Friday May 10 - Owner Discount Day 10% off
Tuesday May 21 - Board Meeting 6 pm
FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
— Margaret Atwood
Dear Co-op Customers and Co-owners,
We’re excited to have FogDog Farm move into the Wakamatsu Farm on Cold Springs Road (formerly Mai Farms and South Fork Farm before that). They will join Free Hand Farm on the property. We’re always thrilled to see new small-scale farmers in our county. We already have their produce in the store!
We’re thrilled to be in a place where we can focus on community outreach this year. In 2012 I began the Placerville Food Swap, a community-based gathering that allowed for food to be exchanged exclusively through bartering. Check this out, we even made the Mountain Democrat!
In the same spirit, we hosted our first ever plant swap last month. People brought houseplants, succulents, veggie starts, tree cuttings, and gardening supplies - it was a success! It brought new people to the co-op and we all made new connections in our community.
At the swap I talked to Ben Hansen, owner of 24 Carrot Farm and PFC board member. We talked about our neighboring counties and the fantastic organizations they have. A few worth mentioning:
Co-ops are often an integral part of local grassroots movements and organizations. Not only do we have a member and customer base of like-minded people, we have a community room for meetings and, of course, we can provide food and beverages for events. If you have a suggestion for a program in our county, or if you know of one, please share it with us and we’ll see if the co-op can support it in some way.
As always, please contact me with questions and suggestions.
In cooperation,
Regina Miranda
General Manager
GM@placervillefood.coop
NEWS RELEASE May 2, 2019
The Placerville Food Co-op now has electric vehicle charging stations
The Placerville Food Co-op is proud to announce that two electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed for public use at our store location at 535 Placerville Drive. One of the EV chargers is ADA accessible. Funding for the EV chargers was provided through a grant from the El Dorado Air Quality Management District’s (AQMD) Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Funding Opportunity.
According to the AQMD El Dorado County exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and small particulate matter (PM2.5). Ozone is formed by reaction of organic gases (ROG) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the presence of sunlight. NOx also contributes to the formation of PM2.5. All three pollutants are found in motor vehicle emissions. AQMD’s goal with this grant is to provide significant motor vehicle emission reductions by facilitating the use of electric vehicles which produce zero emissions when running on electric power.
The Co-op is excited about offering the EV chargers free to the public! Providing this service aligns with our mission of promoting environmentally sustainable practices and engaging with our local community. So come visit us at the Co-op and get your charge on!
For information on clean air rebates and incentives for El Dorado County residents and businesses, visit www.EDCCleanAir.org
FROM THE BOARD
Are you up to the task of Board leadership at the co-op?
I have had the pleasure of serving on the co-op Board of Directors for the past year and a half and during that time I have learned much about this true community resource. There are many behind the scenes people who work so hard to provide the highest quality, organically grown and ethically sourced food possible to the membership and they do it in the face of many obstacles. Their dedication and commitment are inspiring. The work of the board has been inspirational as well. It is a great time in the co-op’s biography. The strong managerial efforts have brought us to a place of profitability and to the point where the board gets to plan for the future. Perhaps this work would inspire you as well. At the end of this year we will have four board members whose terms are up. There will be multiple opportunities for new members to join the board and be part of its exciting future. If you think you might like to take on this work, please contact any of the current board members and perhaps sit in on a monthly meeting. Meetings are the third Tuesday of each month at 6 pm upstairs at the Co-op. Email us anytime at board@placervillefood.coop
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Heidi Mayerhofer PFC Board Secretary
F O O D F O R T H O U G H T
The wild story of how America almost banned chain grocery stores "By now, many realize that the continued existence of the neighborhood supermarket is not a given, and that the familiar model of food retail that dominated much of the 20th century may soon be a thing of the past. In a new article co-published with Longreads, The New Food Economy’s Joe Fassler tells the story of this decline, how regional grocery chains got into the fix they’re in, and how they must change if they’re going to survive."
The Co-op is fortunate to have three local organic farmers on our board who help bring our attention to current issues. It’s an important part of our mission to provide education on health, food, and sustainability and to share the potential impacts on ohttps://newfoodeconomy.org/ap-food-retail-small-business-grocery-chain-store-ban/ur members and community. In our “Food For Thought” series we will continue to explore topics we think are important to you. If you have any thoughts or ideas on future topics please feel free to contact us at: board@placervillefood.coop
COOPERATOR OF THE MONTH
Help us congratulate Brandon! Brandon is our main kitchen cook, so if you love our new soups and hot food, you can thank him next time you're in!
His co-workers had wonderful things to say about him:
"He has really stepped up and is just an awesome dude!"
"Holding down the deli, great food, great attitude, and a great worker."
"Because those chocolate coconut balls were delicious!"
CO-OP SWAG!
Co-op shirts are back with a new look! Printed on 100% organic cotton! They're soft and come in three colors (grey, black, blue) and come in many adult sizes.
A letter from El Dorado County’s only Estate Grown, Milled & Bottled Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dear Coop Owners,
Mad Dog Mesa would like to thank you for your interest in our locally produced estate extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) over the years. You may have recently noticed the dwindling supply at the Coop. This was a result of a severe freeze we experienced in March of 2018 which resulted in all the buds or flowers freezing – thus no olives from which to make our EVOO. We are committed to only producing high quality Estate EVOO and we will never buy olives or oil from any source.
Please keep in mind, the weather impacted the olive crop across California in 2018 and several producers have imported olive oil to blend with their production. It is still important to read product labels when buying olive oil to better understand the source of the olive oil. This article will provide further reference.
We anticipate a good crop in 2019. This year we also plan to be certified USDA organic once again which will cover our orchards and mill operation. Please look for us early this fall at the Co-op.
Please feel free to contact us at 530-642-8017 or olive@maddogmesa.com should you have any questions. Further updates will be on our Facebook page, MadDogMesa.
