NATURAL GROCERS® RETURNS AS SPONSOR FOR RATTLER RACING IN 2022

LAKEWOOD, Colo., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers® is proud to be a returning sponsor for Colorado-based Rattler Racing in 2022. In addition to being the largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer in the U.S., Natural Grocers has a bike racing team that will once again be racing and volunteering at this year's Rattler Racing events – the first race being "The Bear" on April 2^nd at Bear Creek Lake Park.

Based in Colorado, Rattler Racing started in 2015 with a simple, grassroots, mid-week mountain bike racing series. Little did they know they were surrounded by a community that had a thirst for those events and more. Since then, they've seen exponential growth in participation and began to add new sanctioned events to their line-up including cyclocross, junior focused races, a stage race, and a new gravel race for 2022. With each season, their focus remains on putting together quality, family-friendly events while maintaining the grassroots feel. It's no surprise, then, that Natural Grocers (also based in Colorado), would align itself with Rattler Racing.

"Natural Grocers has played a very important role for Rattler Racing. As one of the original sponsors of our events, they play a large part in helping us achieve our goals and continue to bring great events to the community. We are excited to partner with Natural Grocers and can't think of a better fit for our organization," says Dave Muscianisi, co-founder of Rattler Racing.

Participants of the Rattler Racing season kick-off can look forward to getting a free Natural Grocers reusable goody bag and Natural Grocers Brand Chocolate bar for a sweet, little post-race reward^[I]. Nutritional Health Coaches from Natural Grocers will also be onsite to talk nutrition with athletes and to hand out bottled water, coupons and Natural Grocers samples.

Founded in 1955, Natural Grocers has 161 stores in 20 states (41 of which are in Colorado). The Company is known for caring deeply about the health and wellbeing of its community, employees and planet. They believe that everyone should be able to afford health and live in a thriving, regenerative environment. Committed to quality, they sell only 100% USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. To maintain that "family-friendly" feel, Natural Grocers has flexible smaller-store formats allowing it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly environment. As part of its "commitment to Community," athletes might be interested to know that Natural Grocers provides free science-based Nutrition Education programs and health coaching.

The Natural Grocers Cycling Team has been a living, pedaling extension of the Company's founding principles since 1987. The squad has a broad range of riders, encompassing all disciplines of cycling. With almost 100 members, you'll spot this team on the trails, the roads, volunteering at events (like the Rattler Racing events) and of courses at Natural Grocers stores all around the country to support healthy living on and off the bike. The accomplished, yet welcoming team invites cyclists to join them for local club rides throughout Colorado, Arizona and Kansas City.

• To register for upcoming events with Rattler Racing, please visit: https://rattlerracing.com/all-events/
• To learn more about the Natural Grocers cycling team please visit: https://naturalgrocerscyclingteam.com/
• PR Contact: Katie Macarelli, Manager of Public Relations [email protected]

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) is an expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The products sold by Natural Grocers must meet strict quality guidelines and may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. The Company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. Natural Grocers' flexible smaller-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly, safe, and convenient retail environment. The Company also provides extensive free science-based Nutrition Education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. The Company, founded in 1955, has 161 stores in 20 states. For more information, visit https://www.naturalgrocers.com/about-natural-grocers.

About Rattler Racing: 
Founded in 2015, Rattler Racing's mission is simple: create fun, challenging and memorable cycling races that they would want to do themselves. All Rattler Racing staff are either racers or former racers who have a passion to provide a great experience and support their community. They put great effort into all the details of hosting a race. After all, they've been there, and they will work tirelessly to make their events something athletes will want to come back to. Learn more at https://rattlerracing.com/all-events/.

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.