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Cay Health Foods
About Us
About Us
years? Well, let's take a look at how it all started. Many people have asked how the store got its name and who was 'Mr. Cay'? His name was actually James Cayford and he moved to the United States from Scotland. He settled in Bakersfield and married Leota. Mr. Cayford worked at the old Lincoln Market at 18th and K Streets for Earl and Alice Wong. As manager, he was often approached by people looking for low-salt foods for heart problems or sugar- free products for diabetics. The story was told to me that the Cayford men had a genetic heart defect that caused four of Mr. Cayford's brothers to die before the age of 45. Mr. Cayford felt the a healthy lifestyle could dramatic extend his life and became very interested in health and nutrition. In the 1940's little was known about the science of the body and its physiology. The Wong's encouraged Mr. Cayford to open a business dedicated to unprocessed, natural foods. He sold his home and bought a duplex on K Street near California Avenue and along with Leota, opened Bakersfield's first specialized food store. The "Diet Specialty Shop" operated in one half of the duplex and the Cayfords lived in the other half. Things went well and they soon moved into a small store on 18th Street, just west of Union Avenue. This was 1948 and the name was changed to Cay Health Foods. Their business consisted of mostly candies, cookies, and canned foods for people on special diets. Mr. Cayford was very reluctant to carry vitamins and minerals in tablet form because, at the time, the manufacturing processes were crude and the quality was poor. Of, course, there were only a very few supplements being sold anywhere and, in fact, many had yet to even be discovered! One of the First in the Nation
across the nation at this time could be counted on one hand, but there were a few people in Los Angeles working along the same lines. Mr. Cayford would often travel to L.A. conferring with industry notables like the Lindbergs, who eventually established a chain of stores. Also working in Southern Cal was Adelle Davis, one of the earliest health food pioneers, along with Gayelord Hauser, and Hoffman, the sports nutrition pioneer. They offered help in many ways especially helping Mr. Cayford decide the best products to carry. Mr. Cayford frequently invited them to Bakersfield to lecture on health and nutrition. Mr. Cayford's product profile was pretty basic. Natural whole grain flours were a staple. (During the industrial revolution processed white flour had become the standard and the nation was feeling the effects of this stripped out product. The grain industry soon started "enriching" their flour.) There was also raw, unrefined honey, brewers' yeast, lecithin, and molasses. The Great Mess of '52
about 30 feet long. When the Tehachapi earthquake hit in 1952 there was a terrible mess to clean up. Mr. Cayford's daughter, June, remembered how the floor was covered with a mixture of broken glass, syrups, honey, flour and yeast. They worked long hours, as most did, to clean the mess up and get re-opened. Shortly after the quake the store moved to the present location at 902 18th Street. This building had been built in the 1920's and had been used as a bicycle store (later to become Thorp's Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shop), and the a Chinese restaurant, The Far East Café. Deciding he never again wanted to clean up the mess caused by a quake, he placed wires in front of the shelves to prevent bottles from falling off during another tremor. Having never experience the severity of such a shaker, Ranae and I opted for the improved appearance and removed the wires in 1986. A Family Affair
would gather at the store to do the annual inventory. Jim Cayford's brother, Herbert, was a designer and he designed the Cay Health Foods' green oval logo. Jim's two daughters could often be found behind the counter helping in the daily operations of the store. His son-in-law, Robert Koch, custom built all the shelving and gondolas used in the store. (We've since replaced some of the interior gondolas in favor of some with adjustable shelving.) Mr. Cayford sold the store in 1971 to Bill and Ginny Ready. Mr. Cayford was 69 years old and had suffered two heart attacks. He had out lived his brothers by a considerable length of time and he attributed to his healthy lifestyle. Sadly, he passed away a little more than a year after he retired. Bill and Ginny Ready expanded the inventory and added more refrigeration space. Bill was an ex- Navy man and had worked for Abbey Rents for many years managing several of their retail stores. This was the "heydey" of the natural foods industry and the store grew as more people came to use natural foods, vitamins and minerals. The Readys would operate the store for twelve years. Looking for Help - Found a Lifestyle
his machine shop. I had been working 12 hour days and was using nutritional supplements to deal with the stress of two jobs. (I had picked up a copy of Life Extension by Dirk Pearson and Sandy Shaw and was using it as the foundation of my nutritional program.) Eventually, I left the shift work to help my Dad full-time. I was shopping in the store one day and, for curiosity sake, asked Bill how to set up a little store Ranae and I could run. Well, at age 65, he had been considering retirement and suggested we look into buying his store. Less than two months later Ranae and I were the proud owners of Bakersfield's first health food store. Since then, we have expanded the selection of both foods and supplements. In 1986 we started our bulk herbs section and now boast of well over 130 different herbs in the store - the largest selection anywhere in the county. Recent research in areas of diet and exercise have generated a renewed interest of supplements and natural foods. We respect and appreciate the courage and determination James Cayford and his family possessed to create and nurture our store and the hard work of Bill and Ginny Ready which continued in that tradition. We look forward with excitement and anticipation to the future of our industry and say "thanks" for letting us serve you since 1948. Want to read more history? |
| Cay Health Foods 902 18th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 ph: 661-325-7627 john@cayhealthfoods.com |
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