Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op / Winter 2014
Welcome MARKET SQUARE CO-OP
optimist
Welcome
Advertising The Co-optimist is a publication of Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. For advertising information, please e-mail info@roanokenaturalfoods.coop or call (540) 904-5700. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op Grandin Village 1319 Grandin Road, SW Roanoke, VA 24015 Open 8am - 9pm, Every Day Phone: (540) 343-5652 Fax: (540) 343-5711 Market Square 1 Market Square, SE Roanoke, VA 24011 Open 8am - 8pm, Every Day Phone: (540) 904-2733 Fax: (540) 343-5711 Staff General Manager: Bruce Phlegar Human Resources Coordinator: Elizabeth Wilson Marketing Coordinator: John Bryant Center Store Coordinator: Lisa Balkom Fresh Foods Coordinator: Diana McGuire Wellness Coordinator: Elizabeth Good Market Square Store Coordinator: Jon Shup Farm Coordinator: Conor Rice Special Projects Coordinator: Jim Crawford Accounting Team Leader: Carleen Greenman Front End Team Leader: Heidi Garrabrant Produce Team Leader: Emily McDonald Deli Team Leader: Missy Martin Editor John Bryant john@roanokenaturalfoods.coop Design & Layout Joe Burge Photography Jon Shup & Jim Crawford Contributors John Bryant Gayle Cooley Jim Crawford Jon Shup Board Of Directors President: Gayle Havens Cooley Vice President: Bob Capper Treasurer: Ron McCorkle Secretary: Sandy Taylor Sam Eakin Ian Fortier Bryan Hantman Kerstin Plunkett Krista Stevenson Content of this newsletter should not be used or construed as medical advice. On the Cover: Market Square Co-op Staff (Left to right) John Nicholson, Jon Shup, Mark O'Neill, Nick Minyard. www.roanokenaturalfoods.coop © 2014 Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op
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When you grab a grocery cart at our store on Grandin Road you’ll notice this simple phrase, People Powered. I love this statement, so much so that it still makes me smile each time I return a wayward cart from the parking lot to the cart corral and every Sunday when my family and I venture out for our weekly shopping trip. But to be completely honest, we made the decision to write People Powered on the carts because our Co-op's name wouldn’t fit, it was too long. People Powered gets to the heart of what our Co-op is all about, in fact it works for all cooperatives. The International Cooperative Alliance defines a cooperative as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.” The end goal is to meet common aspirations, but people come first. In October, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op was named Small Business of the Year by the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. As I accepted the award with great honor, I did so on behalf of our ownership. It’s important to be reminded that 3,500 plus people in our community own Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op and every one of those people have their own story. But back to the grocery carts. We had to identify our carts somehow, so we chose to celebrate one piece of our company, perhaps the most important piece, people. It’s simple; People Powered is who we are. In this e-issue of the Co-optimist we are continuing to celebrate people by sharing our owners' stories and how the Co-op is important in each of their lives. Like our grocery carts, these stories from our owners define who we are. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op is a community of individuals, of pieces, and here we celebrate the pieces. Please enjoy getting to know a few of our owners better in the pages ahead.
Contents 3 Giving Back
21
Real Food
4 Sharing Your Stories
22
Board Talk
15 CSA Buyers Guide
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Events & Classes
Give Up! has raised $8,500 for local charities!
Giving Back In October, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op started a new program, Give Up!, which allows shoppers to “round up” their purchases to the nearest whole dollar. Give Up! donations go to local charitable organizations, which rotate each month. Organizations are chosen based upon their community focus and alignment with Co-op Ends. In just a few months the program has already raised $8,500 for four local charities. The beauty of Give Up! is that the crowd-sourced contributions make a huge difference to the charitable organizations – the $2,782 contributed to Happy Healthy Cooks in October
represents over 5% of their annual cash budget - yet are only pennies on the dollar to the individual donors. Since October 1st, over 17,000 separate contributions have been made to Give Up! at our two Co-op locations. Here’s to you, Co-op shoppers! Thanks for making Give Up! a success, and thanks for your continued support. If you are involved in an organization, or know of an organization that would benefit from being a Give Up! recipient, please visit www.roanokenaturalfoods.com/give-up to apply!
Counterclockwise from bottom left, Roanoke Community Garden Association, Give Up! recipients in November, raised $2,263.79 to help sustain and expand their neighborhood-transforming garden programs; Happy Healthy Cooks received $2,782.58 (including a 10% match by the Co-op) to help expand the program into more schools, and spread the joy of whole foods; In December, Give Up! raised $1,830.03 to support LEAP for Local Food's community markets and SNAP-EBT Doubling Program.
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r i a n h g s
your storie s
Stories & photos by Jim Crawford Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op will be celebrating our 40th anniversary in the spring of 2015. We have begun a project that will document the early history of the Co-op, from its beginning in the basement of Eva Jo and Frank Wu's home up to the present. Of course, we will include the recent major additions to the Co-op, Heritage Point Urban Farm and Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op: Market Square. Various media will be referenced to tell our Co-op history, but our main source will be through interviews with owners. These owners, both new and long-standing, form a compelling narrative of the Co-op. This record is a human story, a personal journey, with potentially thousands of intimate and bold stories of who we are, who we have been and what we as the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op
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want to become. We are always working to attain the Co-op’s goals and vision, and this evolution requires a dedication to new owners and new ideas even as we honor and learn from our past. As these owner stories demonstrate, we are well along the path, and faithfully so. I will be conducting the interviews, recording audio stories, many occurring in owners' homes or places of business. I have been an owner since the days of bulk food pick-up on Shenandoah Avenue, before the move to Fifth Street in Old Southwest. This does afford me a knowledge of our past, but as you will read, the essence of our Co-op and its Cooperative Principles rests in each and every person who makes the commitment of becoming an owner. Literally, the Co-op is its owners.
