by Christine Stebbins
The Food Shed Co-op is buzzing with its new honey supplier Organic Rootz, a McHenry County health food shop founded by Umar Ahmed.
A beekeeper and health enthusiast, Umar opened his store seven years ago in Algonquin, Illinois, to share how natural food alternatives can support healing.
It was a humble start, just two refrigerators stocked with specialty foods and a shelf featuring his honey. Today, Organic Rootz offers close to 1,000 different products.
“I started with what I knew,” Umar said. “Honey is my favorite superfood. I’ve always been fascinated by bees and honey—one of the healthiest sources of sugar on the planet.”
“Being a beekeeper, I’ve spent so much time watching, appreciating, enjoying bees,” Umar added. “Bees get all that good sunlight, dance in all the flowers. Just being by that high vibration, energy is so therapeutic.”
But honey is more than a sweetener.
“Raw, unprocessed honey is packed with antioxidants,” he said. “It’s a great food in promoting longevity and energy, aids in digestion and boosts immunity.”
Umar is thrilled to be among the many local suppliers at the Food Shed, a community-owned, full-service grocery store in Woodstock, Illinois. The co-op’s mission is to promote healthy food choices, strengthen the local economy, champion environmentally sustainable practices and empower the community.
While Umar continues to maintain his hives, he also relies on other local beekeepers to meet customer demand year-round. Umar stocks up on honey during the first summer harvest, sourcing enough to get him through the winter when bees cluster in their hives to stay warm.
“It’s 100% pure product—fresh, unfiltered, raw, unprocessed with no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added to the honey,” Umar said. “We are really big on quality and sourcing, supporting local farmers and local businesses.”
Holistic health & nutrition champion
Umar, a continuous learner of holistic health and nutrition, was motivated to study those topics several years ago when his dad became severely ill and overmedicated. In working with his doctors and incorporating more natural foods and supplements into his diet, he began healing naturally.
“This inspired me to open Organic Rootz to spread knowledge and help as many people as we can,” Umar said. “We are so bombarded with processed foods, pesticides and chemicals in our food. I feel our health is being attacked at every angle. We have a choice of what we are putting into our body.”
Umar advocates “getting back to our roots” by:
- Eating more whole food such as whole grains, nuts, beans, fish, shellfish, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables. Seeded fruits are best.
- Sourcing with purpose. If you can get organic, get organic. Eat local foods, support your local farmer as much as possible. Eat what is in season. Pasture-raised meat is preferable. Wild-caught seafood is better than farm-raised seafood.
- Studying food labels. Start understanding the language so you know what is going into your body.
“We have to listen to our bodies,” Umar said. “Your body is going to feel way better when you reward it, nourish it with the food it needs to thrive.”
By Christine Stebbins—Food Shed Co-op staff member, owner, and volunteer storyteller helping bring our co-op’s story to life.
April 2026