at a normal market. To that end, OStore just purchased 83,375 square meters of farmland in Jiading District to grow organic products locally and, we would assume, inexpensively. But the main reason the store is underperforming is probably the fact that the concept of organic foods (and why someone should be willing to pay more for them) likely won't be a common topic of discussion around dinner tables in Shanghai for many, many years. We don't even have Diet Sprite here yet.

But for those of you out there who do get orgasmic for anything organic, head on over to OStore, which, naturally, has "the largest selection of organic products in China." In addition to foods, they also carry things like "corn starch toothpicks, chlorine free diapers, and allergy free laundry products." Or you can just check out their site. You can order online and everything. The store also features a cafe and bakery with "air roasted organic coffee beans" and "artisan breads," a bistro, a tofu house and regular seminars on health-related topics.