Photo by Jon Shup.
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Photo by Allison Money
Michelle Bennett Coffee Shop Proprietor
When you meet Michelle Bennett, the owner of Cups Coffee and Tea in Grandin Village, you quickly understand you are in the presence of a character. Born in Johnson City, TN, she grew up “a little bit of everywhere.” Her family was living in New Bern, NC when her path crossed with Roanoke in 1988; she got a job with WVTF Public Radio. Prior to opening Cups three years ago, Michelle was a graphic designer and marketing director for Mill Mountain Theatre. Since arriving in Roanoke she has always been a customer of the Co-op. When she opened her iconic coffee house/cafe she became an owner at the Co-op because she thought it was important for businesses in Grandin Village to support each other. Support and community are key words in Michelle’s personal vocabulary and her high regard for the Co-op is immediately evident. “To have this keystone (the Co-op) in the same neighborhood for all these years, has made this neighborhood what it is, and I just needed to be a part of that,” she says. Her customers are benefiting from the Co-op as well. She serves gluten free or vegan baked goods, and raw foods, and if her customers need help with their dietary needs, they can get knowledgeable help at the Co-op, which is just a stone’s throw away, across the street. “It’s virtually the only source in town,” she says. As for who influenced her the most, it’s hands down her Dad. “I look just like him, if I had a beard,” she deadpans. When she was two years old, her Dad, a sophomore in college, taught her to read the funnies. “I think it was to get me to shut up, but
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it didn’t work. It just gave me more to talk about,” she says, adding, “yeah, the person who teaches you to read influences you more than anyone.” When out on the town, Michelle gets a kick out of being recognized as the “Cups Lady”, the incomparable personality behind Cups. And she is easily recognized, once you hear her distinct laughter, you’ll never forget it. “I am a person who is here for the laughs. Everybody has a hard life and everybody has a hard day, but there’s always a laugh in there somewhere, and I’m often the one who’s laughing,” she says. She thinks of Cups as her living room. “I have more company here than I have at home, that’s for sure,” she says, “I just want to be a good friend that tells the truth.” As we are wrapping up the interview, she tells me a joke involving a woman with a bear on her roof, a guy with a big ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a pit bull. There is a gleam in the Cups Lady’s eye.
TUNE IN You can hear these stories and more in the Co-op's new commercial series on 101.5 FM The Valley's Music Place. Starting in February.
Ron Marsh Entrepreneur
“I found a group of people and a company that I can partner with to get my message through to the community.”
If you are a frequent visitor to the Co-op during the day, you no doubt have seen Ron Marsh at one of the tables looking out onto Grandin Road. He’s the fellow working at his laptop, sipping a cup of coffee or eating something good from the Happy Belly Deli. He would meet you with a friendly smile. “It's just a haven,” he says, “a place where I can go and just sit down and relax, pull up the internet, look at my emails, and have a cup of coffee.” Conversation is easy with Ron, encompassing many subjects. He is involved with young people and is a chaplain for William Fleming High School's sports teams. Another subject close to him is his work and relationship with the Co-op. “I have my own marketing agency and the real thing that I do now is I teach health classes,” he says in his friendly manner. “We teach people how to eat, what to eat, and help them understand why they should eat certain foods. We are Healthy Living ministers, so to speak.” Ron recently got a degree from Bluefield College and is now working on a Masters degree and teaching Special-Ed students. “I’m proud of myself to be able to go back at my age, over 60 years old,” he says, “and accomplish a college degree.” Ron has been a Co-op customer for five years and an owner for over two years, but his accord with the mission of the Co-op is very relevant. "I think that we need to have more activity in helping this concept of healthy living, the mission of the Co-op, get to
the communities and churches and people," Ron says. "Because a lot of people in our communities, they are going to the different stores and buying the processed foods, they are buying the foods that are not conducive for them. In turn, there is obesity and sickness,” he says. “So as a community activist and a health minister, I just found a group of people and a company (the Co-op) that I can partner with to get my message through to the community.” Part of the force behind Ron’s community passion is that he grew up in Roanoke. “I grew up just off of 10th Street, SW,” he says. “I remember when I was a kid, I used to go in the Grandin Court community, and rake leaves. There was a car wash there that I, as a kid, would go work for $6 a day,” he says, adding, “now I find myself, and it makes me feel good, to go into the same community as an adult and still do business.” Ron’s pride and partnership are made even more remarkable considering the fact that when he was working at the car wash and raking leaves were the days before integration in Roanoke. “You know, when they had the parade, the theater there, and of course back in the day, you know it was hard to go to the theater, but now,” he says, “I am excited because I can go into that community and I feel at home.”
