A unique store
The Tochi Foods Store offers natural, health, organic and specialty gourmet foods and products. The store is located at 2nd Ave in Fargo and carries bulk grains, flours, fruits, nuts, rice, beans lentils and herbs. Tochi products store has been in business for the last 38 years.
Long history in Fargo
The store first opened in September 7th 1971 with a mission to cater to people who are looking to eat a little healthier and those interested in whole green diets. The store was started in a small scale but today it deals with retail and wholesale operations in the region. The store supplies to local restaurants and sets up bulk orders for area businesses.
Family owned business
Will Hoglund who is the owner of the store was originally born in Fargo and went to school in Grand Forks. His two sons Gabe Hoglund and Joe Hoglund actively help him with the stores operations and management.
Joe Hoglund attended M State Tech College for Accounting and Business Management and works at the store full time. He has worked here for about 15 years. His parents Will Hoglund and Naomi Nagamoto initially started the Tochi Foods Store.
“ I have been involved with the store since I was very young and its nice to have a family owned business that contributes to society. This is enough to keep us busy and content with what we are doing here, just supplying the local community” says Hoglund.
There has been a trend among people to eat healthy and whole foods. More and more people are looking at alternatives and options to eat and buy health foods and whole foods. This is due to higher level of awareness of the harmful effects of Junk food and scientifically altered food products that we see in grocery stores today.
Debbie Carico, who has worked at the store for the last 11 years says, “The clients seem to grow day by day, in the beginning we had a lot of ethnically diverse clients who came for specific foods but now days there are a lot more people who want to eat healthier. I have also noticed that the younger generation now compared to a decade ago is more eager to eat healthy and also the folks from the baby boomer generation who are looking to get healthier.”
Eating Healthy
Recently there has been an increase in the trends to eat healthier and buy foods from local whole food stores and these choices are available to the people in the Fargo Moorhead area because of Tochi Foods Store.
Joe further said, “Eat what is grown in the ground, all this food out there is not raised from the earth but raised from what is put on it, organic is grown from mother earth and that’s the way it was meant but yeah we got to be happy with what you eat. I am glad that the general public is realizing that something has got to change and I am hoping that we can provide that for them and continue to do it and I am glad that there are a lot of options out there for people.”
Strong Customer Base
Matthew Hulsether, a student who was at the store said, “ This store has been around for a long time now and provides alternative means to eat healthier. I buy my groceries here just cause I know that things I buy here are a lot more healthier and will contain no additives or chemicals that are harmful to my body.”
The store is nothing but good news for people looking to buy organic and whole food products in the region. With the wholesomeness of the service that this family operated business provides and the uniqueness of the building it is undoubtedly a very prominent part of the downtown community in the area.
Picture Gallery from the store.
Doing it Downtown 
Thank you for this interesting article about this unique store. I had the opportunity of visiting the last time I was in Fargo. When I was growing up in Fargo, I lived across the street at 1112 2nd Avenue North. At that time the building was owned by the Milwaukee Rail Road, as a freight depot. In the last 1960s it had been converted into a art studio, which unfortunately had a fire. I was glad to see that most of the building was saved, and now is home to this very special shop. Fargo has lost too many of its old buildings and historical landmarks, and it is wonderful that the depot is still around and in active use.
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Glad you enjoyed the post. I enjoyed writing this article and visiting the store. Thank you for your insight and the information about the history of the building. Glad it re-kindled some of your memories growing up. Thank you for your comment.
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