Fresh Thyme Farmers Market was founded in 2012 by current CEO Chris Sherrell. Sherrell had more than 30 years in the grocery business when he saw an opportunity to put a more natural foods type of market in the mid-West, he went for it.
The company is a combination of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The focus is on natural health foods in bulk quantities, eliminating most packaging and pre-packaged foods.
Since the first opening of their store in Illinois in 2014, the company has had an eye on expansion. Currently, there are 66 locations in 10 states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. At this rate of growth, the company is scheduled to have 150 locations by 2020. There are currently plans to open 10 more locations in 2018; this after opening 20 locations in 2017.
Fresh Thyme features smaller stores which focus on produce, fresh meat, and dairy and for the most part, reject the traditionally packaged foods. In fact, fresh produce accounts for as much as 25 to 30 percent of sales at the company, compared to 12 to 15 percent for larger grocery stores.
In early 2017, the company introduced their own label of packaged foods, stressing the organic label and quality. The company currently has more than 800 products that carry their name, while hoping to increase that number to 2.000 by the end of 2018. In November of the same year, the company launched their own mobile app named MyThyme, designed to offer rewards, coupons, online receipts, and personalized shopping lists for both Android and Apple phones. 
Company headquarters are located in Downers Grove, Illinois.
I shop at the Fresh Thyme market in East Lansing, Mi and today purchased a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada beer which was on sale and had a price tag listed next to the packages at $7.99 (no price marker was on the packaging itself). I was charged $8.99 at the check out. If this were just a one time mispricing, I would not be taking the time to write this email. Instead, this seems to be a common occurrence at this branch of your store. I have more than once picked up a beer which is “on sale” only to find when I get home and look at the receipt to find that I have been charged the full price for the item. I have no way of knowing if this just lack of attention to detail, or a deliberate mislabeling of pricing at this store. I would suggest that a regional manager check into this. It makes me very inclined to shop at the wide range of other grocery stores in this area.
I was wondering about the stores. How do you choose the place where you open a store?
Love your Mount Prospect IL store! I see a lot of complaints here but I have never had any issues. Jewel is such a rip off and the quality of their produce is awful. It’s great to have a store with a natural and healthy focus without the high price tags.
Minnespolis is not short on grocer competition. I love Fresh Thyme. It’s a treat to shop there. I like the variety within a smaller grocers. The freshness and the quality and cost of produce, dairy and meats. I shop elsewhere for other items. They happen to be out of items now and then. I figure they only have so much space people love going there and they are fairly new so they will make adjustments. It’s clean, atractive and employees attitude are helpful and friendly. So kudos for a good job.
I went to the fort wayne, in fresh thyme location to purchase the boneless chicken breast that were on sale for 99. cent per pound. upon arrival in your meat department there were a sign posted out of stock. I asked the cashier for a raincheck and she said they were not giving out raincheck. so I asked for the manager. so the manager by the name of molly came up and spoke with me and stated the same thing and gave me a spill why they ran out of the chicken breast. I have experienced this to be a ongoing problem with this store never have the sale item in the store. when you try to shop there or not trying to accomadate the customers with raincheck which I think is a bunch of bull s**t. and very poor customer service. I will take my business somewhere else that will provide the customers with the items that are being advistised.
2 weeks ago, I wrote a note on your store website regarding store feedback. I did not receive a response of any sort. Was my comment received? Not a ‘boo’, ‘thanks for your interest’, nothing! That’s more disappointing than my experience at the Ypsilanti, MI store that I was writing about. The store opens at 7 am. I was there at 10 am (on a Wednesday) & found that MANY items had not been stocked – even sale items. I wanted a beef roast & ground beef. Not a single package in the meat case. The beef section of the case was nearly totally empty. No store brand tortilla chips & a few other items on my list were also not stocked. The store staff was courteous & checked on some items for me. As I was leaving the store at approx 11 am, I was informed that ‘the truck’ had finally arrived. What’s the point of opening at 7 am when that store could not fully service customers even 3 hours later? But as I mentioned, it’s more disappointing that I never received a response to my first note.
Hello i only go to your store for the bings drinks so its only buy one only one get one free i tried to buy a few but it was point out to me its buy only one per sale get one free when they send this to my phone i don’t understand it was one can not worth the gas to your store to save on one can just thought
i would point that out thanks not claiming false advertising at all sure its a gimmick to get people to come to the store i understand that just send me notice when its two for one in the store could have saved me a lot of gas thanks for your understanding
yesterday my wife and myself stopped into the Louisville Ky . Your ad stated baby back pork ribs at $1.99. Looked in the case and found frozen 3 racks of ribs. Went to the counter with the pork chops I was goi8ng to buy and asked about single non frozen ribs and was told they only come that way and it shows that in the Ad. Showed the butcher the AD . It said nothing about three pack of frozen. Asked about the sweet Italian sausage pork or chicken was to0ld out.
Got raincheck.
Called and spoke to BJ(?) general manager and asked when the fresh ribs would be in. Answer they don’t come that way. Told him about how they were in the ad. Reply was like
it was on deaf ears. Mentioned sausage and said it should be available.
With this approach to customer it’s no wonder why our friends go to Lucky’s or Trader Joes more then your store.
Pork chops were good.
We had shopped your store for produce and meat but with your ad policy and attitude will have to rethink how we shop.
May 2nd 2018
Advertisment pork and chicken sausage for $1.99 a pound. Good price, good sausage.
They had no sweet, chicken sausage, left. Bought pork, figured to get a rain check for the chicken. It just so happened, that the person behind me at the check out line happen to
be the assistant manager, his name is MAT. He told the cashier no rain! Like hu? Response was there are plenty of choices left! Thing is I bought, 6lbs. the pork, but some people like chicken. Lets not stop there I asked about the scallops, rain check. Response : there are for 4)cases behind the counter. Ok why are they not out, my reply. No answer. He offered for me to talk to the manager. Instead I would like to talk to his boss, this way it is not going to be swept under the rug! I also informed Mat that this matter is not done. He just smiled at me,( figuring that I was bluffing?) As I walked out the store.
Received a e-mail announcing limited offer (Friday, Saturday & Sunday, while supplies last) for lobster tails, rock crab and ribs. Went to your store 00803 this morning at 8:09am and was told “the truck hasn’t come in yet”. In fact, the entire meat case was empty (your add says the store opens at 7am. Contacted the manager after returning home (this is a 24 mile trip for me) explaining the situation. His response was “sorry about that”
I’ll shop at Lucky”s in the future.