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Brent Cochran Entrepreneur
If you live in Roanoke, shop at one of the community markets or you are a local farmer, you most likely have met Brent Cochran, director of LEAP for Local Food, which operates the Grandin Road and West End community markets. As one of Roanoke’s young entrepreneurs, Brent is a rare person; he sees the big picture, yet he likes to work at the details. “I like to try and make positive things happen in my community and make a living at the same time, which is always an interesting balance,” he says. “I just recently opened the River Rock Climbing Gym here in Roanoke,” he says, listing his projects. “I have a non-profit (LEAP) that has been running for a few years that’s focused on local food, and I have a startup based in Seattle that’s a community-based micro lending company supporting small local business. So I have a bunch of irons in the fire." Brent has worked and studied much of his college years out west. He returned to Roanoke five years ago and became an owner at the Co-op four years ago. “I grew up in Roanoke and I have been going to the Co-op since I can remember. My mom was one of the founding members of the Co-op when it was literally just a buying club,” he says thinking back to his early childhood. “I remember thinking it was like no other store that I had gone into. There were barrels and boxes of things. It kind of felt like going into a warehouse,” he recalls. Brent likes being an owner of the Co-op because it embodies a key principle underlying his entrepreneurial spirit. He calls it the Local Multiplier Effect. Simply put, spending money on locally produced products and services sets up an economic feedback system whereby that money stays within the locality, strengthening communities by supporting its entrepreneurs. “Being an owner of the Co-op is great because I like to know where my money goes,” he says. “We live in a capitalistic society, so I trade my time and energy in for money and I use
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that money for goods and services,” he says. “Food is a very simple way to start there. Instead of buying food that has been shipped all over the world, you can raise food in your own yard or garden or you can purchase food that is local and what that does is it supports that local farmer. You spend that dollar here, it stays here,” he explains. “I like the fact that the Co-op is a community focused, conscious, responsible company. I know they make a profit off the stuff that I am buying, but I know that they use that profit to then start programs in the community, like a farm and investing in LEAP. You know, LEAP all started from the Co-op," he says.
“Being an owner of the Co-op is great because I like to know where my money goes.” As you talk with Brent, you see and feel his energy and commitment to his vision and naturally want to know what inspires him. “I’ve spent a lot of time in nature in my life and that has had the biggest impact on teaching me the core fundamentals of life and processes, and the essence and beauty of life,” he says. “It’s a simple thing, and we as humans tend to make it complicated,” he says. Pausing for a moment, he adds, “As I am sitting here watching the sun fading, you know, I think the natural world and the rhythms of the natural world have taught me the most about life.”
“I have totally grown up with the Co-op, it’s been a bit of my alter-ego, it’s been who I really want to be.”
Diane Elliot Restaurateur
When talking with Diane Elliot - owner of Local Roots, A Farm to Table Restaurant in Grandin Village about what ownership in the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op means to her, she doesn’t need notes to respond. She and husband Bill became owners at the Co-op in 1975, when the store was on 5th street, SW (now the Water Heater). “I have totally grown up with the Co-op,” she says as we sip tea and talk in her wonderfully accoutered dining room, “it’s been a bit of my alter-ego, it’s been who I really want to be. The Co-op was always the place I could go to feel in harmony.” As if her words revealed new insights, she says, “I learned to be a rebel too, not really a rebel, but it was OK to want to bring change.” These past 39 years of Co-op ownership have taught her the value of being part of an organization she believes in, where her voice counts and she is treated with respect. “It’s the circular model,” she says, “you are in the circle together.” The rewards of Co-op ownership can be basic, like learning how to read labels, or learning what "organic" means. Other lessons are more complex and nuanced
understandings like how, as the Co-op modernized over time, she learned not to be nostalgic about keeping things the way they are. She remembers her father saying, “You have to keep up, or get out.” Back in 2009, her son Reeves called her asking if she knew anyone interested in investing in a restaurant. Her heart sank. Reeves had just spent four years of hard work getting the first incarnation of Local Roots up and running at the Grandin Gardens, and she just couldn’t stand seeing it die. So, on the spring equinox of 2009, without any experience running a restaurant, she signed on the dotted line. Though these last four years have had their share of ups and downs, what has kept her going is the mission of her farm to table restaurant—“to provide locally, organic, sustainably produced food that connects us to Mother Earth.” “It has been quite a journey,” she says, referring to, among other trials, the summer of 2011 when she thought they’d have to close, “but we are going to make a profit this year.” The pride, as she voiced this milestone for the restaurant, was real, as is her belief that the Co-op set the stage, back in 1975, for her owning Local Roots. “Thank you,” she says to no one in particular.
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Patrick Beale Massage Therapist
“I go into the Co-op and I see many
people that I know and have known for years and that enriches my life more than money ever could.” The thing that strikes you about Patrick Beale’s livelihood is that it is “hands on” at the most basic level. That’s because he has been doing massage therapy for 18 years. “I love that I can help people be more comfortable in their bodies,” he says. The appearance of the departing client with her calm smile and relaxed manner, seems a telling testament to his care and skill. His livelihood had its beginnings in a seemingly unlikely place. He had a job opening and managing record stores in East Texas and he happened to befriend a couple that were massage therapists. The rest is history, and very much to Roanoke’s benefit. “I can remember after my first massage was over, lying on my back on the massage table, looking at the ceiling fan going around and thinking, ‘I can do this for a living,’” he recalls. Patrick’s association with the Co-op goes back over forty years. “I kind of grew up with the Co-op,” he says. “My mom went over to the basement of Eva Jo and Frank Wu, who were founding members of the Co-op, and everybody would meet in their basement and divide bags of brown rice. And I can remember being seven years old and watching people dividing brown rice and wondering what this is all about,” he recalls. His memories of the early days of the Co-op meshed with his worldly experiences to form a basic yet seminal understanding. “I quickly understood that democracy only matters if it 10
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is economic democracy, if people have choices. And that it is important to vote with your dollar,” he says. This understanding naturally led to his becoming an owner 20 years ago. “What I like about being an owner,” he says, “is that where I shop just isn’t about me getting food, it is about me contributing to a community.” Other reasons to become an owner at the Co-op come easily to this insightful Co-op owner. “You will benefit economically by being a member of a cooperative. But economics isn’t all of who we are,” he says. “There are also important social relationships in being part of the Co-op. I go into the Co-op and I see many people that I know and have known for years and that enriches my life more than money ever could,” he says. Patrick’s dedication to cooperative principles also comes from a decidedly old fashioned route; he worked at the Co-op for eight years beginning in 2004. During that time he served two years as the Co-op's produce manager. His favorite job and one of the most important to his way of thinking was working at the checkout. “I really enjoyed being the face of the Co-op and being a welcoming presence to members and customers,” he says. The Co-op will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2015, a fact dear to Patrick. “I have worked hard for the Co-op, for the idea of the Co-op, because I think it’s such a resource for healthy families and healthy individuals and I have worked hard to ensure that the Co-op is sustainable." “I’ve always thought of the Roanoke Co-op as the little engine that could or the mouse that roared,” he says. “I’ve always thought of it as a place that could have an impact on where we live and how we live, and its impact may be disproportionate to its size.” He adds, “You know, 40 years is a long time and I would love to see the Co-op be around in 40 more years.”
