ORGANIC TO GO HITS FAST TRACK

Robert Vosburgh

Seattle-based Organic To Go is poised to go, go, go this year, after winning a federal bankruptcy court auction for most of the assets belonging to the sandwich-and-soup chain Briazz. Organic To Go, the grab-and-go retail format, with stores in Seattle and Issaquah, Wash., acquired the inventory, furniture, fixtures, equipment and vehicles at 12 of Briazz's 15 locations: three in Seattle; three in Bellevue, Wash.; three in Los Angeles; and three in Orange County, Calif. The accepted bid was $1.35 million.

The company is seen as a harbinger of a new generation of fresh-meals providers catering to the growing population of health-minded consumers, while retaining the traditional retail attributes of location and convenience. (See "Organic Meals Find Their Legs," WH, Winter 2005.)

Jason Brown, Organic To Go's chief executive officer, said his company plans to be operating 47 Organic To Go stores by the end of 2007.