Good Eggs L.A. opens distribution center
Twinkies and Ding Dongs are long gone at the former Hostess bakery near Glendale, where a new tenant is moving into part of the vacant building and staking its claim in the Los Angeles online organic-food scene.
Good Eggs L.A. opened its distribution center this month just steps away from the Los Angeles River at 2760 Clearwater St., south of the Glendale (2) Freeway. Now fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, meats and seafood are replacing the sweet confections made by the prior tenant.
“Our mission is to grow and sustain local food economies,” said Max Kanter, community builder at Good Eggs, a company that works with about 70 Southern California farmers and food producers to deliver online groceries to customers throughout the Los Angeles area.
“We brought Good Eggs to L.A. in June and it’s totally grown,” Kanter said.
The company already has distribution centers in New Orleans, New York City and San Francisco.
So far, the company has 13 employees working at its Elysian Valley location and plans to hire more, he said.
Deliveries are currently made three days a week. They will expand to Fridays starting Feb. 28 and then five days a week beginning in April. Good Eggs will deliver as far west as Santa Monica, south to Westchester, east to Sierra Madre and north to Glendale and North Hollywood.
Customers can also pick up their orders at Good Eggs’ distribution center.
Kanter hopes a bicycle courier from Good Eggs will deliver food to patrons along the Los Angeles River. The company plans to offer workshops and community events, including an upcoming Ted-Ex screening party on March 1 on “Changing the Way We Eat.”
“We have all this space and the tools to grow the local food economy,” Kanter said.
Owned by Frank and Jay Novak, co-founders of furniture retailer Modernica, the massive 130,000-square foot building sits on roughly 5.5 acres in an area called Frogtown and will soon house Modernica Prop, which rents its large collection of Post-War modern furniture and props for television shows such as “Mad Men” as well as feature films and commercials.
“It’s been a bakery since the 1930s,” Frank Novak said. “It’s been defined by this place that made Ho Hos and donuts forever.”
A restaurant, food company, retailer or even a yoga studio could also open in the building, however, negotiations with potential tenants are still in the works, he said.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of food-oriented [businesses], but I think there’s going to be a lot of retail. It’s kind of one of the last developed areas of the Silver Lake area,” Novak said.
“I want it to be a very public building. That’s why I like retail … I see that complex as a community place,” he added.
To learn more about Good Eggs L.A., visit www.goodeggs.com/la.
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