Mauricio Ticas Painter & Community Activist
The life of Mauricio Ticas has taken some decidedly social and geopolitical turns in his journey to being an owner at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. Born in Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador, he has lived much of his life in big American cities. He left Washington, D.C. to move to Roanoke eight years ago. “It was a big shock for me,” he said of his move to Roanoke. “I guess I wanted Roanoke to be something that it is not. And now that I see what it is, I just love it here. I feel in community here, I feel very welcome, and I think that the Co-op has helped me expand my understanding of Roanoke and the people that live here,” he says. Mauricio’s childhood in El Salvador greatly shaped his life. He refers to his country’s decade and a half civil war as the “Russian-American" war. With all seriousness and heart, he continues, “Home is so fundamental. Growing up in a country such as El Salvador during the war, by the age of 13, I was already a veteran of war,” he says.
“I’m proud that I am part of so many things that take place here, primarily diversity.” “It profoundly changed my life and the entire country— the entire continent really,” he says. “I am sitting in front of you, and back in those years, I didn’t even know you, but I hated you. That has changed, of course, because I see that you cannot make blanket statements like that,” he continues. “It took me perhaps seventeen to eighteen years to not have anymore nightmares. I’m hurt by that still, but of course I’ve come a long way.” Mauricio has lived in Roanoke 8 years but only became an owner two years ago, in large part due to his childhoodinduced caution. “I didn’t understand what a Co-op was, because I have a resistance to any institution,” he says. “At first, I thought I didn’t want to join the Co-op. But I started going to the Co-op and I just felt the vibrations, just people there, and as I started understanding the benefits and the value of good food and fair trade and community, I just decided to become a member,” he says. Now this friendly, engaging man refers to his association with the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op as a homecoming. “So home is very important, to feel the comfort, to feel nourished, to feel encouraged. And there (at the Co-op) I feel that is true in so many ways, and specifically in the classes and how receptive people are to doing things in different ways and sharing what works for them,” he says. “I think I bring my truth the way I see it,” he says, describing himself. “I’m proud that I have learned to respect and honor
people’s differences and their backgrounds. I’m proud of Roanoke really. I’m proud that I am part of so many things that take place here, primarily diversity. As one of the people that work every year with the Latin Festival and make that bridge between so many cultures, when I am on top of that stage and I see so many different faces and skin tones and food and music, I’m proud that I am here. I’m proud that I am speaking to you. Gratitude, I am so grateful,” he says. Mauricio gave up his car three months ago, "so I am always on my bike now,” he says. “It is interesting because when I come to the Co-op for many reasons, the people that I come across there, I see them at classes, I see them at the acupuncture center or the yoga classes at the YMCA, when I am hiking,” he says, “so the Co-op has helped me in so many ways, truly. I just feel that way now.” Winter 2014
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Mark Powell Community Gardener & Activist
“I’m proudest of my two-year-old daughter, I’m proud of my family, and I’m also proud of the work that I am doing in this place where I live.” Initially, Mark Powell wanted to do some gardening. “I was hoping to do it with some other people,” he says, “and we decided to start a community garden and somehow it evolved into a non-profit, and a very successful one.” Mark credits some of the Roanoke Community Garden’s success to timing. It was 2008, there was a food crisis, high prices for food, along with a glut of news stories about unhealthy food, food-born illnesses, a growing awareness of obesity in America and other food/health related problems. “It seems like there was a perfect storm going on that allowed us to succeed in working with local food,” he says. This success included Mark becoming the Director of the Roanoke Community Garden Association. This winter, the RCGA has a garden basket full of community gardens operating in Roanoke’s neighborhoods. One community garden under construction in the Mountain View Neighborhood, was funded by a generous grant from the Women’s Foundation of the Roanoke
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Valley and will be fully functioning the spring of 2014. Of course, there is a mile-long list of future projects they are pursuing. Mark’s relationship to the Co-op probably mirrors many shoppers and owners at the Co-op. He knew about the Co-op “for a long time,” shopping occasionally. “But it was only about five years ago that I started to pick up on the work the Co-op was doing, and understanding more about what a cooperatively run business is,” he recalls. Mark became an owner at the Co-op about three years ago. “Ownership in the Co-op means good relationships. I feel like when I visit the Co-op I’m going to run into people I know,” Mark says. Speaking more to the mission of the cooperatively run business, he continues, “Ownership in the Co-op to me means being part of a larger community. I feel like the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op has done a lot to help build community and they have been a big mover in the local food effort.” Mark’s influences come from a great many people. “I’ve tried to come away with the best that people could offer me. At the moment I’m proudest of my two-year-old daughter, I’m proud of my family, and I’m also proud of the work that I am doing in this place where I live,” he says. Mark, his wife Silvija Butkeraityte (they met in Lithuania) and daughter Emilija, live in Southeast Roanoke and are deeply involved in their neighborhood. Family and community blend easily with Mark Powell. As an owner, he is “thrilled at what the Co-op has done this year with Heritage Point Farm and the new Co-op store downtown on Market Square.” Mark’s vision of Roanoke’s on-going renaissance includes the Co-op’s growing community presence, “I hope that they are able to continue to expand and I hope that they able to continue to provide a model for new cooperatively owned businesses that could take root here in Roanoke. I think we can learn from the model they have put forth and hopefully we will see growth in cooperatively owned businesses.” Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op and the Roanoke Community Garden Association have had a relationship since RCGA’s inception, partnering with fundraising events, outreach events, volunteer events and community building events as well as providing meeting space for RCGA board meetings. “The Co-op has been a big part of our success,” Mark says. Reflecting on the Co-op’s upcoming 40th anniversary in 2015, Mark says, “That’s a long time to be in business. That’s certainly a long time for a group of people to work cooperatively together.”
