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s t o P m o C The

Dec 20 15/Ja n 20 16

Fertiliz er Fo r

The Min d

Fresh, Basic & Affordable!

Page 4

A Solid Base Page 6

30 Days of Saving Page 9

Contents Basic, Fresh, Affordable! ���������������������������3 From the General Manager ����������������������4 Board of Directors 2015

From the Board - A Solid Base ������������������6

Doug Hiza - President Dirk Peterson - Vice President Penny Hillemann - Secretary Paul Cloak - Treasurer Matt Berg-Wall Adam Hoffman Ann Iijima Clark Ohnesorge Kathy Zeman

Great New Classes �������������������������������������8

board@justfood.coop

College Connection ���������������������������������10 Membership Application ������������������������11

Management Team

Patrick Neily, General Manager Stephanie Aman, Marketing and Member Services Manager Amy Collette, Finance Manager Sara Payne, Human Resources Manager

Membership Benefits

• Supporting a locally-owned, sustainable and socially responsible business • Subscription to The ComPost • Profits returned to members as patronage rebates, at the discretion of the Board.

• Member-only prices on Co-op classes • Check writing for up to $20 over the amount of purchase.

• Member-only specials on selected items throughout the store • 10% case discounts, some exclusions apply.

Membership application on page 11.

About The ComPost

Fertilizer For The Mind

Editor: Stephanie Aman

The ComPost is a bimonthly publication of Just Food Co-op and is published for the benefit of our membership and the community. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Just Food Co-op or its members.

For information about submissions, contact Stephanie Aman at 507.650.0106 or outreach@justfood.coop. Letters to the editor are welcome and may be sent to the same email or 516 Water St. S., Northfield, MN 55057.

Just Food Co-op is a proud member of the Twin Cities chapter of the National Cooperative Grocers (NCG).

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The ComPost

Outreach to Our Community Basic, Fresh and Affordable!

Affordable Good Food For Everyone!

In October, Just Food launched a new program for our community, Co+op Basics. Co+op Basics is designed to help us provide affordable GOOD food to all of our community. Basics has staple items like Fair Trade bananas, organic potatoes, local milk and butter, flour, sugar, eggs and cheese - just to name a few items - at low prices everyday, for everyone!

Our new “Fresh Deals” program also launched in October. Through cooperative buying power with other Twin Cities food cooperatives, we have been able to secure great pricing on items in our produce, deli, meat and cheese departments. Some recent examples of these sales: • Bagged organic 3-lb bags of apples for just $2.99/bag • Avocados, $1 each • Local provolone cheese, $3.39/lb • Deli Baked Pumpkin Pie, $5.99 Sweet deals, right? Yes!

policy. The products that are part of this program are organic and local, brands that you can trust, all being offered at a great low price everyday. This isn’t member pricing, it’s everyone pricing!

There have been some noticeable changes to the products and pricing at Just Food and we hope that if you haven’t been in to see us lately, that you will stop in. Take this as my personal invitation to you, to come in, check out the new products and value and see what we have to offer.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Stephanie Aman Marketing and Member Services Manager Co-op Member

The most exciting aspect of these programs to me is seeing new faces in our store. It means that we are reaching out and able to serve the needs of more of our community members and that is a great thing!

If you are new shopper or member of Just Food, welcome! If you are a long time member, we hope you are enjoying the new product mix, while still finding the things that you love.

It’s been a great year at Just Food and we are thankful for the support of our community as we continue to change and grow to meet the needs of our entire community - member or not!

At Just Food, we operate using the seven cooperative principles as our guide; the seventh principle is “Concern for Community.” In addition to the work we do with our local schools and non-profits, donations that we give and time that we spend with kids and community members, we believe that Concern for Community includes offering affordable GOOD food for everyone. Not cheap food. Affordable GOOD food. Basics is our answer to being able to do just that.

Basics will offer you great pantry items and meal builders, all that have met our stringent product

December 2015 / January 2016

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From the General Manager Fiscal Year 2015 is in the Books!

