UCLA Library acquires papers of natural foods pioneer and educator Sandy Gooch

UCLA Library has acquired the papers of Sandy Gooch, an entrepreneur whose vision transformed the way many Americans prepare, eat and shop for food and health care products.

As founder of Mrs. Gooch's Natural Food Markets - the first natural foods supermarket chain in the U.S. - she adhered to strict requirements for freshness and quality, leading food-industry vendors to coin the term "Goochable." The retail model Gooch introduced continues to shape the industry today.

After being hospitalized in the mid-1970s for a life-threatening allergic reaction to an antibiotic, Gooch discovered that chemical additives in sodas and foods exacerbated her condition. Motivated by this knowledge, the master teacher left her job to open her first market in 1977 in an old A&P grocery store space in West Los Angeles.

By 1993, Mrs. Gooch's, which offered a range of quality, nutritious foods while advocating for healthy lifestyles, had expanded to seven stores and was one of the highest-grossing natural products markets in the world with annual sales of over $90 million. In September 1993, Gooch sold her company to Whole Foods Market for $60 million, merging the nation's two biggest natural foods supermarket chains.

The Sandy Gooch Papers, to be housed in UCLA Library Special Collections, document the founding and growth of Mrs. Gooch's Natural Food Markets, as well as the founder's life's work. The gift from Gooch and her husband, Harry Lederman, includes business records, product information, advertising, decor materials, photographs and videos that record the importance of the natural foods chain.

"Sandy Gooch's remarkable journey from teacher to trailblazing entrepreneur embodies the power of education both inside and outside of the classroom," said Athena Jackson, UCLA's Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian. "Her papers will be a vital resource for students, faculty and scholars who are exploring the intersections of food, health, sustainability and business, contributing to the university's leadership in food studies through our preeminent collections."

Long before "organic" and "non-GMO" became common terms, Gooch leaned into her passion as a schoolteacher, carving out space in her stores to educate shoppers about the healthiest ways to prepare food. Employees taught customers how to cook wholesome menus, handed out free samples and recipes, and offered store tours, lectures and seminars. A full-time nutritionist was even available for nutritional counseling.

Mrs. Gooch's shelves were stocked with products free of refined white sugar and flour, hydrogenated vegetable oil, irradiated foods, GMOs, bovine growth hormones, harmful chemical additives and preservative agents, alcoholic beverages, artificial flavorings and colorings, and other unhealthy ingredients - some of which are now banned.

"This was not some arbitrary list that was pulled out of the sky; every criteria had science behind it," Gooch said. "Stores all over the country understood the criteria of what Mrs. Gooch's would carry, what was healthy and what was not. Because Mrs. Gooch's did the research, salesmen would come out to health food stores, bring out samples and would be asked, 'Is it Goochable?'"

Gooch's focus on quality, education, science and a business, grounded in values, were among the reasons she and Lederman chose UCLA Library to house her archive. She also was inspired by the work of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, an interdisciplinary global hub focused on the vital role that food plays in culture, tradition and identity, and a model which includes the Library's Rothman Family Food Studies Librarian, the nation's first endowed, food-focused academic librarian.

"UCLA has the ability to be No. 1, probably in the world, in regard to food studies, food issues and health," Gooch said. "We know what promotes health and what promotes disease. How can we get all the schools with what they know regarding their research to be involved in making our communities, state, country and our world better off with food security and a more healthy population?"

The concept of "Goochable" lies at the core of her philosophy. Gooch said she hopes the term will continue to guide students and faculty in their study of food standards and sustainability.

Her family connections to UCLA date back to the 1920s, when her mother attended the campus, which was "just a few buildings located in a bean field," Gooch said. "My mother was a symbol of women in that day and age who took a chance and went for education."

Gooch taught UCLA undergraduates as an elementary school master teacher and later, while operating Mrs. Gooch's, mentored MBA students at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Gooch's daughter attended the graduate program in education and acquired her teaching credential, and her grandson earned a bachelor's in Japanese studies. "Three different people, three different categories and goals, but UCLA made a significant difference," Gooch said.

The Sandy Gooch Papers will be available to researchers early next year. A companion lecture series - the Sandy Gooch and Harry Lederman Endowed Lecture Series - will be announced in the coming months.