Olivia Wolf Co-op Cashier
“Everything we eat is a gift from our planet, from our earth.”
If you’ve met Olivia Wolf working at the Co-op—she started working there this past November—you quite possibly left the store with a smile. She has a way of reminding you of why you came to the Co-op in the first place. “Working at the Co-op is the most unique work that I have done,” says the 24 year old. “We are working for something greater. I’m not there for a paycheck really, I mean, that helps you know, but we are there because people need us, the community needs us, the planet needs us,” she says. This encompassing understanding she attributes to her childhood. Born on Catawba Mountain, she was raised on her family farm by her father. "A very simple life,” she says, “but I was outside almost every day. I was an only child so it kind of taught me to be very introverted. But that is where my love of nature came from, being submerged out in the country, inventing these little games in the woods, picking beans on the porch with my grandmother, and playing with the little pigs.” Wisdom knows no age boundaries and her to-do list is measured and ambitious. She is a college student, double-majoring in environmental and social sciences. “I want to work with farmers and people who are less fortunate, connect the dots, and get farming back into more urban neighborhoods,” she says. As if this wouldn’t fulfill her life dream, she continues, “And I want to teach yoga and just help people who don’t have the opportunity to heal themselves, just bring back opportunity to people who wouldn’t be able to seek that out on their own. “I see such a beauty in this natural world,” she says, then adds, “and the same with people. I really enjoy all kinds of people, and I just want people to be happy and to realize true happiness within themselves.”
Some may belittle such “idealism”, but they would be doing so foolishly. This is a woman who learns by doing. She works on a farm owned by Jack Ferguson, along with farm manager Chris Peckman. (Some of you may remember a story in the Co-optimist about Ferguson Farm.) “I feel so fortunate to be able to work with Chris and Jack. They’ve taught me so much about myself,” she says. “Jack has a saying, ‘We are here to work and help others’, something along those lines, and that’s the story of his life.” Olivia became an owner at the Co-op three years ago. “I first heard about the Co-op when I was going vegetarian. I was like a kid in a candy store as soon as I went in there,” she says. “I fell in love with the products, the people, the atmosphere. I just felt like I was home.” Her observations find focus on another central Co-op mission. “Food is probably the biggest issue right now in our world. What you put in your body is what you get out,” she says. “Everything we eat is a gift from our planet, from our earth, so everything that we produce we need to do in a respectful way to the planet and that’s one of the biggest reasons that I love the Co-op so much, because that’s a goal that we share.” Olivia’s Co-op ownership along with working at the Grandin Road store has galvanized her sense of purpose. “Being an owner, you are a pillar of the Co-op. You are the Co-op, you know.”
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Meredith Levy Playwright & Organizer
“I really enjoy that I am not just supporting a business but I am also supporting a movement.”
If you ever find yourself worried about our future, try getting in touch with Meredith Levy. You may find her during normal working hours at her “primary” job as Project Assistant at Alumni Relations at Hollins University. “I do a lot of event planning,” she says from her office in the Cromer Bergman Alumnae building, which used to be the campus infirmary. As she puts it, “I have a lot of pots burning.” She is a working playwright, whose play Decision Heights showed at Mill Mountain Theatre this January. She and her artistic partner, Patricia Cope, put together a works-in-progress event, The Tinker, sponsored by the Roanoke Ballet Theater in Grandin Village. “So once a month, three shows in the fall, three shows in the spring, we bring together emerging artists from Roanoke but also from other parts of the country and they have an opportunity to show a work that is not as finished with our Roanoke audiences," she says. "And it’s completely free, so it’s a great opportunity for artists to get to really talk with their audiences. And the whole point is that we want to help artists further their work by receiving audience feedback," she explains. “That doesn’t pay anything of course but its something that Patricia and I really love to do, and we are really happy to be helping artists in Roanoke and all over,” she says. You will hear this sentiment many times when talking with Co-op owners about their lives; there is a commitment beyond themselves. Meredith was a senior at Hollins when she became an owner at the Co-op in 2011. “I’m very happy with my owner ship. As long as I remain in Roanoke I plan to remain an
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owner, “ she says. For Meredith, one of the biggest benefits of being an owner is being part of the local economy. “I really enjoy buying local food, I really enjoy supporting local farmers, and the Co-op allows me to do that,” she says. “I also have some pretty severe food restrictions and the Co-op is really great about having alternative flours and alternative butter substitutes. They have everything, and so I find that I can usually pick up anything that I need at the Co-op. I don’t have to go to three different stores,” she says. She also likes being part of a strong local business that brings together so many people. “I love running into people there,” she says. “I really enjoy that I am not just supporting a business but I am also supporting a movement.” Her list of ownership benefits include practical reasons too; the Owners' 10% Off Days. “That’s when I do a lot of my heavy shopping, because I know I’ll get a little something back,” she says. There is much we can learn from this creative, vivacious Hollins graduate and Co-op owner. “I don’t know if there is a single thing that I am most proud of in my life, but I am grateful for so much," she says. "I am grateful for my education, I am grateful for my job, and for the time I have to pursue interests outside of my job. I’m incredibly grateful for how well The Tinker has been accepted into the community.”