Each year the General Manager presents to the Co-op’s Board of Directors a report summarizing the Operations work of meeting or progressing toward meeting the organization’s Global Ends.

The Co-ops Global Ends provide a beacon for the work we do and are based on the Purpose of the organization as approved by the Members and defined in the Co-ops Bylaws:

Patrick Neily General Manager Co-op Member

Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of the association is to operate a financially sound retail grocery to provide the Northfield area with natural and healthful foods and other household and personal items and services at the lowest possible cost, and to serve as a marketing distribution point for area food producers. We will provide a model of responsible business practices based on co-operative principles, giving consideration to the needs of all members and recognizing the right of workers to participatory management In short, Just Food exists to meet this purpose.

It is my pleasure to present to the Members of Just Food a summary of activities for Fiscal Year 2015 in the areas of the Global Ends and organizational Purpose.

Financial

Strong operational performance and continued growth allows the Co-op to meet its budgeted goals, which allows us to support our Ends and make investments in infrastructure, personnel and services.

Sales in Fiscal Year 2015 totaled $6,181,273, an increase of 7.24% over 2014.

Continued sales growth and improvements to the organizations operations resulted in member patronage of $116,052, as well as Profit and Gain Share distributions to staff that totaled nearly $55,000. We welcomed to Just Food 259 new Member this past year, which is 55% more than in the previous Fiscal Year. With these strong financials we’ve been able to pay off our primary and Member loans. As of November, the Co-op is free of all long-term debt!

Environmental

On-going improvements to operational and physical systems aide in meeting the goals we set annually to reduce our environmental impact.

In calendar year 2014 the Co-op diverted 74% of waste from the landfill; year to date the Co-op is diverting 83% of waste. Improvements to equipment and systems maintenance have assisted in on-going reductions in fuel and electricity use, and towards our goal of overall greenhouse gas reductions.

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The ComPost

Social

The Co-op exists to serve its communities, from Northfield and Southern Minnesota to the greater Cooperative community, through the sale of product, sponsorship, engagement, outreach and employment.

Social Investments: • The Co-op supports Epic Enterprise, a social services agency located in Dundas, by contracting for more than 500 hours of work. Epic provides the store with services such as general cleaning as well as packaging bulk, cheese and other goods.

• The Co-op partnered with many local organizations, contributing more than $13,000, not including sponsorships and advertising, to the community. This includes more than $3,000 to the Community Action Center Food Shelf. Additionally, Co-op Members rounded up their purchases to donate more than $10,000 to the Co-ops Community Partners of the Month.

• The Co-op purchased $1.57m in product from 95 local producers- the percentage of sales to local remained strong at 25%.

• The Co-op spent more than $1.46 million on personnel costs, which includes wages, benefits and bonuses. More than $55,000 was awarded to staff in the form of performance bonuses.

• Six new positions were created, and four promotions given to staff during the fiscal year.

• The Co-op invested more than $35,000 in member benefits, which includes members 10% case discounts, member appreciation discount days and the ComPost newsletter.

nance, which includes insurance, administrative and consultation fees and sending two board members to the Consumer Cooperative Management Association’s (CCMA) annual conference in Boise, Idaho.

• Two Member Drives were coordinated, in October and April- for the year, 256 new Members joined Just Food!

Just Food engages with the larger co-op community through our membership with NCG, our national purchasing and services cooperative, which holds memberships with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), the National Cooperative Bank (NCB), the Food Marketing Institution (FMI), the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and MOSES, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services, as well as our ongoing support for Fair Trade initiatives.

This work assists us as we look to the future. The Co-op is planning for its continued growth and how best to meet the needs of all in our communities, from current members to future cooperators, and everyone in between.

Programs such as Co+op Basics, which launched in October of this year, grew from feedback we heard from many of our Members- as well as members of our community that are not shoppers of the Co+op- regarding why the majority of Members do less than half of their shopping at Just Food. This trend, which goes as far back as 2008, is exceedingly challenging given the constant, quickly changing Natural Foods retail environment, as well as the changing needs of our communities.

