Good Earth Natural Foods Company Welcomes Abby Greenwell As The New Owner Following 26 Years Of Local Ownership

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The Good Earth Natural Foods Company hosted a community meet and greet Friday as the longtime Leonardtown natural foods store prepared for a change in ownership.

Customers, both new and old, gathered to say farewell to store owner Valerie Deptula and welcomed Abby Greenwell, who will take over the business Jan. 6. The gathering marked a milestone for The Good Earth Natural Foods Company, which Deptula has owned for 26 years. The local grocery store is located at 41675 Park Avenue and is part of Leonardtown’s walkable historic downtown district.

Deptula reflected on her 26 years of ownership at The Good Earth Natural Foods Company as she prepared to transfer the business to a new generation of ownership. Deptula said the decision to sell came from her desire to see the store continue to evolve, and she noted that Greenwell is the same age she was when she purchased the store in 1999.

The Good Earth Natural Foods Company was founded in 1996 by Susan Fabian before changing hands twice, with Deptula becoming the third owner. Under her leadership, the business expanded in 2006 from a 900-square-foot storefront to more than 3,000 square feet, allowing for the addition of an organic produce department and the Healthy Lifestyles Kitchen.

“We were able to start an all-organic produce department, and we’re able to [start] the kitchen,” Deptula said, speaking about the larger space. “The kitchen was put in so that we could reduce the waste of the produce section.”

The kitchen was designed with the intention to reduce food waste by using unsold produce in soups, which was one of the store’s strongest daily offerings. This added a layer of sustainability to the natural food store mission. Other sustainable actions included their wooden nickel donation initiative, which incentivized reusable bags and directed donations to local charities as part of the store’s environmental stewardship.

“Way back when, to try to reduce plastic, since we’re in the Chesapeake [Bay] Watershed, I would encourage my customers to bring in their own bag,” Deptula said. “If they bring in their own bag, then they get a wooden nickel, and they can choose one of three charities.”

As a Southern Maryland native, a United States Navy veteran and a longtime customer, Greenwell was introduced by Deptula as the incoming store owner. Greenwell is a mother of three and planned to continue the store’s community focus on customer service, quality food and health supplements.

Greenwell said she decided to purchase The Good Earth Natural Foods Company with some concern that the store could lose its character and community role if it changed hands to a developer or another business. She said the store fills a critical gap for residents who rely on access to organic food, allergy-friendly options and high-quality supplements that are otherwise unavailable within a 40-minute drive.

“My biggest concern was that somebody else would take it and change it beyond what everyone loves,” Greenwell said. “The community really needs this grocery store.”

The Good Earth Natural Foods Company has operated in Leonardtown as a community-focused natural goods store offering organic produce, dietary-specific foods, supplements and prepared items from its Healthy Lifestyles Kitchen. The store’s mission statement emphasized education, customer engagement and access to well-researched products that support healthy living.

The location of the store contributed to the revitalization efforts of Leonardtown and is the only available grocery for residents and the local workforce to access through the walkable historic downtown district.

“We’ve seen a huge revitalization in Leonardtown,” Greenwell said. “We have lots of people that walk here now and get their groceries and walk them home.”

The store’s walkable location remained central to its role as a neighborhood grocery, and Greenwell also planned to continue the wooden nickel reusable bag program with the possibility of adding new nonprofit partners. She encouraged residents to shop locally and said that the store can special order products that are not found in stock.

Greenwell described her background as community-focused rather than retail-based, citing her experience in land conservation, healthy food production and small-scale homesteading, including pasture-raised poultry. She said those experiences shape her vision for maintaining the store’s mission while continuing to adapt to community needs.

“They’re still going to be getting the best customer service in Leonardtown,” Greenwell said. “They’re still going to be getting top-quality supplements and food items.”

Greenwell emphasized continuity following the Jan. 6 transition, including customer service, organic offerings, local sourcing and the Healthy Lifestyles Kitchen. She said she hopes to gradually expand prepared food options, organic wine selections and partnerships with local producers, while continuing sustainability efforts such as food waste reduction and composting.

In the Healthy Lifestyles Kitchen, Vincent Battaglia prepared soups, smoothies and side dishes, and described the kitchen as a fully vegan and gluten-free operation that customers with dietary restrictions rely on. The kitchen staff reduced food waste in the store by using produce that did not sell but is still usable, and remaining scraps from that process are composted.

“We don’t have a set menu, it’s just whatever we have, or what we have an overabundance of that is not moving,” Battaglia said. “We make potato salad, macaroni salad, chickpea salad.”

Battaglia said the store served a mix of walk-in customers from nearby offices and residents who come for lunch. The Good Earth Natural Foods Company staff regularly help shoppers navigate changing dietary needs and find products they can safely use.

“There’s a very, very vast variety of different people that come here and everyone here is looking for something,” Battaglia said. “There’s several office buildings right behind us, and they all come here. A lot of the town people come here who live down the street – they all walk to us.”

With a longstanding relationship with the outgoing owner Valerie Deptula, including working at The Good Earth Natural Foods Company since the age of 18, Battaglia hopes the ownership transition brings positive updates behind the scenes while preserving the store’s welcoming culture and customer relationships.

“I started working here when I was 18, on my 18th birthday,” Battaglia said. “I love feeding people because I grew up in a restaurant, I did culinary school, this is like a peak for me.”

The meet and greet reflected the loyal customer base built by Deptula, who have returned for years alongside new shoppers discovering the store for the first time. The community that she created in Leonardtown has become part of local history, and with the ownership change scheduled to take effect Tuesday, the store is set to remain open under its existing name and mission as it enters a new chapter under Greenwell’s leadership.

With the store being a local staple, a proclamation was read at the meet and greet by Leonardtown Town Administrator Laschelle McKay, which acknowledged Deptula’s 26 years of service to the community by making The Good Earth Natural Foods Company a thriving business. The proclamation also welcomed Abby Greenwell as the new owner, with the support of Deptula and the Leonardtown community.

Executive Secretary of Leonardtown Teri Pepper Dimsey said The Good Earth Natural Foods Company has played an important role in Leonardtown’s downtown and shopping landscape for decades. She recalled the store’s beginnings as a small organic shop on Leonardtown’s historic square before it expanded into its current location.

“Val (Valerie Deptula) started out as a small organic shop on the historic square in Leonardtown back in the early 2000s,” Dimsey said. “She’s just been instrumental in introducing different food items that we didn’t have available in regular grocery stores.”

Dimsey said she shops at The Good Earth Natural Foods Company regularly, reflecting the store’s role as both a neighborhood business and a resource for residents seeking specialty and organic foods.

The Good Earth Natural Foods Company Products, Services And Location

The Good Earth Natural Foods Company offered a wide range of natural and specialty products focused on healthy living and sustainability. The store stocked fresh certified organic vegetables and fruits sourced from local farms and regional suppliers, along with a bulk foods section that featured grains, spices, flours, nuts, candy, coffee and tea.

Frozen and refrigerated selections included fruits, vegetables, breads, prepared meals, desserts and humanely raised meats, as well as kombuchas, probiotic drinks, dairy and nondairy yogurts, fermented foods and raw desserts. The store also stocked products for allergy-free and special diet needs, like gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options.

Additional offerings included organic wines, artisan ciders, gluten-free beer, and an extensive variety of supplements and vitamins. They also carried homeopathic products, beauty and personal care items. Customers could also access prepared foods and samples through the Healthy Lifestyles Kitchen and request hard-to-find or bulk items through the store’s special-order program.

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