Rochester brewpub earns USDA organic certification

One of Metro Detroit’s greenest restaurants is now organic – certified organic.Mind Body & Spirits has been certified USDA Organic by Oregon Tilth, a third-party nonprofit organization. The downtown Rochester-based firm is now Michigan’s first fully certified organic restaurant. There are fewer than a dozen certified organic restaurants in the U.S.”It’s a third party source that ensures that what we say we’re doing, we’re doing,” says David Youngman, director of marketing and communications for Mind, Body & Spirits. “A lot of businesses are making claims of organic products.”Mind Body & Spirits had already been embraced by the tree huggers when it opened last fall. It took a 100-year-old building, renovated it, and added 2,000 square feet and a load of sustainable features. These include the largest bank of solar power panels in Michigan, used to generate clean energy and to heat water. The restaurant also has a geothermal heating and cooling system. It also used VOC-free paint, bamboo flooring, and sustainable furnishings. A greenhouse was built along Third Street to provide fresh herbs and produce for the kitchen and to beautify the sidewalk.  Source: David Youngman, director of marketing and communications for Mind Body & SpiritsWriter: Jon Zemke