Rufino Pato cuts the ribbon on his family’s new health food store in Clarkesville. He was joined by his wife Tracy, their children and members of the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce. The store’s Grand Opening is Friday, June 19, 2015.
Rufino Pato and his wife Tracy are on a mission. ” We want to help people get a little healthier, and provide a space for the community to come in and hang out.” Their store A to Zinc is in the shopping center across from the Clarkesville Ingles between the Verizon store and Auto Zone. Inside is light and bright with free wifi and a television and a seating area so patrons can come in out of the heat. A smoothie bar offers a wide array of GMO free smoothies that have no added sugars and include great digestive enzymes. Each smoothie is custom made and has a list of add-ins to customize each smoothie to your specifications.
Pato is from California where he was a successful boat saleman. He was recruited by a firm in Buford so he moved out here in 2007. He met his wife, Tracy, who was the CFO at Turner, Wood and Smith in Gainesville. They married and moved to Cleveland where Tracy had been. Together they started a highly successful network with ItWorks, the wrap and herbal product company. While highly profitable, the couple still felt they were missing something. Rufino wanted to see his customers more than once a month. The couple both enjoy meeting people and helping them with their health, but they wanted more of a community gathering place.
So A to Zinc was born. “I am not a health nut but a healthier person,” says Rufino. One of the other features is the wide array of locally produced products. Grass-Fed Farms has a freezer stocked with their grass fed beef and timber raised pork. (All delicious) Abby J’s line of salsas and hot sauce, Mountain Fresh Creamery’s milks, Mountain Honey, My Daily Bread (including some delicious gluten-free muffins) Dirt Bag Pottery and more. They are actively looking for more locally made healthier products.
Friday is the grand opening and they have lots of specials and other goodies for patrons. Free samples of smoothies, salsa bread and more will be offered all day. Raffles will be held for baskets. Chair massage and ionic foot baths are also on hand.
Make plans to come by. The hours are Mon, Tues, Thurs and Sat from 8am-8pm, Wed from 8am to 6pm and Sunday from 1-6. The phone number is 706-754-0247 and the address is 204 E. Louise Street, across from Ingles in Clarkesville. Check them out on Facebook as well!