Thank you all for another great year, and supporting our goal to Sell More Good Food, Create More Good Jobs, and Do More Good In The Community!

• $23,000 was spent on Co-op Gover-

December 2015 / January 2016

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Board Update

Building a Solid Base & Looking to the Future

Dirk Peterson Clark Ohnesorge Board of Directors Co-op Members

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An energized group of Just Food owners arrived the evening of October 20 for the Annual Meeting of Northfield’s natural foods co-op. The doors of St. John’s Church opened at 5:30 to welcome over two hundred people.

The first 30 minutes was reserved for voting, socializing, and enjoying a musical program provided by Randall Ferguson, the Northfield guitar/mandolin/ukulele expert. Beginning at 6:00 attendees enjoyed a great locally-sourced meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and a mix of marinated vegetables catered by Just Food’s own deli. The dinner was completed with a dessert from Cake Walk, a Division Street bakery. Thanks to the efforts of staff, board, and owners an atmosphere of convivial conversation, good food, and common cause was enjoyed by all.

of member/owners to more than 2900, and the satisfaction of all of the Co-op’s longterm debt in November. The bottom line was the Co-op is on solid financial footing, and with this backdrop, planning for the store’s expansion at the current location is in the final stages.

Next up was Doug Hiza, President of the Just Food Board of Directors. Doug focused his remarks on the work of the board and its place in the governance structure of the co-op. He briefly discussed last year’s work and then expanded on the board’s upcoming strategic planning sessions. These will be dedicated to reviewing and, if necessary, renewing the Ends policies that serve as the operational compass for the store. In brief, the Ends Policy is the big-picture view and states that Just Food will nourish our The formal portion of the community with emphases on Annual Meeting program justice, health, sustainability, comprised three presentaand education in the context tions that looked at the year in CE Pugh from National Cooperative review, the need to plan for a Grocers delivers the keynote address of being a financially viable, member-owned cooperative desired future, and the big chal- to Just Food’s membership at the business. lenges ahead. Leading off was Annual Meeting.

Pat Neily, Just Food’s General Manager, who summarized the performance As our organization grows in scale and scope, of the co-op over the last year. Pat highlighted the opportunity to reaffirm those core beliefs the past year as one with increased sales and respond to current and ongoing needs growth of 7.2%, an increase in the number and desires of owners motivates us to engage

The ComPost

in what Doug calls a “deep dive” into the meaning of the components of the ends and focus the operational direction for the Co-op. As an example of important issues, he posed the question about sourcing our food: “What is local?” Is it a radius of 50-100 miles? Is it a group of surrounding counties? Is it the state of Minnesota?

That question, and many others will be reviewed and defined to focus our future on healthy, organic, locally-produced food as part of a vibrant economy.

The final presentation was from guest speaker CE Pugh, who built on the information and themes provided by Pat and Doug. CE is the Chief Operating Officer of National Co+op Grocers. NCG is a business services cooperative that serves and supports cooperative grocers nationwide, thus he was able to provide a comprehensive and insightful look at the current conditions for co-ops, offer an informed evaluation of Just Food’s performance, and make suggestions about what will be required to carry our success into the future. He recognized the health of the store as being very good but expressed a need to plan for our future. Some of the big challenges ahead are competition from “big box” stores, other nextgeneration food outlets, the blurring of

the definition of what are “natural” or “local,” and the relationship between the bottom line and co-op values. As anticipated, these challenges will motivate us to “up our game,” but according to CE, Just Food seems well positioned to meet the challenges of the next few years.

Overall the three talks fit together well, addressing important issues in the cooperative grocery market at the local and national levels. In what is becoming a tradition, owners were asked to fill out a survey to provide evaluation of prior annual meetings and give feedback to guide planning for future meetings.

Finally, election results for the upcoming year were announced. Four seats on the nine-member board were open. Clark Ohnesorge, Doug Hiza, and Kathy Zeman were re-elected. The remaining seat will be filled by Dan Forsythe. The meeting was adjourned at about 7:30.

