2024 Natural Grocers Sustainability Report

Letter from Our Co-Presidents

We are pleased to present the Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. Sustainability Report for the fiscal year 2024 reporting period.

Our Position in the Food Chain Natural Grocers ® has prioritized quality products at affordable prices, nutrition education and caring for our Crew and communities since our parents founded this company in 1955. We believe that grocery stores play a pivotal role in the food chain, a system that is essential to health and wellbeing. We choose to positively impact the ways that food in this nation is grown, raised and sold. We do not follow whatever shortcut or ‘health fad’ is trending. Our products have a purpose: to support the health and wellbeing of our communities. We aim to offer nutritionally sound, environmentally responsible products, and prioritize vendors and farmers who are as passionate about human health, animal welfare and the health of our planet as we are. Partnership with Rodale Institute

We are the only national grocery retailer in the United States committed to offering: 100% certified organic produce 100% non-GMO bulk products 100% pasture-raised dairy 100% free-range eggs Humanely raised and sustainably sourced meats, fish, and seafood Grocery products may not contain

In 2024 Natural Grocers announced a new partnership with Rodale Institute. This esteemed organization has been putting science behind the best practices in organic agriculture for more than 75 years, advancing research to show that healthy soil leads to healthy food, healthy people and a healthier planet. Its groundbreaking science and direct farmer-support programs serve as a catalyst for change in farming and food production worldwide. Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training Programs focus on regenerative organic agriculture, and include opportunities for farmers transitioning to organic and the next generation of organic leaders. To support accelerating the expansion of regenerative organic agriculture, we dedicated our September Organic Month fundraiser campaign to Rodale Institute, and raised more than $80,000 for their Farmer Training and Veteran Farmer Training programs. For more information about Rodale Institute, including their Farmer Training and Veteran Farmer Training programs, please see page 12 in this report. Fiscal year 2024 was a record-setting year in terms of revenue and profit for Natural Grocers. Our success demonstrates that a business model dedicated to offering high-quality, affordable, natural and organic products can help deliver positive social and environmental impacts, while creating value for stakeholders. We hope to inspire other companies to follow our lead. artificial flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners (as defined by our standards), synthetic colors, or partially hydrogenated, or hydrogenated oils

Kemper Isely, Co-President

Zephyr Isely, Co-President

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FISCAL YEAR | 2024