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CALENDAR of EVENTS
- Owner Discount Day - Friday October 13 10% OFF!
- Board Meeting - Tuesday October 17 @ 6pm
- WORK PARTY - Saturday October 14 8am - 1pm
- Annual Meeting & Luncheon - Saturday October 28 11am - 1pm RSVP to rsvp@placervillecoop.org
- Anniversary Party - Saturday October 28 all day
- BONUS OWNER DAY 10% OFF SAT 10/28 ALL DAY!
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FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
Greetings,
Autumn is upon us and it is a busy time for grocery stores, including PFC. If you've been in recently you know we've made a few major changes. We moved our bulk department to the wall behind the wellness department so all of our bulk items are together, including bulk soaps, herbal extracts, medicinal herbs and cooking herbs. The nut grinder will be moved soon too and we'll have a work station to make filling your bags and jars even easier. We hope that this move will encourage bulk sales, as they have been slow. We believe bulk buying is an important part of a natural foods cooperative as it promotes sustainability and affordability of healthy foods. Please ask if you need help finding something. We appreciate your patience as we move stuff around.
We will have indoor seating near the produce department, and of course, the long awaited outdoor seating should be ready by spring!
Please help me welcome Derek Suhar as our new Store Manager. Derek has brought many positive new changes with him since his (re)arrival this summer and we look forward to many more!
I hope you can join us at our Annual Meeting & Luncheon (remember to RSVP) on October 28 from 11 am - 1pm. Owners are encouraged to come hear about the state of the co-op as well as our fiscal year financial information.
As always, please contact me directly if you have additional questions, suggestions, or ideas. regina@placervillecoop.org
Regina
General Manager
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FROM THE BOARD
It’s Election Season at the Co-op!
by Andrea Crimmins
Was it only a couple of weeks ago that we were sweating in over 100 degree weather here in Placerville? The weather has turned, the days are noticeably shorter, and here at PFC election season is upon us again. Last year we had our first ever contested board election and it’s looking like this year we will again. A contested election at the coop is an exciting and inspiring thing because it means that our community members are actively interested in lending their skills and wisdom to helping the coop thrive as a sustainable local business.
With marketing phrases like “farm to fork” and “shop local” making their way into mainstream grocery chains, small community co-ops are asked to re-evaluate and re-define our value proposition. What exactly is it that distinguishes us from other grocery stores? For me, being part of something small and truly local that not only invites, but relies on community to sustain itself is what drives me. Before I understood what exactly co-ops were, I was always drawn to how they felt to me: places of connection and coming together. During my largely transient 20s and 30s I made a point of finding the co-ops in my communities. In them I found comfort and connection as well as a place to spend my dollars in a way that aligned with my values.
As an owner, a daily shopper and a member of the board I find that same comfort in the co-op as a place where I connect with community members, can buy produce from farmers I actually know in our local community and invest in a small local business with others who care about this as well. While we have to keep an eye on the risks and competition, as Regina spoke about in the September newsletter, the fact that we have continued interest in board participation gives me hope that many of our community members understand the value of PFC and want to help communicate that to the larger community. It’s always exciting to have new voices and ideas join us! Please remember to vote and have your voice heard as well!
When you join the board, or choose to shop more at the co-op, or volunteer, I for one, believe that you are not only supporting our local store and community, but also a larger positive movement! For some co-op-spiration from around the country, check out these articles linked below:
7 Co-ops That Are Changing Our Economy
Mom And Pop Businesses Convert to Co-ops to Save Jobs
PFC Board of Directors (John, Robynn, Andrea, Angie, Ben, Craig, Doug, Jorden)
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ELECTION 2017
October is our election month. It is time for coops to to live into one of our seven cooperative principles: Principle #2 Democratic rule.
All current owners have a chance to run, or vote for our Board of Directors. Please join us at our Annual Meeting 10/28 11am - 1pm to meet our current board and meet the candidates.
Ballot and voting instructions will be sent out mid-October. Voting begins on Saturday October 28 at our Annual Meeting.
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CO-OP PRODUCTS
We received a lot of positive feedback when we announced we discontinued using Dave's Killer Bread in our deli (and on the shelf) due to the fact that it was purchased by Flower Foods, who owns Wonder Bread!. Our staff prides itself on keeping up to date on "food news" and sharing that information with you, our valued owners and customers.
