The folks at Down to Earth are over the moon.

The Hawaii-based, Maui-born five-store chain gets national exposure in the January issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, which named it No. 3 on its “;Veg25 hot list of fresh voices, ingenious products and handy resources”; for 2009.

The magazine compares shopping at Down to Earth to “;the limitless feeling you get in a veg restaurant,”; where a diner needn't worry about a dish's ingredients. The magazine reports that every product the store sells is free of meat, fish oils, gelatin and animal rennet and tells a bit more about the store.

The top two Veg25 listees were Iced Bliss, a line of soy- and rice-based ice creams and veganetsy.etsy.com, a community of artisans selling cruelty-free crafts online.

The magazine contacted Marketing Director Frank Santana a few months ago asking for information.

“;They wanted an update on where we are and what we're doing and so I gave them what they needed,”; he said.

He didn't know how the magazine was going to use it until the issue arrived, “;and you can imagine my surprise!”; he said.

“;Vegetarian Times wrote about us quite a few years ago, but we've been off the radar for quite a long time,”; he said.

A large part of the blip that got it back on the radar was its repositioning as a 100-percent vegetarian store, not just a health food store or a natural food store. The differentiation is more significant than an omnivore might realize.

“;The Vegetarian Times recognition of Down to Earth is particularly auspicious because there are so few all-vegetarian stores in the nation,”; Santana said.

Many natural supplements, for instance, are sold in capsules that are often made from a material derived from cow hooves. Not at Down to Earth, where foods and supplements are plant-based.

“;This is a values-based company,”; Santana said. “;From the start, the idea was to promote a healthier lifestyle through organic and natural foods and a vegetarian lifestyle.”;

While not popular with the mainstream on Maui when established in 1977, a core group was interested, kept it going, “;and it caught on,”; he said.

“;They were ahead of the power curve, by decades.”;

The flagship Down to Earth store on S. King Street in Moiliili has been renovated, with space and new products added “;and we have been inundated with compliments from our customers,”; not all of whom are vegetarian, Santana said.

The company also has introduced a customer-reward card this year “;and it's going gangbusters. We already have 20,000 subscribers.”;

The magazine hits newsstands Tuesday and is available at Down to Earth and other locations. The coverage will not be posted online until late February.