Bumpy’s Natural and Organic Foods Brings Affordable Products to Agawam

AGAWAM – After years of battling severe food allergies while playing semi-professional football in the North East, Derryl “Bumpy” Gibbs decided to open his own grocery store – now known as Bumpy’s Natural and Organic Foods in Agawam. Although the store didn’t materialize until 14 years after retiring from football, its concept had been in the works for years.

Gibbs, a Springfield resident, has played as a tight end for a variety of semi-professional teams in the area – and received the nickname “Bumpy” along the way. His teammates teased him about his food allergies and strict diet, he said.

“I did a number of tests and the doctor said to me, ‘You don’t know what you can’t eat until you’ve eaten it.’ I couldn’t eat desserts – no cheesecake and no ricotta, ”he said. Recall publication. “My teammates would laugh at me and say, ‘Oh, Bumpy’s stomach hurts because he can’t eat this. “”

He joked that the only way to keep up with his required protein intake was to “live on” peanut butter.

Gibbs retired from football in 2001 to pursue other career options in the region. With no nearby resources for foods low in sugar and saturated fat, he found himself traveling out of town to find stores that met his needs – until he stumbled upon the popular Deals & Steals Natural Foods in Northampton.

“One day I ended up going to a place in Northampton called Deals & Steals. I said, “This place is amazing – all of this quality food is reasonably priced,” he commented. “I was like, ‘I have to open one.’ Until then, Northampton and Whole Foods in Hadley were the closest organic and health food stores – and Whole Foods is an arm and a leg.

The former soccer player opened his first Bumpy location, along with his sister Dishanda Robinson, in Granby, MA in 2017. The couple moved the business to Agawam in January of this year to have “more space.”

Gibbs is currently helping with the finances of the operation, while his sister manages the store, located at 303 Springfield St.

“Shanda is the manager and she takes care of the whole place, I couldn’t do it without her,” Gibbs said. “She’s the only girl in the family, so she’s running the show.”

Bumpy’s shelves are stocked with natural foods, which means they’re minimally processed and free of hormones, antibiotics, or artificial flavors. The aisles are also lined with organic options, ensuring government-backed assurance that produce is grown and processed without the use of toxic chemical antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones.

Basic brands such as Annie’s, Kashi, and Rao’s can be found throughout the store.

“We have a lot of gluten-free items and foods that are not high in sugar. If it’s in Whole Foods, then we pretty much have it here, ”Gibbs said. “We don’t have their products, but we have all of the packaged products. We even have healthy pet food.

When asked what sets his store apart from other health food grocery stores, he responded with the prices.

“Our prices are incredible. We always receive great price feedback from our customers, ”said the store owner. “We want to help feed families healthy food, but at a reasonable price. ”

The company’s slogan is “Eat well, feel good and save money”.

Bumpy’s is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday to Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit the store’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Bumpys-Natural-Organic-Foods-1208504215915520/.