Just Food Co-op nourishes a Just, Healthy and Sustainable Community Justice – We strive for fairness in all our relationships in the community and throughout the supply chain.

Health – We provide healthy, sustainably produced products, and we work to strengthen our local foodshed through ongoing support and partnerships.

Sustainability – We work to build a resilient social, economic and ecological environment in our community and beyond.

Education – We are a community resource for education and information about healthy, sustainable food and lifestyle.

We do this in context of being a financially viable, member-owned cooperative business.

December 2015 / January 2016

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REGISTERING FOR CLASSES Pre-registration is required for classes. You may register online or at our store at our customer service desk. Class fee(s) are due at time of registration. Registration closes 48 hours prior to the class.

Visit justfood.coop for more information and to register.

Classes

Ames Farm Honey Tasting

Come learn about Ames Farm’s single-sourced honey and experience the flavors of robust flowers and changing seasons at this FREE event.

Learn about how the beekeepers work with the bees with sustainable and regenerative models of business, providing the world the wonder of single-sourced honey. Each attendee will receive a 2oz jar of honey and have the opportunity to taste test various honeys.

Tuesday, Dec. 8..............7:00-8:30 p.m.

Cost: Free, but registration is required

Winter Walk

Come and grab samples of fun holiday product that you might want to consider for your holiday gatherings!

Kids, we’ll have a fun craft for you.

And parents - we have some great teacher gifts at a great pricepoint, all ready to go. One stop night!

Thursday, Dec. 10 ����������� 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Cooperative Cooking Join us in a fun community cooking class with community partner, Growing up Healthy. We’ll cook together and feast together. We simply ask that you register so that we know how many to plan for. All are invited to this great inter-generational class. Adults and kids alike have a blast cooking and chatting together while the meal is prepared. Come and connect with the community and join in the fun! Registration is required!

Monday, Dec. 14 ����������� 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free!

Spa Night - Happy Birthday Just Food!

Join us before the holidays in our community room to destress and receive

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pampering spa and body-work treatments from local businesses. This FREE event is open to everyone and will be held from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Customers may come and go as they please. Participating businesses include Enliven!

Bodywork & Counseling, Body Eclectic, Corbett Chiropractic & Health Enhan Tuesday, Dec. 15.........6:00-8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free!

Midwest Food Connection: Sugar and Sweets!

Rare is the child that does not love sugar and sweets. But do they know how to moderate their intake and how to get good energy and nutrition while enjoying sugar and its alternatives? Children will learn these concepts through discussion, drawing, role playing, and making a simple sweet snack.

This class is open to grade levels K-5 and will be held in the Northfield YMCA Gathering Room. Students will receive a $5 gift card to use at Just Food Co-op after the class.

Sponsored by the Northfield Area Family YMCA and Just Food Co-op Saturday, Jan. 9.....10:00-11:00 a.m.

Member & Non-Member: $5

Cooperative Cooking Join us in a fun community cooking class with community partner, Growing up Healthy. We’ll cook together and feast together. We simply as that you register so that we know how many to plan for. All are invited to this great inter-generational class.

Adults and kids alike have a blast cooking and chatting together while the meal is prepared. Come and connect with the community and join in the fun! February is sure to be a blast though! Registration is required!

Monday, Jan. 11 ����������������� 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Free!

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Midwest Food Connection: Pasta: Noodles of Fun! By watching the creation of dough and making their own noodles, students will learn about the ingredients and processes that go into this grain-based food eaten worldwide. Whether it’s made from corn or wheat or rice, students discover the delicious ways people use grains to make their pasta and just how easy it is!

This class is open to grade levels K-5 and will be held in the Just Food Co-op Community Room. Students will receive a $5 gift card to use at Just Food Co-op after the class.

Sat., Jan. 16.....10:00-11:00 a.m.

Member & Non-Member: $5

30 Days of Savings!

As we enter our 11th year of service to our community, we are trying some new and fun things to benefit our members and our community.

Check out January at the Co-op!

