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 refreshed 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.

May General Manager’s Report

Working Together to Nourish our Community

Market Relevance

Good news!—Since UNFI is no longer limiting the amount of paper products we can order, we have removed our “purchase limit” signs from all paper products. Cases are also now available for special order. However, paper bags are in short supply again as they were a year ago, and cellophane bags are only available with a 4-week production delay. So even though we have passed the COVID-19 one-year mark, supply-system challenges are still with us, and there is no telling how much longer they will continue. Sometimes the shortages are due to the food system—a lack of ripe tomatoes for canning, for instance. Other times, it is the glass jar they are bottled in that is hard to come by, or even the lid that goes on top of the pasta sauce. And it seems like just as one shortage ends, another arises. Regardless, our staff is busy sourcing new items and/or substitutes, and it looks like they‘re doing a great job! Sales continue to be strong and will meet if not beat the budget in May.

New Co-op Basics in the Wellness Department: four varieties of Everyone hand lotion have been added to our line-up.

Food System Development

This month our Eat Local First group collaborated with other regional groups to promote CSAs throughout the state. This extensive, statewide media campaign reached over one million people through 22 articles, features, and highlights in digital media, print, and radio. Farms from Jefferson and Clallam featured in the videos included Goodness Tea Farms, Chi’s Farm, and Bent Gate Farms. Check out https://eatlocalfirst.org/csa/.

We recently began selling five new spice blends/rubs for proteins—chicken, beef, lamb, and fish—developed by our very own meat and seafood staff. These include a mild Italian, a jerk/coffee blend that is great for beef and lamb, and an herb crust for chicken and fish (although I have been told that it works equally well on squash). You will also see these rubs on some seasoned meats in the “ready to cook" section of the meat case. FYI—I tried one the other night and it was delicious!

We added one new Local 5 flower vendor, Dietrich Farms, who brought us Mother’s Day bouquets, and who will be supplying us with other flowers throughout the season. And we brought in some additional Local WA items in the Ellenos yogurt and the Manini’s GF frozen pasta lines. Ellenos opened its first yogurt bar in Pike Place market in Seattle in 2013, and Manini’s make their certified gluten-free pasta in Kent, using ancient grains like millet, amaranth, sorghum, and teff.

Thriving Workplace

Finding staff to fill open positions has been challenging throughout the year but has gotten especially tough this month. Based on a suggestion from staff, we are piloting a new program and offering current staff a bonus (of one day’s PTO or the equivalent in cash) for a successful referral, and the same bonus will be offered to successful new hires. Success will be determined if that person is with us and in good standing after 90 days.

COVID-19—In mid-May came the news from the state that Washington should be fully reopened by June 30th. At the time of this writing, Jefferson County Department of Health is still requiring everyone to wear a mask when in a retail business or food establishment until the same date.

Environmental Sustainability

I’m in the process of developing a comprehensive plan for finishing up our renovation project, focusing on the exterior as well as on greening up our facility and grounds. Some work has already begun, such as re-roofing the store, and others are in the design stage, such as thinking about adding solar panels to our roof top. This work will be exciting, and I am looking forward to seeing the end results, likely late in 2022.

Outreach

The month of May was all about gratitude and giveaways! We were able to offer some pretty great prizes to our members and the community. With our Instagram community, we celebrated mothers and gave away a locally inspired self-care basket. The Chamber of Commerce held a Leadership Awards luncheon to which we donated a locally themed gift basket and filmed a mini congratulations video to be aired during the ceremony. Finally, we are hosting a C2O branded Stand Up Paddleboard giveaway for members—there will be one lucky winner just in time for the summer splash.