Ridgefield Organics looks less like a market and more like a gallery where nature’s most vibrant creations are on display. Sunset-colored melons. Pineapple, kiwi, and apples with rose-hued flesh. Figs and Brussels sprouts still clinging to their vines and stalks. Juices lined up like Pantone swatches.
But the shop is anything but solemn or austere. It hums with electric, joyful energy. It’s both vibrant and a vibe, bringing with it a healthy dose of flavor to Copps Hill Commons. At its helm is Mark Hill, a master curator whose career trajectory has led him to be one of the most discerning produce purveyors in the Northeast.
Mark entered the world of organics in the early 1980s, well before the movement had any sort of cultural cachet. When Hot Pockets, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were all the rage, he was flying in greens from California.
“The high-end restaurants I was selling to wanted tender leaf—arugula, baby spinach, spring mix,” he tells us. “Leafy greens are so porous that you really don’t want them sprayed, so the farms growing them tended to be organic. That’s really how I found my way into organics.”
Mark became one of the first organic produce wholesalers in the region—a role he holds to this day. His weekdays begin bright and early at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, where he handles orders for his other clients. It’s also where he hand-selects the standout fruits and vegetables that make Ridgefield Organics so singular: seasonal gems and specialty varieties customers won’t find anywhere else in the area.
Lisa Schmidt and Sal Sabatino first opened Ridgefield Organics in 2013. The duo had previously operated a Balducci’s in the center of town. When that closed, they decided to launch a new greengrocer boutique, naming it Ridgefield Organics.
The shop is tucked between Ross Artisanal Bakery & Café and Southwest Cafe. It’s not big—only a couple hundred square feet. But what it lacks in square footage, it more than makes up for in colorful, fragrant, and exceptionally delicious offerings from all over the world.
Ridgefield Organics was a customer of Mark’s when he was managing the organic division of Baldor (one of the largest distributors of premium food in the Northeast). When Lisa and Sal decided to sell in 2019, Mark took over the business.
Mark has an uncanny knack for procuring extraordinary produce. Under his quiet, expert guidance, he and his team of 20 (from family members, to part-time buyers, to cooks making the food, and workers stocking the shelves) have transformed Ridgefield Organics into something akin to a global tasting room. The shelves overflow with the stars of the shop: fresh fruits and vegetables sourced both locally and from around the world. Organic dry goods, snacks, specialty items, and local bread play supporting roles, but they do so beautifully.
“I live and breathe this stuff,” Mark says. “I’ve traveled all over Europe just to see who has the best produce. I think we’ve got them beat.”
Pink and white chioggia beets. Golden hami melons, torto melons, dino melons, Piel de Sapo. Stem-and-leaf mandarins. Brown turkey figs. Cubed rose pineapple. Blueberries the size of quarters. Autumn crisp grapes. Italian chestnuts. Prickly pears.
“We want everything to taste good, to be mostly organic,” Mark tells us. “And to look pretty. Even the parsley.”
Indeed, the parsley does look gorgeous.
Mark’s team tends to every item with care, moving through the store like caretakers in, well, a gallery—adjusting, straightening, misting, restocking.
The vegetables rest in baskets, ready for their close-up. Peppers, potatoes, and summer and winter squashes share space with more unique delights. Mushrooms that resemble woodland sculptures: broad, pinecone-like maitakes; tiny golden chanterelles. Little gem, romaine, red leaf. Broccolini and caulilini, the tender little cousins of broccoli and cauliflower. Delightfully crinkly Napa cabbage, bright red (but really purple) cabbage, endive. Fresh turmeric. Dried bay leaves and curry leaves. And the tomatoes!
“We sell tremendous amounts of specialty tomatoes,” Mark says.
He’s not exaggerating—an entire table overflows with beefsteak, heirloom, plum, cherry, grape, Rosso Bruno, a mosaic of red, yellow, orange, and purple.
Every nook and cranny of the spotless, impeccably curated shop offers a bona fide cornucopia of eye candy: the produce, the canned goods, the oils, the honey, the snacks, the freezer section, the flowers, the premade coolers.
