Who Builds a Co-op?

Who builds a Co-op?  Its member/owners!

The Co-op is calling for volunteers as we continue our journey towards opening the store.  The work we have to do will happen in three phases:  growing our Co-op right now, building our brick-and-mortar space, and ultimately running the store.

Since January, we are an established cooperative business more than 250 members strong.  Our priority right now is growing the membership base and funding needed to open our doors.  Because we are all friends and neighbors, this process is fun, creative, and extremely rewarding.

We're looking for a wide range of skills from within the people who make up the Co-op.  That's you!  Please take our skills survey, which lists the specific things we need in all three phases.  You probably have something unique to offer that we haven't even thought of - so tell us that, too.

Now is the time to get involved and make your Co-op what you want it to be.

Click here to take the Member Skills Inventory today!

-Erin Ball,  Buy Local Chair

Raw Vegan Kohlrabi Fries

If you didn't get a chance to make it out to the Food Coop picnic last weekend you missed not only some wonderful fellowship and incredible music, but you also missed a couple of cooking demos by me. For those unfamiliar, my name is Tim Vidra — I live here in Richmond, am a local food writer, author the blog E.A.T. and am also very proud to be a part of the board of directors for the Richmond Food Co-op. Today, I'm excited to share one of those recipes here on the co-op blog for you to enjoy. I love cooking and teaching people about food and how to prepare it. 

So let's talk about kohlrabi! It's a lesser known vegetable I love to pull out and see the surprise when I turn it into something amazing, easy, and equally delicious! Today we're going to make raw kohlrabi fries, perfect for summer snacking.

Kohlrabi is really part cabbage and part turnip with long stems and leaves. There is a green variety and a purple variety and once peeled they both have a white fibrous flesh. The kohlrabi I picked up and used for the demo were purchased from Origins Farm in Hanover County! Let's see how easy this vegetable really is to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 2 kohlrabi cleaned and peeled (see above)
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2-3T chili garlic sauce
• 2-3T rice wine vinegar
• 2-3T soy sauce
• dashes of sesame oil to taste 

Once the kohlrabi is cleaned, cut into 1/4" chips and then slice each chip into fries.

Place fries in a bowl and sprinkle the salt on top, allowing to set for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, let's make the sauce by add all of your wet ingredients to the bowl:

Adjust according to your taste and spiciness liking:

Drain the kohlrabi and you will be amazed at how much water the salt pulls out. Rinse the kohlrabi thoroughly of any salt.

Mix in your sauce, toss with the kohlrabi and you can serve immediately.

These are delicious served as an appetizer or as a side dish. So if you have been ducking and hiding from this vegetable in the past, or just never noticed them, take a moment to give them a try — I am sure you will be sold and a little sad when these are no longer in season and you have to wait until next year!

This vegetable can also be made into a delicious soup. Here is the recipe for my Kohlrabi Soup that I love making in the winter.

At the co-op we want to build a food community and also help educate those who may not be familiar with certain foods and cooking methods! 

Enjoy!

Principal #7

"For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people's love and concern for each other." -Millard Fuller

If you haven't brushed up lately on your Cooperative Principals, I recommend it. They lay out the framework for who we are as a Co-op community, and what we aspire to be. In past blog entires I have focused on the concept that Co-op = Community; this concept derives from Principal #7 - Concern for Community. This week we are focusing on putting this principal into action in a very tangible way. Last Sunday's 1st Annual Picnic was a huge success on many levels and speaks to the joyfulness that we can tap into by coming together as a community. 

This weekend I invite you to join us yet again, this time to participate in a volunteer day at Shalom Farms. Shalom Farms is an awesome non-profit community farm project with the overarching goal of increasing food security in the Richmond region, particularly in low-income urban neighborhoods. It is an organization worthy of our attention, support and shared action. By spending the day together with dirt on our hands and the sun on our back we have the opportunity to put our values into practice. Slow Food RVa will be partnering with us to make this day happen so it will also be a great time to expand our network with those who support good, clean and fair food in the greater Richmond area. Details and pre-registration for Saturday are available here. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required - we hope to see you on the farm!

This volunteer day launches the start of what we would like to see as a regularly occurring opportunity for the Co-op to contribute to our community. If you are interested in helping to plan and organize our volunteer days, or have an organization that you think we should support please email info@richmondfoodcoop.com

Report from Austin

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in CCMA (the Consumer Cooperative Management Association)'s national conference in Austin, Texas. I would like to offer a great big thank you to CCMA and the Bowers Fund for supporting our startup venture and providing the Richmond Food Co-op with a scholarship to attend!

Taking a tour of our host Wheatsville Food Co-op 

There were roughly 450 people in attendance, representing over 100 co-ops from all over the country. I met representatives from other startups. I met managers of small stores turning million dollar sales out of spaces less than 3000 square feet. I met board members of large co-ops serving tens of thousands of members, with annual profits of over $30 million. I met those who have successfully been through the process of gathering a community together with the shared vision of opening a store. I met others whose communities have a longstanding history of co-ops; whose issues, concerns and successes we are many years away from knowing. There were co-ops for us to aspire to be, and those who can teach us from their lessons learned.

