{"id":69640,"date":"2026-04-09T02:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=69640"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:07:08","slug":"forty-acres-abunaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/forty-acres-abunaw\/","title":{"rendered":"Alum&#8217;s Black-Owned Grocery Thrives in a Former Chicago Food Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Named for an infamous unmet promise of the post-Civil War era, Forty Acres Fresh Market carries a variety of produce and more<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b20c122c1bf28acfc89276ef15bf6607\">\u201c<em>Bear Hugs\u201d celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"&#x6d;a&#x69;lt&#111;:&#99;o&#x72;&#110;e&#x6c;&#x6c;&#105;a&#x6e;s&#64;c&#x6f;&#x72;&#110;&#101;ll&#x2e;&#x65;&#x64;&#117;\"><strong>&#99;o&#x72;n&#101;l&#x6c;&#x69;&#x61;&#110;&#115;&#x40;c&#111;&#x72;&#x6e;el&#x6c;&#46;ed&#x75;<\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">A decade ago, Elizabeth Abunaw \u201902 was running an errand in an unfamiliar Chicago neighborhood when she needed cash and realized there was no bank nearby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She searched for a grocery store or pharmacy to find an ATM\u2014with no luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making a closer scan of the streets, she noticed the number of run-down buildings and vacant storefronts in the area, the historic Austin neighborhood on the city\u2019s Far West Side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Elizabeth Abunaw smiles while wearing a Forty Acres Fresh Market shirt, a red blazer, and gold hood earrings.\" class=\"wp-image-69649 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/Liz-Abunaw-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m looking at my surroundings and noticing that I\u2019m in a predominantly Black community, and the amenities and services I was used to finding in other areas I\u2019d lived in were missing,\u201d Abunaw recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had heard the \u2018tale of two cities\u2019 in Chicago, but this was the first time I actually saw it. The whole time I\u2019ve lived here, I\u2019d never thought twice about where I was going to get groceries, go to the bank, or find a pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the months that followed, Abunaw couldn\u2019t stop thinking about how someone should open a grocery store in the neighborhood\u2014until that \u201csomeone\u201d became her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I\u2019m looking at my surroundings and noticing that I\u2019m in a predominantly Black community, and the amenities and services I was used to finding in other areas I\u2019d lived in were missing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2018, she began running pop-up markets in Austin selling high-quality, low-cost produce she sourced from wholesalers; she even drove to Michigan to purchase shopping baskets from a liquidator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI brought in as many varieties of produce as I could,\u201d recalls Abunaw, who majored in policy analysis and management in Human Ecology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI carried like seven different kinds of apple, because if people wanted to buy apples in the neighborhood their one choice was a Red Delicious\u2014and Red Delicious apples are an abomination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Elizabeth Abunaw smiles and shakes hands with a man who is buying a pineapple from her at her first pop-up market.\" class=\"wp-image-69647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-632x355.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/first-transaction-A.jpg 1257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Abunaw&#8217;s first sale at her inaugural pop-up &#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"864\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A.jpg\" alt=\"Dozens of customers scan tables of produce at a pop-up market.\" class=\"wp-image-69651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A.jpg 864w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/pop-up-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8230; which grew into a series of bustling produce markets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>She got some help in promoting the pop-ups from fellow alum Kelechukwu Mpamaugo\u00a0\u201920, who designed a logo and marketing materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Abunaw admits that those first pop-ups \u201cwere more of a moral victory than a financial victory,\u201d they continued to grow year after year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And in September 2025, Abunaw opened a permanent storefront, <a href=\"https:\/\/fortyacresfreshmarket.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forty Acres Fresh Market<\/a>\u2014which, she notes, is Chicago\u2019s only Black-owned grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px\"><blockquote><p>Abunaw couldn\u2019t stop thinking about how someone should open a grocery store in the neighborhood\u2014until that \u201csomeone\u201d became her.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The business\u2019s name references the unfulfilled post-Civil War promise that formerly enslaved African Americans would receive \u201c40 acres and a mule\u201d from the federal government to grow food and build a livelihood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forty Acres\u2014which has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/chicago\/news\/forty-acres-fresh-market-black-owned-grocery-store-austin-chicago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">been featured<\/a> on \u201cCBS News,\u201d among other media outlets\u2014offers produce, shelf-stable groceries, and a meat counter, as well as prepared meals and a hot food bar with options like rice bowls, chili, house-baked cookies, and soups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also home-delivers curated produce boxes, which comprise a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and aromatics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<section aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" class=\"wp-block-rkv-carousel rkv-swiper swiper is-caption-align-left\"><div class=\"alignfull swiper-buttons\"><div class=\"swiper-button-prev\"><\/div><div class=\"swiper-button-next\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"An aisle inside Forty Acres Fresh Market that has canned books, pastas, and rice stacked in the shelves.\" class=\"wp-image-69652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/portrait-in-aisle-3-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The deli counter at Forty Acres Fresh Market.\" class=\"wp-image-69650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/meat-department-portrait-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The back of the store at Forty Acres Fresh Market, featuring a deli counter with people in line, frozen foods, and aisles of other foods.\" class=\"wp-image-69646\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/back-of-store-portrait-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>Abunaw and her staff of 30 stock most products using a three-tier pricing system so shoppers can choose among premium, mid-range, and value options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA customer recently compared Forty Acres to Trader Joe\u2019s in size, energy, and organization,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2025\/10\/06\/forty-acres-fresh-market-chicago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a story<\/a> in the <em>Chicago Tribune <\/em>observes. \u201cShe joked it was the happiest day of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abunaw worked in sales for General Mills for a decade after graduation before earning an MBA at the University of Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A customer recently compared Forty Acres to Trader Joe\u2019s in size, energy, and organization.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>The<\/strong> <em><strong>Chicago Tribune<\/strong><\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>She spent two years at Microsoft\u2014and when her position was eliminated, it seemed the right moment to pursue the vision of an Austin grocery store that had been sparked by her first visit to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the success of Forty Acres, Abunaw has added two more lines to her r\u00e9sum\u00e9: public speaker and food justice advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI used to think about how cool it would be to expand\u2014that bigger was the way I wanted to go,\u201d she says. \u201cBut what matters the most to me is this one sustainable grocery store that we made from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(All photos provided.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published April 9, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Named for an infamous unmet promise of the post-Civil War era, Forty Acres Fresh Market carries a variety of produce and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":69648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-69640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alum&#039;s Black-Owned Grocery Thrives in a Former Chicago Food Desert - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Named for an infamous unmet promise of the post-Civil War era, Forty Acres Fresh Market carries a variety of produce and more\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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