You may have noticed some of your favorite items are no longer in the store. We recently discontinued Blue Bottle cold brew coffee after learning Nestle (gasp!) acquired majority stake in the popular coffee company. Read more about the Nestle boycott here.
Big business buying natural and organic food companies is not new, so we regularly reference the chart from Cornucopia Institute to see "Who Owns Organic."
I have started a list of popular natural food companies that are owned by the major players. While we cannot guarantee that all of of the items on our shelves are independently-owned, we agree to find a comparable product and offer an alternative. If you have data to add or suggestions for alternative brands, please let us know.
Here are a few brands/items we have discontinued:
Pellegrino (Nestle)
Health-ade Kombucha, Suja Juice, Honest Tea (Coca Cola)
Kevita (Pepsi)
Green & Black Chocolate (Mondelez, formerly Kraft Foods)
Vote with your wallet!
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Principle #6
Principle 6 is Cooperation Among Cooperatives. Check out the latest issue of The Vine, Briarpatch Co-ops' newsletter, to read about P6 in action. When Briarpatch did a huge remodel this summer, two of our employees (Haley and Derek) volunteered to help out. Once the remodel was complete, Briarpatch generously offered their used store fixtures to us - we gladly accepted and picked up several items! Hopefully you have seen our new register merchandiser - it has increased our retail offerings substantially . Thank you to the team at Briarpatch!
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ANNUAL MEETING
Learn about the last year at the co-op as well as plans for moving forward.
We will serve a salad and lunch (vegetarian and GF options available).
FREE to owners, please rsvp to rsvp@placervillecoop.org
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OWNER SERVICES
The co-op continues to add owners on a regular basis – we are growing!
As you likely know, when shopping at the co-op, you are not required to present your membership card. However, please remember that your account was opened with the understanding that it would be used by the account holder for their household only. There is one primary name on the account, which is the name of the person who signed the application. One additional card is issued when requested, but that secondary cardholder must be a member of the same household and living at the same address as the primary (spouse, partner, dependent, etc.).
Additionally, when the demographic of a household changes, the Placerville Food Co-op owner account stays with the primary account holder. The account should not continue to be used by both parties if they no longer share a household. The expected course of action would be that the secondary person on the original account would then open an account of their own.
As an owner you have a financial stake in the co-op. When an account is used by more than one household or when you “allow” others to use your account #, whether it is extended family, friends or co-workers, the action has a very real financial impact on the success of the co-op. Our by-laws state that “No member may transfer his or her membership or any right arising from membership”. Hopefully, you enjoy the benefits of being a part of the co-op and will encourage others to invest as you have.
Julie Silvey
Owner Services
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Hello Fellow Cooperators,
October is Coop Month. Join us as we celebrate cooperation!
Co-op Month has been celebrated annually across the United States for more than half a century. The first celebration of Co-op Month began in 1948 in Minnesota. From 1964- 1970 the U.S. government sponsored Co-op Month.
What is Co-op Month? This is a time for cooperative businesses such as ourselves to reflect on our shared principles and to educate others about the value of belonging to a cooperative.
Here are a few co-op facts:
1 in 3 Americans are members of a cooperative.
Other of cooperative businesses include Credit Unions, Housing Coops, Electric Coops, Agricultural Coops and many more.
Cooperative businesses generate more than $650 billion dollars in revenue and account for more than 2 million jobs.
42 million Americans rely on electricity from 900 rural electric co-ops in 47 states making up 42% of the nation's electric distribution and covering 75% of our land mass.
Fun fact! The Green Bay Packers Football Team are a cooperative football team owned by 360,000 members!
Look for cooperatively-owned products in (y)our coop, such as farmer owned coffee from Equal Exchange and Pachamama (both will be on sale for the month of October!).
Haley
Center Store Lead
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Be sure to read the recent impact study "Feeding the Washington Economy" by Central Co-op in Seattle to read about the impact one co-op can have on its local economy.
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VOLUNTEER
We made a lot of progress at our work party but we still need some projects done:
Power wash
- Prime & paint
- Build 2x4 storage rack (like this)
- Help fabricate/install gate to back deli
Owners receive 10% off for ONE MONTH for every 4 hours of volunteer service. volunteer@placervillecoop.org
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