The breadth and scope of this conference speaks to the larger community that we, together, have joined. When you become a member/owner of the Richmond Food Co-op you are making a stand to support our neighborhoods, city and region; you are also becoming a participant in a larger movement. We have been welcomed with open arms into a community dedicated to supporting each other's growth and impact on a larger scale. During Mark Winne's keynote speech he stated, "It's not enough to be good food consumers, you need to be good food citizens." Together this call to action becomes feasible.

A key takeaway for me was that co-ops don't "sell" memberships - they invite people to take action around shared values. There is an authenticity to the cooperative model. Co-ops start - and succeed - because of participation. As member/owners we have an open invitation to participate in a transformative experience. I invite all of you to join the 200+ member/owners of the Richmond Food Co-op in our shared action.

I do! Do you?

June is Membership Month here at the Co-op!

What does that mean? 

It means we want to take a minute and say a great big thank you to the 200+ amazing Founding and Pioneering Member/Owners who have taken a leap of faith and said YES! Sign me up! I believe in this Co-op! I believe in this city! I believe in my community!

It also means the time has come to commit. 

Maybe you've had a secret crush on the Co-op for a while. You dream about your future together, strolling down the aisle of fresh beautiful food. You long for that grocery love you can call your own. But for now you watch from the sidelines, not wanting to be the one to make the first move.

Maybe you've been flirting with the Co-op for a while. You've had a few drinks, checked out our Facebook page, liked a few pictures. But you've been keeping your cool, knowing you'll join when you're ready.

Maybe the Co-op is almost everything you've ever wanted - so close to that ideal you've been waiting for all your life. But you worry that it requires compromise to make it work.

Maybe you've just met the Co-op and you feel a flutter with feeling. But you're worried that it all seems so fast.

Well the time has come. The C word. This is one relationship you want to be in for the long haul because your Co-op loves you back. We are committed to caring for you, growing with you and creating memories together.  But here's a little secret - this relationship is reciprocal and your Co-op needs you. If everyone who likes our Facebook page, follows us on Twitter and reads this blog joined today we would have more than enough members to open tomorrow. If every existing Member/Owner referred just one friend we would be half way there. 

We are all in. We are popping the question. We sure hope you say yes. Let's start our food future together.

It's time.

T-shirts!

Ready to wear that Co-op pride?! 

One of the connections that came out of our participation in the i.e.* Competition last month was meeting the creator of Bonfire Funds (a finalist last year) - a new company that pairs crowd-sourcing with a t-shirt company. The result is the launch of our Co-op t-shirt campaign. For the next 2 weeks you will have the opportunity to purchase our very cool limited edition Co-op t-shirt (designed by the ever awesome Liana Mensh), with $15 from every shirt going toward the Co-op. We need to sell 50 shirts during this period for the order to go through - so make sure to act fast and spread the word.

There is even a free shipping option! If you use shipping code izmwz1844 you can pick up your shirts at our Co-op picnic at Bryan Park on June 23rd.

Visit the site now to buy your shirt: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/fund/richmond-food-co-op

It starts with you! Let the world know.

Buy Local!

Buy Local, Buy Local, Buy Local! This is what we hear coming out from small businesses everywhere in America these days.  Why does this matter and who really cares?  I care, the Richmond Food Co-op cares, and now businesses in Richmond can show they care.  Supporting your local businesses not only drives the local economy but it creates a sense of community in your town.  The Co-op is proud to announce the launch of its Buy Local Program.  This program gives member/owners privileges at participating establishments in Richmond.  These small businesses value their community and understand what it takes to make Richmond thrive in today’s economic climate.   

We are pleased to announce the first 6 local businesses that have aligned their values and said, yes, we believe the Co-op is a great way to drive the local economy!  This vision is why I became a member/owner of the Co-op, and now Co-Chair the Buy local Committee. I enjoy healthy and delicious food, but realize that my eating habits can negatively impact my wallet.  I believe in the Co-op business model because it brings sustainable, local food to the masses, by lowering the costs to the consumer.   With lower operating costs and a lower profit margin, prices can also be lower. With the establishment of the Co-op, healthy food moves from being a trend for the elite, to a way of life for all.

The Buy Local Program allows member/owners to start receiving tangible benefits during the startup phase of the Co-op.  Starting this month, anyone who presents their membership card at a participating business will receive a discount on their purchase.  Amy Ayers, Owner of Julep’s New Southern Cuisine has supported the local economy for over a decade by sourcing local and sustainable products since day one.  Amy is proud to participate with discounts at both Julep’s and Mint.  Olio Uptown, where we held our February event has supported the Co-op since the beginning. Black Hand Coffee, serving fresh daily roasted coffee is a neighborhood favorite and site of many Co-op planning sessions. Hawthorne Healing Arts is an integrative medicine clinic who also believes in healthy food for all.  Finally, Brooke March, Licensed Massage Therapist, is a founding Co-op member and believes a strong community starts with great food and healthy individuals. For more on the program and our participating partners, visit our website.

Our team plans to grow the participating members exponentially over the next few months to bring even more benefits to our member/owners.  Any businesses who would like to put their money where their values are, we encourage reaching out via email at BuyLocal@RichmondFoodCoop.com.

-Jamie Nowakowski, Buy Local Committee Co-Chair

Updates to the Program: 

• 5/21/13: Welcome Local Suds! 
• 5/22/13: Welcome Lockhart Family Farm!