OES HOW DCERY RO YOUR G STORE
(CONSUMER-OWNED)
(PRIVATELY OR INVESTOR-OWNED)
LOCAL FARMERS AND PRODUCT PRODUCERS WORKING WITH EACH STORE
LOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCTS SOLD
PERCENTAGE OF INCOME DEVOTED TO CHARITABLE DONATIONS REVENUE SPENT LOCALLY
ORGANICS AS A PERCENTAGE OF PRODUCE SALES
ORGANICS AS A PERCENTAGE OF ALL GROCERY SALES
AVERAGE EMPLOYEE EARNINGS, INCLUDING BONUSES AND PROFIT SHARING
EMPLOYEES ELIGIBLE FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
REVENUE SPENT ON LOCAL WAGES AND BENEFITS
RECYCLING RATES CARDBOARD
PLASTICS FOOD WASTE
AVERAGE ENERGY STAR SCORE OUT OF 100
www.STRONGERTOGETHER.coop
Winter 2014
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CSA BUYERS GUIDE
“Growing food for others is the most profound, sacred work I have ever done, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to do it. Polly Heiser, Seven Springs Farm
”
When you shop at the Co-op, from time to time you might notice tables full of produce lined up in large paper grocery bags. Those are Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares waiting for their lucky owners to stop by and pick them up. The Co-op often gets questions from customers about these CSAs. Since January is the best time of year for registering for Spring/Summer CSAs, we‘ve compiled information from the CSAs that deliver to our store on Grandin Road. One of the most common questions we get from curious shoppers is, “How can I get in on that?” It’s important to know that the Co-op doesn’t grow this food, nor are we selling it; CSA customers transact directly with local farms by purchasing a share of that farm's harvest, which is delivered weekly to a convenient “drop point”, like the Co-op. Each CSA has a number of drop points in Roanoke and the surrounding area, so one of them will be close to your work or home. When you purchase a CSA, you’re providing the seed money for the food that your family will be enjoying later that year. You’re also supporting local farmers directly, which is a win-win for everyone.
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Seven Springs CSA Polly Heiser and her musician husband Nii Anang operate Seven Springs Farm CSA in Floyd, Va. The farm was founded in and 1991 and now serves 120 families and individuals in Roanoke and the surrounding areas. Their mission is to grow fresh, nutritious food to the best of their abilities using practices that improve the soil and the land, to offer the food to the community, and to foster connections between the consumer, the land, and the farmer. “Growing food for others is the most profound, sacred work I have ever done, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to do it” says Polly of her work with the CSA.
Share Options
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3 sizes of vegetable shares (weekly from mid-May to early December) Beef shares by the whole, half and quarter cow (yearly pick-up in December) Egg shares from neighboring Weathertop Farm and the Mammi family (provided weekly with the vegetable shares)
Pricing Vegetable CSA pricing is on a sliding scale. The members get to choose the price they pay within a given range.
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$14/wk - $56/wk depending on size Beef $6/lb (Approx)
Drop Points Tuesdays 2:30pm - 8:00pm
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Seven Springs Farm
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Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op
Saturdays 2:30pm - 8:00pm
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Seven Springs Farm
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Eats Natural Foods - Blacksburg
Avenham Ave Residence - Roanoke
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Plenty! - Floyd
W. Main Coffee Depot - Christiansburg
Contact
Photos courtesy of Seven Springs Farm.
426 Jerry Lane NE Check, VA 24072 540-651-3226, pollyhieser@gmail.com. www.7springscsa.com
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Waterbear Mountain Organic Farm CSA Waterbear Mountain Organic Farm, established in 1993, is unique in that they are certified organic and use biodynamic methods. Everything they do must comply with strict standards to insure that the food they sell is clean and free of synthetic chemicals and toxic elements. They also maintain and increase
the health of their soil by using cover crops, crop rotation, contour plowing and compost. Their goal is to provide affordable certified organic food to their community and to demonstrate that mixed vegetable farming is a sustainable business model for rural communities.
Share Options
»
» »
Waterbear offers 28 weeks of weekly shares starting in midMay and ending in mid-November. Their CSA is offered in a buffet style, free choice share that allows members to pick and choose what they want at the drop point. Chicken, eggs, beef and pork are also available for purchase at Roanoke and Blacksburg drop sites, but you can receive discounts on Beef and Pork by signing up for a meat share. Their wide variety of seasonally available produce includes Asparagus, Spinach, Salad Mix, Carrots, Lettuce, Kale, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Beets, Broccoli, Summer Squash, Egg Plant, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Basil, Celery, Swiss Chard, Melon, and much more.