We know that many of our folks are attempting to start off the new year on a great note and we want to help!

For the month of January, we will be featuing one hot deal, fun thing, free class - something new - EVERY day!

We’ll help your budget, your waistline and your sanity as well.

(We can’t really make that claim, but we’ll will do our best to help in that area too!)

Watch social media including Facebook and Twitter for the next day’s deals.

It’ll be worth the trip in to the store and we hope that you have as much fun with this as we did securing deals for you!

December 2015 / January 2016

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College Connection

Carleton Farm Flouishes

Walter Edstrom Brent Murcia 2015 Carleton Student Organic Farm Interns

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High on Carleton’s campus, over the course of the year. beneath the shadow of the trusty water tower and at the forested In addition to growing food and edge of the beloved arboretum training students in the busilies a humble but productive piece ness and practice of sustainable of land on which Carleton comagriculture, the student farm munity members strengthen their aims to serve as a place for other connection to the soil from which students to take a break from the they come. The Carleton Student stuffy labs and libraries of their Organic Farm is a 1.5 acre student academic work. In the spring stuoperated vegetable farm whose dents celebrate the beginning of produce is sold to Bon Appetit to the season with a day of farming, be prepared food, and music at and served the annual Farmto students “In seed time learn, stock. In the fall, and faculty weekly afternoon in harvest teach, in Carleton’s volunteer hours help in winter enjoy.” dining halls. to develop a community of students -William Blake, The Marriage of Each year who share an interHeaven and Hell the farm’s est in food and the growing environment. season is planned for and executed by two 2015 marks the fifth year in a new farm interns. These hardrow where the farm has turned working students are transformed a profit with the produce it’s from greenhorns to amateur sold. In the the 2014 season over agronomists via the wisdom and 10,000 lbs of food were delivered skills imparted to them by farm to the dining halls. The students mentor and biology professor and faculty who support the Davide Hougen-Eitzman. Tracking farm are proud of the contribufarm finances and soil health all tion the farm makes to food and the way down to figuring out the environmental awareness on most effective methods of scuttle campus and are happy to help hoeing and tomato trellising illus- to make the farm a more intetrate the broad spectrum of skills grated part of Carleton life. Please developed by the farm interns email edstromw@carleton.edu or murciab@carleton.edu if you have interest in learning more or would like to get involved with the farm.

The ComPost

New Year, New Goals! A Great Gift = Co-op Membership!

Member Name 1: ����������������������������������������������������������� (Other members of the household are welcome to use the member number)

Street address: ������������������������������������������������������������� City: ����������������������������������������������������������������������� State: ____ Zip:__________ Phone: �������������������������������������������� Email: ��������������������������������������������������������������������� Would you like to receive the bi-weekly email updates? __Yes __No I agree to buy 1 Class A (voting) share for $25.00 and 20 Class B (non-voting) shares at $5.00 each in the Just Food: Northfield Community Co-op (the Co-op) for a total of $125.00.

I understand that this application is subject to acceptance by the Board of Directors of the Co-op and that my membership is subject to the Co-op Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and membership provisions. I have received a copy of the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws and acknowledge the statement of membership provisions.

I am paying for these shares as follows: ____ $125 payment in full with this application. ____ $ 25 down payment + $10 processing fee ($35 total initial payment), with a $25 payment quarterly for a total of $135 (1 year payment option). ____Other terms arranged on request. ���������������������������������������� Please tell us how you learned about the Co-op: ������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� Referred by: ���������������������������������������������������������������� Member signature: ��������������������������������������������������������� Date: ���������������������������������������������������������������������� Please give this application to a cashier or send it along with your payment to:

516 Water Street S Northfield, MN 55057 507-650-0106 justfood.coop

December 2015 / January 2016

Membership

Member Name 2: �����������������������������������������������������������

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516 Water Street S Northfield, MN 55057 507-650-0106 justfood.coop

Deals and Basics Everyone saves at Just Food!

Cooperatively Owned by our Members. Open to EVERYONE! Member or not, you are always welcome at Just Food Co-op.