“South Central L.A. Organic Grocery Store Provides Over 200,000 Pounds of Fresh Food to Community”

Let’s take a moment to talk about an incredible individual who is making waves in the struggle against food deserts—Olympia Auset. This awe-inspiring Howard University graduate has single-handedly tackled the problem of limited access to nutritious food in South Los Angeles, CA. Using the lessons she learned during her own long and arduous trips to find affordable organic produce that aligned with her vegan diet—a round trip of two hours! Auset decided to take matters into her own hands.

Her grand solution? SÜPRMRKT. Starting as a pop-up and subscription service, this grocery store was Auset’s defiant response to South L.A.’s food desert problem. Pause and think about this mind-boggling fact: a region housing 1.3 million people had only 60 grocery stores at the time. Sounds unbelievable, right? But Auset was undeterred, she was ready to change the game.

“We can no longer attribute unhealthy eating habits solely to personal choices when access to healthier alternatives is fundamentally limited,” she said. Auset’s sense of community empowerment gave birth to SÜPRMRKT as a pop-up in Leimert Park in 2016. Fast forward four years, and with some assistance from partners Open Architecture Collaborative Los Angeles and Engineers Without Borders, Auset was able to secure a spot for SÜPRMRKT’s first brick-and-mortar store.

The story of Olympia Auset and her venture SÜPRMRKT isn’t just about her extraordinary vision and determination. It’s a testament to the power of community, innovation, and the will to make a difference. It showcases the potent combination of entrepreneurship, resourcefulness, and social justice. And most importantly, it exemplifies how great things often start from addressing everyday inequalities and setbacks. So, who’s ready to get inspired and make a difference in their own communities?