by Kenna S. Eaton

Each month, I report to the board on how we are progressing on our long term goals, which we call our Ends. These Ends reflect our aspirations what we want to accomplish and they are what makes us different from a regular grocery store. We publish these reports as a blog to keep our member owners up to date on what we are doing.

The reports are organized by our five Ends, although not all are discussed in every report. Our Ends say that, as a result of all we do.

• Our community is well served by a strong cooperative grocery store, integral to the lives of our customers, our farmers, and our producers.

• Our community has a resilient local and regional food economy, supported by our Co op and our community partners.

• Our staff and board have the knowledge, skills, and passion to make our cooperative thrive.

• Our members and customers are proud to shop at a local cooperative grocery that is working to reduce its impact on the environment.

• Our community is informed, engaged, and empowered to join us in making a difference.

July General Manager’s Report

Working Together to Nourish our Community

Market Relevance

July 2nd, 2022, was the 100th celebration of International Day of Cooperatives. Operating around the world, in many different sectors of the economy, co-operatives have proven more resilient to crises than the average business. They foster economic participation, fight against environmental degradation and climate change, generate good jobs, contribute to food security, keep financial capital within local communities, build ethical value chains, and by improving people’s material conditions and security, contribute to positive peace. Thanks to the ICA for that summary of how co-ops are helping build a better world!

Little Free Food Pantry update. We were honored to host a Little Food Pantry at the Co-op, but it has not worked out as intended. Issues ranging from dumping to misuse have arisen, leading to complaints, so recently the sponsors removed it. Anyone wishing to use or donate to the Little Free Food Pantry are encouraged to do so at the Food Bank, located only a few blocks from the Co-op, where they can find a much more robust pantry—bigger, more well stocked, and better situated (out of the sun).

Food System Development

In the last month, we have added several Local WA items to the meat department, including three varieties of Uli’s bratwurst and kielbasa, and a selection of SeaBear shelf-stable smoked salmon. Thanks to a customer request, we have also added a Local WA organic black garlic to the produce department.

In addition, several Local 5 bulk and packaged trail mixes from Miracle Morsels just arrived at the store, and they will be on the shelves soon. Lastly, PT Coffee has a new label design showing off their new Fair-Trade Certification. They have also inquired about getting their product certified as organic, but the WSDA is limited in how many applications they can process this year.

Locally, the cool, wet weather we’ve been experiencing has left our farmers 4-6 weeks behind normal, delaying plantings, stunting growth, and impacting blooming periods. All of which are forcing our farmers to pivot and rethink their planting schedules. Some plants love this cool, wet weather and are thriving in this long spring: sturdy greens like kale, chard, and collards, plus red leaf, butter, and romaine lettuces as well as my current fave, frisee. Remember, you can give at the register to our Farmer Fund. We divide the funds collected between three local farms (which rotate each quarter), and they use the funds to get their food to community members who might have less access to fresh food—through the food banks, our schools, subsidized CSAs, etc. This quarter our farmers are One Straw Ranch, SpringRain Farm, and Dharma Ridge.

Nationally, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is having a significant impact on the food and ag sector. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat and a major supplier to Europe, and Ukraine is considered the “breadbasket of Europe.” Combined, Russia and Ukraine account for 29% of the global wheat export market. Russia is also a significant supplier of fertilizer, including to the US. Consequently, the invasion is affecting supplies and prices of that basic commodity, wheat. This is yet another reason to support locally produced food, and in Jefferson County, we are very luck to actually have local wheat. If you haven’t tried any of the Finnriver flours yet, now is a great opportunity to check them out, enjoy a new flavor profile, and support local agriculture at the same time.

Thriving Workplace

We’ve been thrilled by the recent uptick in the quantity and quality of new employees at the Food Co-op. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve hired and retained 20 new staff! With the switch to the Paylocity program, we’ve been able to streamline the hiring and onboarding process for all new employees, saving time and effort by minimizing duplication of data entry. And this week we’re welcoming a new HR generalist to our team as well as a facilities manager.

Outreach

We helped our local high school seniors celebrate graduation by donating prizes and food to their events. The Food Co-op is also a proud partner with Olympic Pride, not only sponsoring local events but making them a “Beans for Bags” recipient for two months. We also designed some fun “progressive pear” pride stickers and are hosting a rainbow of great products for a PRIDE-themed giveaway.

And we wrapped up June with our Annual General Meeting, which was online again this year. The meeting also launched our 2022 board election, and like last year, we will be donating $1 for each vote cast to the Jefferson County Food Bank. Thank you for voting!