Herban Market

LEARN MORENEWSFARMSINGREDIENTSSOURCINGFEATURES INQUIRIESRESERVATIONSCATERINGNEW PRODUCT SUGGESTIONSNEW VENDORS NEW PRODUCT SUGGESTIONS The year was 2014. And by all the typical measures, the Hogancamps were living the American dream. They were young professionals and new parents to a beautiful baby girl. They had bought a home in a neighborhood of Houston, Texas before it got popular and now it was booming. Ashlea had recently returned from maternity leave to her 70+-hour-a-week position at an architecture firm where she was managing multiple high-value projects. And, in a company where 30-something female partners were unheard of, she was on-track for just that. The only problem was, to work like she had pre-baby was…not working. Every night Ashlea felt the struggle to figure out a dinner that met their standards for quality, but also get home and enjoy a little time with their five-month-old daughter before kissing her goodnight. A daily juggle every health-conscious working parent can relate to. One particular October evening as they stood in the kitchen, exhausted and trying to figure out the daily what’s-for-dinner question, Ashlea reached her breaking point over a bottle of sauce, of all things. After purchasing said sauce, she did some digging on the sourcing. It turned out to be the exact same thing as a generic-labeled big box store version. “I could have gotten the same thing for a fraction of the price,” Ashlea remembers. “That extra money was for pretty packaging and marketing.” It was a classic case of “greenwashing.” In her frustration, Ashlea said there should be a place where busy, working parents can go where when you spend a dollar, you know it’s worth a dollar!” Thats when the idea was sparked! That night they envisioned creating a place people could come and trust the sourcing. Where every ingredient and product had already been vetted. That next year, God continued to nudge them in the direction of starting the health food market. What, on-paper, seemed insurmountable kept aligning for them. They decided on Franklin, TN. It was within a day’s drive to their families in Kentucky, and had small town charm plus international taste. It was a place in which they could envision raising their daughter. The Hogancamps sold their Houston home, most of their possessions, quit their jobs, and decided to put everything into this new dream. They would call it Herban Market. Inspired by the European lifestyle of buying fresh and only what you planned to use that day, the name represented a combination of being part urban-hustle-and-bustle and part farmers’ market know-your-farmer vibes Just one year later, on October 26th 2015, the Hogancamps were opening the doors of Herban Market; a health food store, grocery, olive oil and balsamic bar, and coffee shop. The demand for more food offerings was immediate and their knack for cooking had them whipping up paninis and soups for their customers. A local Chef came on board part-time the week before Herban Market’s second birthday. He helped the Hogancamps develop a small menu to add to their coffee bar offering. As business grew, their back office and back stock room also became a bakery and food prep area. And their "Barbie doll kitchen," as they lovingly referred to it, was bursting at the seams. Within two years, plans for expansion were underway - in their business and their family. The space next door to the market had become available and the Hogancamps decided to take the leap. With Ashlea's background in architecture, they hit the drawing board with plans to add a full commercial kitchen, salad and pizza bar, wine bar, and more seating. Meanwhile, Ashlea was expecting baby number two! Their son, Jude, was born in July of 2018 and the construction project broke-ground in October of that same year. By mid-2019, the new space opened, doubling the footprint of Herban Market. Since opening, the demand for growth has been consistent. Often, new cu