“I’m not saying we get things nobody else has,” Mark tells us. “But we carry things that are unique and full of flavor. And that’s mostly thanks to my relationships with farms—especially in the organic industry.”
Over the past six years, Mark has transformed the once-small prepared foods section into a true standout among regulars. (We’re pretty obsessed too. If you take nothing else from this story, take this: head there immediately and buy their guacamole.)
“I inherited the guacamole,” Mark says, turning sheepish under our lavish praise of the utterly addictive dip. “But we expanded on it. We tweaked the recipe a little bit.”
While we’re chatting, a steady flow of customers stream in, most of them regulars. One older gentleman asks if “The Soup” is available—to which Mark responds in the affirmative.
“It’s a cucumber soup,” Mark explains. “We used to just make it in the summer, but it’s so popular we make it year-round now.”
“It’s really, really good,” the customer tells us, smiling.
The biggest issue the shop has, Mark laments, is space—but they make the best of what they have, stretching their mock kitchen to its limits. Although the footprint may be limited, their offerings are decidedly not. So much nutritional deliciousness and variety is packed into the real estate allotted to the premade section—from colorful, roasted vegetables to crunchy, cruciferous salads to vibrant, hearty grain salads.
Soups begin at $14—Kabocha Squash, White Bean Turkey Chili, Roasted Tomato, Broccoli and Cheese, Vegan Split Pea. The salads are a kaleidoscope of color: Lentil Pomegranate Salad has lentils, carrots, kale, pomegranate, feta cheese, and herbs. Lemon Feta Quinoa has spinach, quinoa, bell peppers, zucchini, walnuts, and herbs. There’s even an elevated Tuna Salad with apples and cranberries. Prices start at $6.50.
Mark’s appreciation for Latin culture runs deep. He speaks Spanish to his staff, Latin music is often playing in the store, and the shelves are stocked with produce from all over South America. The premade section has selections ranging from Chicken Tortilla soup to Mexican Street Corn Salad to Pineapple Mango Salsa. And yes, the guacamole—an absolute must.
Nestled into the coolers, the fresh juice section is impossible to miss, a lineup of bottled sunshine and jewel tones so gorgeous and striking it’s a bona fide rainbow. Selections range from the classics (freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices) to unexpected blends like Nature’s Gatorade (lemon, coconut water, pineapple, red grape); Beetle Juice (beets, apples, spinach, ginger); and Organic Green Vitality (kale, cucumber, lemon, celery, fennel, parsley). Their Ginger Shots pack a potent punch. Prices start at $6.
Beyond produce, the store offers a variety of items, from meat to dairy to pantry staples. There’s sustainably raised beef and pork from Hardwick Beef and Sugar Hill Farm and farmer-owned, farmer-raised eggs. Local products include Janina’s Pierogies from Stamford, Kneads Country Sourdough from Westport, and Super Dirt Ballers from Ridgefield chef and small business owner Kristin O’Connor.
But it’s the produce that really shines at Ridgefield Organics.
“We do what other places can’t do,” Mark tells us. “We go through every green every morning. Clean it. Wash it. Make it look really nice. That kind of labor doesn’t work in a big box store.”
This means customers might pay an extra dollar for raspberries—but the berries are hand-selected with anything mushy or bruised tossed out. The precut fruit is cut, sold, and eaten the same day. It’s not going to a processor, then to a distributor, then to a retailer. There are no preservatives in anything that Ridgefield Organics sells—everything is made fresh daily.
“What makes me happy is coming in here on the weekends and talking to people,” Mark says. “Seeing customers sing along to the playlist. The energy here is special—it’s a good vibe.” He pauses, looking around the bustling shop. “The colors, the flavors, the sheer variety—it doesn’t exist anywhere else around here. I enjoy watching the seasons change, stocking the store with what’s available, sharing it with our community. Ridgefield Organics is a special place.”
Ridgefield Organics is located at 109 Danbury Road. They are open from Monday–Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Follow along on Instagram @ridgefield_organics and be sure to sign up for their newsletter to see what’s new in the store.