‘Reinvesting in the communities’

Yogurt, avocados, organic eggs and kefir — when Manja Nyland wants to purchase her favourite items, she visits Vita Health Fresh Market.

“They have healthy food,” she said of the Winnipeg retail chain, which sells wellness products and organic groceries.

Vita Health launched a grand opening celebration on Tuesday for its new store in southeast Winnipeg. Nyland was one of the customers who stopped in.

Located in St. Vital Square at 2-785 Dakota St., the new store replaces a smaller space Vita Health occupied in the same shopping centre for 19 years. At 4,700 square feet, the new store is approximately 60 per cent larger than its predecessor.

Mathew Holtmann, owner and president at Vita Health, recognized the need for additional space and said he felt lucky when the new spot — formerly a Mark’s clothing store — became available.

“It’s in the same centre, the visibility is better, it’s already a really successful location for us (and) we already have a great team,” Holtmann said. “(We’re) not starting from scratch.”

The new store features an open layout with wide aisles, high ceilings and modern finishes. One of the first things customers will see when they walk in is a mural by local artist Kal Barteski, whose bold brushstrokes are featured throughout Vita Health’s six locations in the Manitoba capital. (The company also has a distribution centre near the airport and a commissary at its Westwood location, where employees prepare grab-and-go items for the entire chain.)

The new St. Vital store expands Vita Health’s offerings and provides customers with greater access to local, organic, health and sustainable products, Holtmann said.

“A huge part of our success is just reinvesting in the communities that have been so good to us,” he said, adding that Vita Health has had a store near St. Vital Centre for more than 30 years. “Our customers here deserve the better shopping experience and to have the better selection.”

The store offers organic produce and meats, plus expanded natural beauty and supplement departments. Customers will also find products from local artisans, organic dairy, herbal remedies, homeopathic products and groceries.

The store is a hit with Nyland, who has visited numerous times since its soft opening last month. She especially appreciates the wider aisles.

“The other (store) reminded me more of a small country store and this one’s more like a supermarket — which is OK, because hopefully (it means) more variety,” Nyland said.

Vita Health staff work hard to offer a “great curated selection” of products, plus “good pricing and then good customer service,” Holtmann said, before referencing a slogan painted above the cash registers.

“Our mission, which we have up here, is to empower people to lead healthy lives,” he said. “That might sound hokey or aspirational, but for us, what it means is it’s just giving people the information so they can make educated decisions that are right for them, because everybody’s different.”

The company prioritizes local, organic, fair-trade and sustainably produced products whenever possible, Holtmann added.

He declined to disclose Vita Health’s annual revenue, but said 2026 has been “a really strong year” for the company.

Gerhard Seier, Holtmann’s grandfather, started Vita Health in 1936 as a small, mail order company selling herbs and patented medicines. Staff are preparing to mark 90 years in business later this year. It will be the first time it has celebrated an anniversary since the 75th in 2011, Holtmann said.

“We’re very proud of our history in Winnipeg and our heritage in Winnipeg and all the years of business we’ve done in the community,” he said.

The grand opening festivities for Vita Health’s new store continue throughout the week. The celebration culminates on Saturday with a block party and barbecue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It’s the second time in two years Vita Health has overhauled one of its stores. The company updated its Osborne Village location with additional retail square footage, a new exterior façade and new store signage last fall.

The company employs between 130 and 150 people across its six locations, Holtmann said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca