According to the proclamation read by city council member David Moreno, Nugget Markets began in Woodland in 1926 with its store at 416 Main St. Father and son Will and Mack Stille founded Nugget, with a fourth and fifth generation of Stilles still owning and operating the business.

Riley Stille was present at the Tuesday, May 19, city council meeting to accept the proclamation.

“Nugget served as a trendsetter for high-quality, healthy, and local ingredients, complementing Woodland’s reputation as an international hub for food and agricultural leadership,” the proclamation states.

The proclamation serves to honor the investments Nugget continues to make in the community by sponsoring, donating philanthropically, and enriching lives.

“I used to live within walking distance of Nugget on Main Street, and 60 years later, I still go to Nugget,” Council member Rich Lansburgh recalls.

“My grandmother did not drive, and so she would send us to Nugget, walking or on our bikes to get her groceries to take them back. She lived on First Street, and so Nugget’s always been a part of the family,” Council member Tania Garcia-Cadena added.

"Thank you for being so generous with our community. I don’t think there’s a community event that I see without having you named as a sponsor, so thank you for your generosity,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Mayra Vega.

Mayor Tom Stallard was not present during the May 19 city council meeting.

Located on the corner of Whitney Ranch Parkway and University Avenue, the new store was built from the ground up. Like other Nugget locations, the Rocklin store features a wide variety of fresh, locally grown produce and flowers, and a full-service meat counter stocked with premium proteins, plus specialty cheese and adult beverage departments with dedicated specialists. 

The Coffee & Juice Bar serves locally roasted coffees, fresh juices, smoothies and açai bowls made to order. 

Nugget Market also has its own in-house bakery, with various cakes, tarts and other desserts, along with signature artisan breads made from scratch and baked in stone deck ovens daily. 

The kitchen features a sandwich bar, a salad bar, a grain bar, a breakfast bar, rotisserie options, sushi, charcuterie and an array of dishes made from scratch by a professional chef team. 

Rocklin is the first Nugget location to have a nearly 1,000-square-foot mezzanine upstairs with an outdoor patio where customers can enjoy their food, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.

The Rocklin store is the anchor tenant of the new Whitney Ranch Retail Center, which is still in development.

“We couldn't be more excited to bring Nugget Market to Whitney Ranch in Rocklin. We're honored to be a part of this vibrant, growing community," said Greg Hill, president and CEO of Nugget Market. 

Davis, Calif.-based Nugget Market is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2026. 

Nugget Market, located at 1051 Whitney Ranch Parkway, offers a full-service grocery store, locally-sourced products and new employment opportunities to the area. The store marks the latest addition to the city’s growing retail landscape, aiming to serve residents with fresh food options and a community-focused shopping experience.

Founded in September 1926 by father and son William and Mack Stille, the first Nugget Market opened in Woodland before expanding to 17 more locations throughout Northern California.

Shoppers were greeted with a fully-stocked European-style shopping experience with local and imported products, an in-house cafe and smoothie bar, deli, bakery, hot and cold food bar, meat, seafood, and cheese service counter and outdoor cafe seating.

Residents expressed their excitement and eager anticipation for this new convenient location, as it is set to serve the communities of Rocklin and Lincoln.

“Yay, this is amazing news, I’m loving the new location and can’t wait to check it out!” Normismile Sanz said.

“Welcome to the neighborhood and congrats on the grand opening,” Liliane Hartmann said.

This location marks the 18th local Nugget Market in the Northern California region, while plans of future construction in other areas are in the works. Those who are interested in future locations and current construction can visit nuggetmarket.com for updates and more information.

Nugget Markets are open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., providing full service and online pre-orders for delivery and in-store pick up.

To mark the event, the market is celebrating with samples, food demonstrations — and its bakery’s new signature cinnamon rolls.

The market is a new build and clocks in at 43,000 square feet, which is about standard for their markets. The markets have a standardized layout, which is a little different from many.

At the Rocklin store, massive displays of produce beckon you in even before you enter the store. Once through the door, you can continue along through the rest of the produce and meat departments to begin building your basket, or hook left to head to the deli counter, bakery and other prepared food options.

According to former CEO and current chair of the board Eric Stille, one of Nugget’s biggest points of difference is item selection and the quality of products.

“If you want to eat 100% organic, you can. If you want to eat 100% conventional, you can. We’ll call out whether it’s local, gluten-free, imported, organic, and then those tags are throughout the store,” he said. “I challenge you to find a larger selection in any other grocery.”

The selection is a big part of why Nugget doesn’t do home delivery. The company wants to entice you as you build your basket, to build hunger as you shop.

Each Nugget Market has its own flavor and unique features. The Rocklin store will be the first to have a nearly 1,000-square foot mezzanine upstairs with an outdoor patio where customers can enjoy their food while taking in sweeping views.

The market’s bakery is expansive and focused on evolving the company’s baked goods offerings. Chief among them is the cinnamon rolls, fluffy, fragrant and delicately sweet.

“That’s our laminated dough that we make in house. And we’re just adding a brown sugar glaze and topping it with icing fresh every morning,” said bakery director Tina Moore. 

The bread program is also undergoing development.

“We’re going to be rolling out new and improved bread from what we do at our other locations. We’re increasing the hydration so that we can do a lower temperature for longer to get a really nice, thin, crispy crust and an ultra soft crumb inside,” Moore said. “We want to make that European style bread.”

The bread lived up to the hype. Fresh from the oven, the still-warm loaves had a shatteringly crisp crust and a pillowy crumb, truly an addictive eat. Ultimately, the new bread formula will roll out to the other markets’ bakeries.

Nugget’s focus on local is present in all departments, from dry and canned goods on the shelves to cheese as well as wine, beer and spirits. The market carries dozens of wineries from the region, including producers in Plymouth, Clarksburg and West Sacramento, as well as beers and even locally distilled spirits.

A century of Nugget

The opening of the market occurs during the company’s 100th anniversary year. The company was founded in 1926 as a produce store by Stille’s great-grandfather and grandfather, Will and Mack Stille in Woodland.

The market slowly took root and began adding departments in the 1970s including a deli, hot food, a bakery, floral and fresh seafood. The Stilles opened the current store in Davis in 1981. With today’s opening, there are 18 Nugget Markets across the Sacramento region and Bay Area.

According to Eric Stille, there are just about 5,000 businesses in the country that are 100 years old or older. He attributes the company’s longevity to its core principles.

“We have three company goals: guest satisfaction, constant improvement and to be a world-class employer,” he said, noting that in 100 years, Nugget has never had a layoff.

Even when stores have closed, Nugget has reallocated the staff, adjusting their pay to accommodate for any increased cost in commute.

Nugget made a name for itself with splashy marketing gimmicks over the years, one year advertising they were giving away a real, live baby. In fact, they were two piglets dressed as babies.

To commemorate the spirit of this history, Nugget is doing monthly giveaways, harkening back to these gimmicks. In January, they gave away a year’s worth of movie tickets and Niman Ranch bacon, as well as a plush stuffed pig — in lieu of a live piglet.

For this month’s giveaway, which launched Wednesday, Nugget is giving away $1,000.

ROCKLIN, Calif. — A new grocery store is opening in South Placer County as Nugget Market expands into Rocklin for the first time.

After running an online ballot in November and tallying votes in December, we’re pleased to offer this special section with a record number of participants and categories as a tribute to each of the distinguished Winners and Honor Award (runner-up) recipients for 2026. In a few cases businesses tied as the Winner in a category, so more than one name appears bolded after the designation. Honor Awards were bestowed when a business received significantly more votes than others in the category. There are a bunch of new nominees this year.

There are 16 businesses that are in the Hall of Fame — they have won a category every year since the IJ contest’s founding back in 2016. There is a special list highlighting them on Page 78.

The 2026 Marin IJ Readers’ Choice section lives throughout the year. It is available on marinijreaderschoice.com and marinij.com in the Special Sections area at the bottom of our home page. This is a special resource for you to use as you traverse this wonderful place we are fortunate to call home. THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE …

Nugget Market was voted:

• Best Overall Market/Grocery
• Best Meats & Poultry
• Best Produce
• Best Deli

The 42,000-square-foot location anchors the shopping center on the corner of Douglas Boulevard and Sierra College Boulevard.

Nugget Markets’ latest store was previously a Walmart. Because it was a remodel, this particular Nugget store is aesthetically unique compared with the others, but much of it has familiar characteristics, including an upstairs mezzanine where customers can lounge or enjoy lunch while overlooking the store, as reported by Gold Country Media. Architectural touches include aisle markers made from old windows.

Customers can browse a full-service meat and seafood section, locally grown fruits and vegetables, a bakery, and a cheese department. 

The new store also features a coffee and juice bar, prepared foods and a selection of specialty groceries.

Nugget helped create about 150 new jobs for Granite Bay area. The new grocery store is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Next up for the West Coast grocer is a new location in Rocklin, which is expected to open next year.

Based in Davis, Calif., Nugget Markets is a family-owned business that has operated in Northern California communities since 1926. It currently has 17 stores in the state. The company was named one of Progressive Grocer’s Outstanding Independents in 2024.

Doors opened at 6 a.m., and there was already a significant line of eager customers waiting at 5:30, with the store (and parking lot) bustling and jam-packed throughout opening day. The store is located near the intersection of Sierra College and Douglas boulevards.

Store Director Cody Moody said they knew the community was excited for this new store, but they had no idea it would be this big.

“This level of excitement is surprising everybody!” exclaimed Moody, with a huge smile.

For many months, crews have been working to transform the inside and outside of this 42,000 square-foot building, which was formerly a Walmart, into the company’s 17th Nugget Market.

Greg Hill, president and CEO of Nugget Market, said the project brought creative challenges, as the store was a remodel project.

“This store really stretched us in terms of how to make the most of the existing building,” said Hill. “Sometimes, stores are space constrained and you have to make compromises to make it work, but we’ve been able to bring out the very best of every department in this store.”

Because it was a remodel, this particular Nugget Market is a bit unique aesthetically compared to others one may visit, but much of it has familiar characteristics, such as an upstairs mezzanine where customers can lounge or enjoy lunch while overlooking the vibrant store.

There is an extensive deli and cheese section, which is commonplace in Nugget markets, but this particular store has Specialty Cheese Manager Daniel Muroney, also known as “The Cheese Monger.” You would be hard-pressed to find someone who has a bigger passion for cheese.

“Being the Monger means getting the cheese into the guest’s mouths because there’s a whole world of cheese out there and I always love saying tasting is believing,” declared Muroney. “So I can talk about cheese all day long. Once you sample it and you can really taste the history, you can taste what the animal’s diet was like. It’s amazing. You can have the same cheese at different times of the year and pick up different nuances.”

Nugget’s Director of Adult Beverages Mike Taylor certainly isn’t complaining about his job, either, which often involves tasting wine and picking just the right ones to stock in each individual store.

Nugget stocks a large variety of wines but especially likes to work with small family producers and feature local wines; for instance, the Granite Bay Nugget sells Ciotti Cellars wine, which is made from grapes in the Placer region.

“We’ve added probably 50 or 60 wines to this store that no other location has. And it's varied, some of them are dry white wines, some of them are the more higher-end burgundies and Napa wines,” said Taylor. “Some are certainly the local wines that are local to this store because it's local to this community and not local to some of the other stores.”

The meat and seafood sections are also extensive. On opening day, a crowd gathered to take pictures as chefs prepared to cut a huge yellowfin tuna into steaks and sashimi-grade ahi.

There are everyday, common grocery items in Nugget Markets, but the stores also emphasize cutting-edge products, especially those in the health and wellness arena, which are gaining huge popularity.

“You can still buy soda and candy here; we aren’t going to tell you what you can and can’t eat. But organic, alternative diets, we follow those trends, we know what people are looking for, and we want you to be able to find it here,” explained Hill.

Store Director Moody was all smiles as the day got underway. All the employees also appeared quite thrilled to finally welcome opening day. This new Nugget brought about 150 new jobs to the area, and associates have been in training for the last few months.

“Our main feature that I'm most excited about is our associates,” said Moody. “To be honest, it could be exciting one day but it's up to us to keep the momentum going moving forward and to start making relationships with this community.”

As the buzz continues over this new store, Nugget Market #17, work has already begun on #18 in the Whitney Ranch area of Rocklin, with an expected opening in the first quarter of 2026.

The store, located at the corner of Douglas Boulevard and Sierra College Boulevard, marks the 17th location for the Davis-based company, which has been family owned since 1926.

"There's been a demand for Nugget Markets in Granite Bay for years," said Cody Moody, the store's manager.

That demand was evident as the store, which covers nearly 42,000 square feet, was crowded with shoppers, community members and Nugget Market employees throughout the early morning.

The interior of the new store replaced what was once a Walmart.

This latest location brings 150 full- and part-time jobs, according to a company spokesperson.

This opening is also soon to be surpassed as the company, which has stores spanning from the Bay Area to the foothills, continues to expand.

In October, the company broke ground on a new store location in the city of Rocklin.

That location is expected to open in the summer of 2026.

GRANITE BAY, Calif. — Granite Bay residents now have a new hub for groceries, specialty foods and local products. 

Have you ever wanted to shop for a living? As Specialty Grocery/General Merchandise Buyer for Nugget Market, Nicki Leonard gets to do just that! But it’s a lot more complicated than clicking “Add to Cart.” Learn how she uses her expertise and passion to get the right goods into stores and to guests like you.

What exactly does a Grocery Buyer do?

A lot of things, really. One of my main responsibilities is to search out boutique, local and artisan vendors, finding items unique to our market and giving them a platform to shine. I also get to build relationships and promotions with smaller specialty brands, and direct displays to help showcase their items. Grocery shopping for a whole set of stores is a big job, but that’s half the fun!

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I’m extremely passionate about building displays and sharing that skill. I love having the opportunity to go to all our stores to help train teams, and seeing our associates gain confidence—it gives me more drive each working day. I’m also just excited about cooking equipment and groceries anyway. I’m always looking for fun new kitchen gadgets or condiments to add to my collection!

What makes Nugget Market’s selection unique?

For starters, we offer more than 15,000 gourmet groceries in our stores, and I keep a pulse on all the items that set us apart. Whether it’s a rare ingredient or just the right tool, if any place has it, Nugget will! We love to connect our partner producers and our guests so we can be your one-stop shop for any culinary adventure. And if you don’t see what you’re looking for, let us know. We’re always on the hunt for new ways to fulfill our fellow foodies’ needs.

Multiple locations. nuggetmarket.com

Watch the video interview.

Nugget Market is getting ready to open its 17th location, this one located on the southeast corner of Sierra College and Douglas boulevards.

The original building has been completely gutted and rebuilt from the studs up.

"This has been years in the making," said Cody Moody, the store's director.

The new store will feature a floral shop and a raised mezzanine where shoppers can enjoy some of the food they've purchased.

With their opening just weeks away in July, the company is also preparing to hire dozens of new team members.

"We're looking for great people who love to give excellent service and be a part of our community," said Taylor Wohler, Nugget Market's manager in charge.

Nugget Market has consistently been rated as one of the best employers in the U.S., even being ranked at #99 in the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for 2024. 

At least 50 jobs are being hired for at the new Granite Bay store. Positions available include food service, stock positions and more. 

Watch the video on YouTube.

We’re honored to be voted Best Grocery Store and Best Gourmet Food Store! We believe our guests voted for us in these categories due to our unmatched commitment to selection, quality and service.

The case study competition, which took place at the show, involved almost 80 students and faculty from 11 universities studying such food industry disciplines as food marketing, supply chain management and agricultural economics. Student teams had to develop a sustainability strategy for Clark’s Market, an Aspen, Colo.-based independent grocery retailer with 11 stores in the Rocky Mountain region. Participants were required to present solutions for reducing food waste and optimizing product merchandising to highlight sustainable and eco-friendly choices. Among the key considerations were operational efficiencies, return on investment, and strategic marketing initiatives to engage customers and employees. 

“Congratulations to Arizona State University for their hard work, creativity and strategic thinking that truly set them apart in this year’s competition,” noted NGA Foundation VP Chelsea Matzen. “We’re incredibly proud to support and recognize the next generation of industry leaders who are driving innovative solutions for sustainability in independent supermarkets across the country.”

Cornell University earned second place with its innovative approach to sustainability. This year’s competition was made possible by title sponsor UNFI and supporting sponsor Fairlife. 

Watch the video on FOX40.

Watch the video on FOX40.

This year, California Walnuts is elevating the seasonal effort in partnership with Nugget Markets. A two-month celebration with Nutcracker-themed in-store displays, digital promotions and exclusive co-promotions featuring California Walnuts is currently underway. The partnership launched with an in-store experience at the West Sacramento Nugget Market, which featured live dance performances, meet-and-greets with the cast and more.

“Like walnuts, the Nutcracker is synonymous with the holiday season. Especially here in Sacramento, since many walnut growers are proud to call the Central Valley home,” says Robert Verloop, chief executive officer of California Walnuts. “We’re proud to extend the magic of the season to local consumers with our retail partner Nugget Market.” 

SacBallet’s family-favorite Nutcracker (December 13-22, 2024) returns with new costumes and wardrobe enhancements that honor its rich history and keep the production fresh for future generations. The Company is celebrating 70 years and this year’s Nutcracker performances promise to excite and enchant Northern California audiences with evening and matinee shows across three festive weeks.

“We’re overjoyed to celebrate Nutcracker in our 70th season with the unwavering support of California Walnuts as our presenting sponsor and Nugget Markets to engage shoppers and encourage them to attend this season’s enchanting Nutcracker performances,” says Anthony Krutzkamp, artistic and executive director of Sacramento Ballet. “This milestone wouldn’t be possible without the warm embrace of the Sacramento community and support from local walnut growers across Northern California who make SacBallet’s Nutcracker a treasured local yuletide tradition year after year.”

California Walnuts is encouraging consumers nationwide to elevate holiday gatherings in fun, easy and unexpected ways with seasoned walnuts through a new integrated campaign that inspires consumers to “Tis the Seasoning.”

When creating our guide to West Coast grocery store chains, we chose chains that only exist in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. While you can probably think of some grocery stores that got their start on the West Coast, like Trader Joe's, Costco, Fred Meyer, and Raley's, we only included the ones on our list that have never expanded eastward. So, they're still all exclusive to the West Coast. While there are still a few other smaller West Coast grocery chains out there like Super King Markets in Southern California and Metropolitan Market in Washington, we are only listing ones that have more than 10 locations each. Once you've read about grocery store chains that are unique to the West Coast, you'll likely have a list of ones you'll want to visit.

. . .

Nugget Markets

Nugget Markets might be small, but some customers compare it even more favorably than Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Like Trader Joe's, the packaging and visual presentation of the store is part of the appeal. Will and Mack Stille were the father and son duo who opened Nugget Market in Woodland, California, 1926, and the store remains under family ownership. However, it has spread throughout Northern California and now has 13 locations in Sacramento Valley and Marin County.

