Family Natural Foods of Wisconsin Rapids marks 80 years, outlines spring presentation series

Family Natural Foods, a longtime Wisconsin Rapids health‑food store, told local morning show Sunup Wisconsin on Feb. 9 that it will celebrate its 80th anniversary this October and is expanding a free community presentation series that runs through spring.

The store’s owners—Steven and Katrina, who appeared on the show’s “Neighbor to Neighbor” segment—traced the business to their grandfather’s founding in 1946 and said their father later steered the shop toward supplements and community health services. “This year is our eightieth anniversary,” host James said on air while introducing the milestone.

Why it matters: The store serves as a community hub for health education in Wisconsin Rapids, offering talks, handouts and occasional sales tied to presentations. Owners said the events aim to demystify health topics and connect residents with local producers and specialists.

Owners told the hosts they have worked to deepen relationships with local farmers and suppliers; they described driving as much as two hours to source organic potatoes because the product and price point meet customer needs. They said that local sourcing has become a larger part of their business model compared with earlier generations.

Presentation schedule and speakers: The owners confirmed a set of upcoming, primarily evening presentations at the store or a neighboring church (when extra space is required): a “Hot topics” session on Feb. 17 at 5:15 p.m.; an April 7 session at 5:15 p.m. with Vital Planet and naturopathic speaker Dr. Tracy focusing on digestive health; an April 27 presentation by True Grace (a Milwaukee‑area, family‑run supplement company) at 5:15 p.m.; and a May 14 talk at 5:15 p.m. by long‑time industry speaker Terry (the transcript uses variant spellings of that surname).

Practical details and access: The store is at 910 West Grand Ave, Wisconsin Rapids, and owners gave regular shop hours as Monday and Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Sundays. They encouraged RSVPs via the store website and noted some presentations draw 100+ attendees, so arriving early is advised. Hosts said they would link presentation details in the show’s comments and on social channels.

What they emphasized: The guests framed Family Natural Foods as both an independent retailer and a community educator—offering taste tests, local products, supplements and free informational handouts to help customers make informed choices. They described the store’s multi‑generation roots and said the presentation series is a method to empower residents about health and nutrition.

Next steps: The store asked interested residents to RSVP for events and follow the store on social media for schedule updates. The hosts closed by thanking the guests and Wisconsin Rapids Community Media for hosting the program.