Community Natural Foods was founded by the Wilkes brothers in 1977. They began promoting the store before the doors had opened by travelling to the Midnapore Fair making dairy-free, no added sugar 'ice-cream,' and running frozen bananas through a Champion Juicer. By the time the store opened on 11th Avenue SW (above where The Keg restaurant is today), a customer base had already been established! The brothers grew their company with the idea of providing Calgarians with natural foods at great prices. The business flourished as discerning customers found delicious alternatives to the artificial ingredients found at conventional supermarkets.