While it can be on the pricier side to shop here if you don't catch sales, customers appreciate that the Nugget Markets have high-quality products, support local farmers, are aesthetically pleasing, clean, friendly, and provide a fun shopping experience. The chain has a bakery, deli, specialty cheeses (over 400 varieties currently), prepared foods, premade sandwiches, smoothies, freshly-squeezed juices, coffee, lots of wine, as well as a selection of imported ethnic food. It's also fairly progressive, with half of its stores using Bloom Energy fuel cells to provide clean energy for the store around the clock.

. . .

Read the full article from Tasting Table.

“I’m so excited to bring a Nugget to the Granite Bay area,” said Eric Stille, Nugget Market, Inc. chairman of the board and growth officer. “In partnership with the Engstrom Properties Development Group, we are planning an entire makeover of the shopping center. Our goal, once we have remodeled the center, is for it to quickly become the gathering place or ‘town center’ of the Granite Bay neighborhood.”

Earlier this fall, the Nugget Markets broke ground on another new store, slated to open in Rocklin in the fall of 2025. Including the upcoming Granite Bay store, these will be the retailer’s third and fourth locations serving Placer County.

"We've wanted to be part of this community for many years,” explained Greg Hill, CEO at Nugget Market, Inc. “We’re looking forward to the long-term relationships we’ll develop with our Granite Bay guests by providing the exceptional quality and service Nugget Market is known for."

Family-owned since 1926 and headquartered in Davis, Calif., Nugget Markets is a full-line grocery store that provides high-quality perishables and organics, chef-prepared foods, specialty grocery items and conventional goods. 

Nugget Markets was named one of Progressive Grocer’s Outstanding Independents in 2024.

“I’m so excited to bring a Nugget to the Granite Bay area,” said Eric Stille, Nugget Market Chairman of the Board and Growth Officer, in a statement. “In partnership with the Engstrom Properties Development Group, we are planning an entire makeover of the shopping center. Our goal, once we have remodeled the center, is for it to quickly become the gathering place or ‘town center’ of the Granite Bay neighborhood.”

The grocery company said the store at Douglas Boulevard and Sierra College Boulevard would open in the late summer of 2025 and that it would be its 18th location.

“…We are planning an entire makeover of the shopping center. Our goal, once we have remodeled the center, is for it to quickly become the gathering place or ‘town center’ of the Granite Bay neighborhood,” reads part of a statement from Eric Stille, the chairman of Nugget Markets’ board and growth officer for the company.

The intersection where the market will be located is at the boundary between the city of Roseville and the community of Granite Bay, a census-designated place.

The grocery will take over a space that was a Walmart Neighborhood Market up until April of 2024.

Another Nugget Markets location underway in Rocklin that is expected to open in the fall of 2025 will bring the company’s total number of stores in Placer County to four.

The company’s website reads that it has been family-owned since 1926 and is headquartered in Davis.

The Davis-based specialty grocer announced plans to open the location at Douglas and Sierra College boulevards in late summer 2025 in a space once occupied by a Walmart Neighborhood Market. The site will be the family-owned chain’s 18th location and fourth in Placer County. Nugget broke ground earlier this year for a Rocklin store slated to open in fall 2025.

“We’ve wanted to be part of this community for many years,” said Greg Hill, Nugget Markets CEO, in a statement announcing the plans. “We’re looking forward to the long-term relationships we’ll develop with our Granite Bay guests by providing the exceptional quality and service Nugget Market is known for.”

“Our goal, once we have remodeled the center, is for it to quickly become the gathering place or ‘town center’ of the Granite Bay neighborhood,” said Eric Stille, Nugget Markets’ chairman of the board and growth officer.

The Sierra Oaks Plaza, on the 4000 block of Douglas Boulevard, also houses a Crunch Fitness, Habit Burger Grill and Chick-Fil-A.