By Kenna Eaton, General Manager of The Food Co-op

Each month, I report to the board on what is happening in the store as well as our progress on our long-term goals, which we call our Ends. These Ends reflect our aspirations—what we want to accomplish—and they are part of 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.

Our Ends

The general manager strives to provide these benefits to our member-owners and community while operating a strong grocery store:

•         Strengthen and advocate for our local food system, with a vibrant culture of appreciation and support for local farms and producers.

•         Treat people well, increasing equity and access by providing a safe, welcoming, and educational environment.

•         Treat the planet well, by modeling environmental stewardship and regularly sharing our accomplishments and challenges with member-owners.

October Update on Store and Progress on Ends

Working Together to Nourish our Community

Store: Two long-delayed projects were close to completion this month. The exterior painting project was finalized, and the vines are growing back up the south and west walls as hoped. We still need to replace one exterior store sign that was too rotten to re-install but that will take a bit longer to design, build and install. And the interior lighting project took another major step forward with the installation of track spotlights in the store. Now they are installed, the next phase of adjusting them begins. Hopefully by the time this work is completed the dark areas will be well lit and the end caps that feature our deals or seasonal offerings are looking brighter.

Recently we added several new Gefen & Streits kosher products.  For September, we had over a dozen new chips & a dozen new kombucha/ coconut water/cold brews that we added onto our shelves. 

ENDS UPDATE:

Local: We have several new Local WA cheeses, all coming to us via the Puget Sound Food Hub.  Lost Peacock Creamery Thai garlic chevre, out of Olympia; Latin style cheeses from Familia del Norte, based in Ferndale, Mexican Manchego, queso cotija, Oaxaca quesillo; Samish Bay chipotle cheddar and soft aged Ladysmith.  We also added Samish Bay labneh, also known as yogurt cheese, to the dairy cooler. 

We have 2 loose tea blends, London Fog & goji berry detox, from Shen Zen located with the packaged teas. 

Any unsold 2024 seed packets that were not returned to our suppliers were given to the Food Bank Farm & Garden network, as we have done for the last few years.   

People: This month I want to spotlight some of the work we are engaged in with our staff to increase equity and access throughout operations. Our goal is to always embody our values of respect, inclusion, participation, integrity, love, stewardship and resiliency.

· In October we are conducting a staff engagement survey to find out more about the workplace experience. Using information gleaned from this anonymous survey we will work with our consultant to build a plan to improve our interactions that is robust, realistic, sustainable and feasible.

· We created an Employee Resource Group with proactive involvement from our LGBTQIA+ employees to deepen our support for a diverse workplace. This group had its first meeting in early September and will help us create a more supportive network that can inform our larger DEI efforts.

· We are launching an Inclusive Trade Program where members of historically or currently excluded communities can self-identify to be a part of the program. The Co-op will support these businesses with marketing in store and online so customers can support the companies that align with their values.

· We have developed a comprehensive wage plan which will go into effect January 2025, one that is equitable and transparent. We have revised and clarified policies on pay to support this new plan.

Over the years, the Co-op has advanced numerous initiatives to be more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming.

This includes on-going training in anti-discrimination to clearly defined policies on harassment to a hiring process that checks for bias and ensure that we have a diverse workforce with a variety of ages and backgrounds.

We are leaning into growth and are committed to emerging a stronger, more unified and an even more inclusive and welcoming place in which to work and shop.

Yours in community, Kenna