Pricing
» » » »
Full Share - $25/week for 28 weeks Mini Share - $17.50/week for 28 weeks Beef Share - 20 lbs, mixed cuts at $7.50 per lb one share - $150.00 Pork share - 10 lbs, mixed cuts at $7.00 per lb one share - $70.00
Drop Points Wednesdays
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Harvest Moon, Floyd, 2:30pm - 4:30pm Dr. Castleberry's office, Radford, 3:10pm - 5:10pm West Main Coffee Depot, Christiansburg, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Thursdays
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Photos courtesy of Waterbear Mountain Organic Farm.
Annie Kay's, Blacksburg, 4:15pm - 6:15pm
Smith's Store, Copper Hill 3:00pm - 5:00pm Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
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Contact 477 Rain Dance Rd, Floyd, VA 24091 540-577-9178, waterbearorganicfarm@yahoo.com www.waterbearfarm.com
Photos courtesy of Good Food - Good People.
Good Food - Good People CSA Founded in 1996, Good Food – Good People (GFGP) provides locally grown and produced food to retail and wholesale buyers in Southwest Virginia. GFGP represents over 50 producers of fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, pasture-raised frozen meats, free-range eggs, farm cheeses, breads and baked delicacies, value-added foods and lots more. Through Good Food – Good People you can have access to local food throughout the year, all sourced within a 100-mile radius of Floyd, VA. When you purchase local farm-fresh foods from GFGP, you participate in the local farmer-consumer network that encourages positive alternatives for nourishing ourselves and our community.
Share Options
Pricing
»
» » » » »
» » » »
Fruit Fan - Fresh fruits, jams, fruit butters, and preserved fruits in the fall. Veggie Visionary - A wide variety of wholesome local veggies. Veggie Advocate - Smaller version of the Visionary. Fresh Egg Share - One Dozen Weathertop Farm free-range, grass-pastured XL brown eggs a week.
Fruit Fan - $325, May - October, 22 weeks Veggie Visionary - $625, May - October, 24 weeks Veggie Advocate - $450, May - October, 24 weeks Fresh Egg Share - $120, May - October, 24 weeks Winter Farm Share - $310, November - December, 8 Weeks
Winter Farm Share - A mix of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and a plethora of handcrafted foods.
Drop Points Roanoke West End Community Market
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Tuesdays, 3:00pm - 6pm, main/winter share, full service
Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op - Grandin
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Tuesdays, 1:00pm - 8:00pm, main shares
Roanoke Memorial Hospital
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Thursdays, 2:00pm - 6:00pm, main shares, full service
Grandin Village Community Market
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Saturdays, 8:00am - 11:30am, main shares, full service
Ikenberry Orchards, Daleville
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Tuesdays, 2:00pm - 5:00pm (2:00pm - 6:00pm July - Oct.), main/winter shares, full service
Blacksburg YMCA Thrift Store
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Tuesdays, 3:00pm - 6:00pm, main/winter shares, full service
Community Farmers Market, Oasis World Market Parking Lot
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Saturdays, 8:00am - 12:00pm, main shares, full service
Floyd Greens Garage
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Tuesdays & Saturdays, 8:00am - 9:00pm, main/winter share, full service
Floyd Community Farmers’ Market
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Saturdays, 9:00am - 12:30pm, main Shares, full service
Contact 320 Fork Dr NE, Floyd, VA 24091 540-745-4347 ext. 0, gfgpfarmshares@swva.net www.goodfoodgoodpeople.net Winter 2014
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Four Corners Buying Club Four Corners Farm is a multi-generational, family-friendly farm that practices sustainable, chemical-free agriculture, supplying nutrient dense food for our local area. They specialize in pastured eggs and meat available through their “Buying Clubs”. They believe their plants and animals should be provided a habitat that allows them to express their uniqueness. All of their animals are drug and hormone free, they are fed Virginia-grown, chemical free, non-GMO feed and real food kitchen scraps, and they are moved frequently to a fresh pasture “salad bar” which renews the land and grows nutritionally dense meats and delicious pastured eggs.
Buying Club Four Corners, while not officially a CSA, uses the Co-op as a drop point for its Buying Club members. The Buying Club is simple and no commitment is needed. Just contact the farm with what items you would like delivered, then show up at the drop point between the appointed times for pick up and payment.
»
Products - Pastured Eggs, Poultry, and Pork
Pricing
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See www.fourcornersfarm.com/farm-store/ for prices and availability.
Drop Points Photos courtesy of Four Corners Farm.
Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op - Grandin
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Every second and fourth Monday of every month from 4:00pm - 6:00pm
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During the Winter months, the Roanoke Buying Club drop will only be the second Monday of every month. Beginning in April 2014, the drop dates will resume to every 2nd and 4th Monday.
Contact 404 Old Mill Creek Lane, Rocky Mount, VA 24151 540-334-1044, carolyn@fourcornersfarm.com www.fourcornersfarm.com
LIRA PLUMBING, LLC Solving your family’s plumbing problems safely, correctly and economically, the first time!
JEFF LIRA 20
Co-optimist
540.204.8526
www.liraplumbingandheating.com
REALFOOD
Cajun Seasoning Who dat spice! Cajun cooking is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine - locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple. An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to steamed rice, special made sausages, or some seafood dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available. Ordinary soups, grains, beans, and meats become extraordinary southern delicacies with a liberal sprinkling of Cajun Seasoning. This blend can be used while cooking or after serving at the table. - Wikipedia
Cajun Candied Bacon Serves 4 - three slices per serving Add a little southern sugar and spice to your favorite breakfast treat!
