Grocery chain for Latinos will open

A national grocery chain that caters to Latino customers plans to move into Greeley.

Rancho Liborio Market could open as early as December behind Applebees, southeast of the intersection of 10th Street and 43rd Avenue. The high-end market will feature about 25,000 different items from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean with departments modeled after small markets.

Denver developer Anthony Trujillo said customers will find fresh meat in the carniceria and made-from-scratch bread in the panaderia. They'll be able to drink agua frescas at the juice bar and buy cold sandwiches outside in a gazebo near a fountain.

"We really are trying to target and understand our customer and add value to a market that's been underserved," Trujillo said.

That target market includes everyone. Trujillo said while many of the 44,000-square-foot store's products have roots in other countries, Rancho Liborio seeks to appeal to a cross-section of the community. The market will introduce foods to customers through cooking classes, and store themes, Trujillo said, would focus on the different character of each department.

Greeley-based Roche Constructors Inc. will build the Greeley store and several more in Colorado. Trujillo's company, MCDS Inc., has teamed with Roche to form Roche MCDS Joint Venture.

The company was formed to build all the Colorado stores as Liborio Markets, based in Pasadena, Calif., moves into the state. The newest Rancho Liborio is scheduled to open next month in Commerce City.

Trujillo said the company spent a long time researching Greeley before it decided to add a store here. It considered different sites around northern Colorado and the city, including the Kia car dealership across the street from the Greeley Tribune building, near the intersection of 5th Street and 8th Avenue. He said Greeley's population density was more of a determining factor than its large Latino population.

Greeley has a number of small, privately owned markets that cater to the Latino population, but Trujillo said there would be a market for both. He said the smaller markets could still offer specialty service to customers, while Rancho Liborio focused on variety and volume a small store couldn't offer.