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.

November General Manager’s Report

Working Together to Nourish our Community

Market Relevance

Turkeys are on their way! Like last year, we won’t ask shoppers to reserve turkeys. Instead, we’ll stock the cases with lots of birds and let customers choose their own turkey. We’ll have a truckload of turkeys to pull from to keep the cases full, and we should have some left after Thanksgiving for those who want turkeys later in the holiday season.

We were super stoked to hear that The Food Co-op won first place in two categories in the “Best of the Peninsula” contest in the Peninsula Daily News—Best Quick Stop and Best Health Food Store. Thanks to everyone who voted for us!

Food System Development

We have several new or returning local beer and wine vendors. Read James’ post aboue new beers. New are E9 Brewing from Tacoma and Echoes Brewing from Poulsbo. In addition, both Fair Winds Winery in Port Townsend and Harbinger Winery in Sequim are returning to our shelves this fall with new varietals and labeling.

We also have new fun holiday gifts: mugs from Keri’s Arts & Crafts and cards and journals from Yurkanis Originals, both from Port Townsend.

In blueberry news, we received our last delivery of fresh local blueberries from Silva Family Farms in late October, the same time frame as the last two years. Normally, we carry bulk frozen blueberries from Bow Hill throughout the winter and spring. However, in mid-October, Bow Hill had a fire in their warehouse/cold storage facility and lost almost all of their product. Luckily, Silva also has frozen berries, so we may have an alternative for bulk frozen berries this winter after all. In other fruit news, shortages due to the high heat this summer are causing price increases on frozen Remlinger berries and Whidbey Island pies.

Thriving Workplace

News broke in mid-September of a federally mandated vaccine requirement for all businesses with over 100 employees, which we believe will include the Co-op. At this time, we are still waiting for information clarifying how this mandate is to be implemented.

In October, in gratitude for our staff and in acknowledgment of how stressful 2021 has been, we gave all staff a gift of extra paid time off. Full-time staff garnered an extra 8 hours of PTO, and part-time staff got from 4-6 hours, depending on their regular weekly work schedule.

Environmental Sustainability

We’re still pursuing our exterior renovation projects, but many of them are experiencing planning and production delays. One project moving forward is the design for two awnings to cover our north entry and receiving doors. Before we can apply for a permit, though, we need an engineer’s design with the strength and stability to withstand our frequent windstorms. We expect to have that design work completed by mid-November, and we’ll submit the permit for approval before having the awnings built.

Outreach

October is Fair Trade and Cooperative month and we celebrated by holding a giveaway on social media for an Equal Exchange chocolate-themed gift bag, complete with a DIY chocolate tasting chart. To celebrate our local seasons, we sponsored the Olympic Apple Cider Festival and shared some fun ways to use our local apples on the blog. The Food Co-op also welcomed its annual GIANT PUMPKIN, giving customers the chance to guess its weight and win a $50 gift card. At the end of the month, the pumpkin made its yearly trek to Sunfield for their annual lantern festival, where they turned it into a magical fairy home to celebrate deeds of goodness and acts of kindness.