We’re sharing highlights from our 2025 Fresh Bucks impact report and spotlighting a neighborhood grocer in Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program: Owner Sonia Mendoza of Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado. Nestled on a busy corner of Aurora Avenue, the owner of Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado, Sonia Mendoza, is hard at work preparing salsas, cooking dishes, and welcoming regulars six days a week.
Some neighborhood businesses feel more like coming home than entering a store. Sonia’s earliest memories in her family’s kitchen in Mexico City include smelling chilaquiles on Sunday mornings and learning her mother’s recipe for mole negro. Sonia started Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado to share with others the joy and belonging that food offers.
Our team is excited to share another story spotlighting a local Fresh Bucks retailer providing affordable, diverse produce while supporting their neighbors and our local food system. You can keep up with the series and check out our last spotlight on Anna of HC Grocery in Beacon Hill on our blog.
Fresh Bucks is Seattle’s healthy food access program providing enrolled households $60 per month to buy fruits and vegetables at 45+ retail locations, including farmers markets, supermarkets, and independent grocers like Mendoza’s.
Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado, a staple of the Greenwood neighborhood since 2011, was one of the first independent grocers to join the Fresh Bucks program back in 2018. Sonia and her partner, Carlos, have carefully curated a diverse selection of foods for their community.
Throughout May, Mendoza’s is offering a 10% discount on produce for Fresh Bucks customers, which is located on the Rapid Ride E bus line. Check out Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado from 8 AM to 8 PM Monday- Saturday at 7811 Aurora Ave N, Seattle 98103.
Seattleites originally from Mexico and Central and South America visit Mendoza’s for familiar ingredients, including hard-to-find produce like huauzontle (a relative of spinach and quinoa), verdolaga (a tangy succulent used in stews and salsas), and nopales (cactus paddles).
Their shelves are stacked high with masa, dried heirloom corn, beans, herbs, and more. Sonia and Carlos, the only employees, pack the freezers with even more eligible produce for Fresh Bucks customers, including soursop, lucuma (egg fruit), guava, tamarind, yuca, and plantain.
Sonia is particularly proud of their more than eight varieties of dried chiles. “These aren’t your typical grocery store chiles that fall apart when you touch them,” Sonia Mendoza said. “They are very fresh and have a much stronger flavor and better consistency.”
With the Fresh Bucks program, Sonia has expanded their produce selection and welcomed a new customer base from around the city. Mendoza’s is proud to offer not only healthy and affordable produce, but also essential ingredients to Latin cooking.
“A lot of people don’t understand that a large store might buy a whole truckload of one item, while we might only buy half a case at a time,” Sonia said. “We are grateful that customers want to support the little guys like us.” She recalled many customers who teared up with joy to have found the flavors they grew up with in Seattle.
The Fresh Bucks program recently released its 2025 Impact Report, showcasing how the program addresses food affordability, boosts local businesses, and supports equitable community health outcomes.
Last year alone, more than 12,000 Fresh Bucks customers spent $4.8 million on fruits and veggies at 47 Seattle retailers, putting $7.5 million back into the local economy. Another highlight from the year was the University of Washington’s study that found that Fresh Bucks increases food security and fruit and vegetable consumption for enrolled households. All last year, our team was gearing up for a major expansion, which we announced on January 1, 2026, bringing more than 4,500 households off the waitlist and increasing monthly benefits from $40 to $60.
The Fresh Bucks waitlist application is always available on the City’s Affordability Portal. The portal allows Seattleites to seamlessly apply for the Fresh Bucks waitlist and get connected with other City benefit programs.