Ingredients 12 slices of bacon A dash of finely ground black pepper 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning 1/3 cup light brown sugar
Directions Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine Cajun seasoning and brown sugar, mixing well. Put bacon slices in the bowl, season them with just a dash of ground pepper and toss with the brown sugar and Cajun mix. Cover a baking sheet with foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any of the seasoning mix leftover on top of the bacon. Top with another layer of foil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until done. Enjoy! Recipe by Zach Forsyth.
A S U S TA I N A B L E FA M I LY FA R M PASTURED POULTRY, EGGS, PORK AND MORE.
FOURCORNERS
FARM.COM
Zach Forsyth is one of our Dairy/Frozen Team Members at the Co-op on Grandin Road. A native of Pheonix, AZ, Zach is passionate about cooking and always enjoys exploring new flavors.
(540) 334-1044 Winter 2014
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BOARDTALK
Gayle Havens Cooley Board President
CDS Consulting Co-op, who introduced PG and CSL to retail food cooperatives throughout the country, have just introduced the Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance model (4PCG). This cooperative governance model provides cooperative directors an approach to their work grounded in cooperative values and principles. The Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance are:
A belated Happy New Years to our owners and supportive community members. I hope the holiday season brought cheer and goodwill to each of you and your loved ones. Those of you who have followed the development of governance theory and practice at Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op are acquainted with the concepts of Policy Governance (PG) and Cooperative Strategic Leadership (CSL). PG is a governance paradigm that provides a framework for boards to both fulfill their obligations of accountability on behalf of owners and to envision and plan for their co-op’s future. CSL is a governance tool that brings together governance and management for strategic thinking to provide the direction and facilitate changes necessary for a vibrant future. Even with these powerful governance tools, leaders within the cooperative family have recognized essential differences between cooperative boardrooms and investor-owned corporate boardrooms.
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Teaming Accountable Empowerment Strategic Leadership Democracy
As many of us will immediately recognize, these principles are already alive and respected at our food co-ops. 4PCG provides a framework to connect these values to governance activities at all levels – board, management, staff and owners. I look forward to sharing more about 4PCG in future letters. In cooperation,
You can make a difference! Attention Owners: The Co-op is looking for communityoriented, civic-minded owners to run for the board of directors. The board is a diverse group of individuals intrusted with providing our co-op with progressive strategic planning, strong fiscal management, and enthusiastic support for Virginia's largest and oldest natural foods cooperative. If you have an interest in running for one of our new or soon to be vacant board positions, ask for an application at the register at either Co-op location or go online to www.roanokenaturalfoods. com/2014-elections. Board members are financially compensated for their time and commitment.
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Board members, Bryan Hantman and Sandy Taylor, Earth Day 2012.
Events
January - April Owners’ 10% Off Days On the second Saturday of each month, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op owners save 10% off their purchases at both Co-op locations. Shop and save big on the following Owners’ Days:
Saturday, February 8 Saturday, March 8 Saturday, April 12
Classes
Save the Date Earth Day Roanoke 2014 Saturday, April 26, 2014 Grandin Village, Free to All This annual eco-festival will return to the Grandin Village on Saturday, April 26. The US has officially celebrated Earth Day on April 22 every year since 1970.
January - February
Staying Focused with Your New Years Goals Tuesday, January 28, 6pm - 7pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Vegetarian Cooking for Your Sweetheart Wednesday February 12th, 6:30 - 8pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Integrative Health Coach, Jeanie Redick will offer strategies to identify the barriers that keep you from achieving success and offer solutions to break unhealthy habits.
Lindee Katdare will teach you how to cook love-infused dishes that will make your special someone fall head over heels for you.
Vegan Desserts for Singles Tuesday, February 11th, 5:30pm - 7pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Stronger Together: How Co-ops Work for You Saturday, February 15th, 2pm - 3pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Spend an evening learning how to prepare delicious vegan desserts with the Co-op's very own Taylor Willis.
Join the Co-op’s own Elizabeth Wilson as she discusses not only the eccentricities of Roanoke Natural Foods but the historical, social and community impacts of Co-ops everywhere.
Better Bread the No-Knead Way Wednesday, February 19th, 6pm - 7:30pm Community Room, $8 Everyone Co-op owner, Mary Harshfield teaches you how to make several delicious no-knead breads. In this class, you will learn how to make an easy loaf bread, bread in a pot, and a no-knead pizza dough.
Lick the Sugar Habit Tuesday, February 25th, 6:00 - 7:30pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners Sugar is not the friend we think it is. We may love it, but it does not love us back. Join Holistic Nutritionist Jeanie Redick for a look at ways to Lick the Sugar Habit.
Sign up today » Sign up for classes at the Co-op on Grandin Road. Class seating is limited, prepayment is required.
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ROANOKE NATURAL FOODS CO-OP
This
Grandin Village 1319 Grandin Road, SW Roanoke, VA 24015 (540) 343-5652 Market Square 1 Market Square, SE Roanoke, VA 24011 (540) 904-2733
eissue
www.roanokenaturalfoods.coop
of the Co-optimist is a clickable, easy-to-share, starting place to learn more online about Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op and the
Ends Statement Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op exists to create a vibrant, local and sustainable cooperative community where decisions are grounded in the balance of economic, social and environmental responsibilities.
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Owners' 10% Off Day is Saturday, February 8!
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the valley's music place www.1015tvmp.com stream us live on the internet
building community... naturally.