In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Emily F.)

I don't know about you, but I think there's something really powerful about neighbors who come together to make their community better. For me, this plays out in a variety of ways. Most recently with food. For the last two years I've had a community garden plot in my neighborhood. It was started by a neighbor, funded by neighbors and allowed to exist on the private property of a neighbor. I've met really great people and have truly enjoyed being a part of that particular community project. And of course, I love the produce!

When I heard about the effort to start the Richmond Food Co-op, I got excited. What a cool idea! Neighbors were getting together to start a business that would provide local and wholesome foods while creating a community. A community. People who've been a part of a coop before probably understand this concept instantly. It took me a while to learn it.

My first food co-op visit occurred in Olympia, Washington over a decade ago. It was a "grocery store"...but not like a grocery store I'd ever been to. It was essentially the exact opposite of every SUPERmarket experience I've ever had. I remember walking up and down the aisles amazed at what was on the shelves. Really healthy things along with some stuff I'd never heard of, but I was sure it was good for me. And the idea that the members owned it! Wow! That blew my mind. The staff, the volunteers and the members (aka shoppers) all had an interest in making the co-op succeed and benefit the community in a way that just seemed fundamentally different to me.

My second experience with a food co-op on the campus of SUNY Binghamton was just as enlightening. Campuses are themselves interesting and dynamic communities but the food co-op was my preferred location. I could spend all day there meeting with students and doing work. The students who ran and supported the coop were really proud of their efforts (rightfully so). I was absolutely energized by being in their company.

So like I said, when I heard about folks looking to start a Richmond Food Co-op, I got excited. Healthy food, member owned, dynamic people! Sign me up! (As an aside, I'm apparently a slow decision maker. It took me a little while to write that check. But I knew I was going to do it.) And I did it. And I'm proud of it. I'm looking forward to meeting new neighbors and seeing where the power of collective community action takes us. See you at the Co-op!

-Emily Francis, Co-op Member/Owner

Know Your Board: David King

The vision for the Richmond Food Co-op resonates with me because at its core it boils down to two things:  a community and a grocery store. 

By a community, I mean a group of like-minded people with similar values – in this case, healthy and exciting living.  Too much of what is important to me in society has been “taken over” by large commercial interests – food, clothing, music, entertainment.  Fortunately, in recent years there is a trend back to local:  in Richmond we can again find really good local live music, theatre, and restaurants.  Co-op member/owners care about such things.  We are a community.

Sources of locally produced and healthy foods are expanding, too, which for those of us who like to cook is a promising trend.  It’s not easy, though:  “What day of the week is it – okay, Wednesday, I’ll drop by Lakeside Farmer’s Market.”  The evolution from supermarkets (with very little in the way of local foods) to specialty (and expensive) organic grocery stores to farmers’ markets to CSA’s should now be….a grocery store that sources IT ALL, every day, all day.  This is a an important component of the vision.

If you are reading this, here’s the most important thing you can do this week:  find one person and invite him/her to join the Richmond Food Co-op.  Thank you!

-David King, Board Secretary

How to Sign up for the Richmond Co-op

Have you become a member/owner of The Richmond Food Co-op? If the answer is yes, we thank you! If the answer is not yet, I'm going to try and show how easy it is to become a member/owner. We've been making great strides over the past year in making this grocery a reality. While at it, we have met some wonderful people and gained many amazing folks and if we haven't told you yet — this grocery begins with YOU!

Whether at one of our community forums, happy hours, or other events, a lot of people are attending and letting us know that, "yes I do intend to join, I just haven't gotten around to it." That's exciting news for us, so if you are reading this and still haven't joined — here are two easy options.

Option 1: Click the brochure below, fill out the form and simply mail in your check!

Option 2: Sign up online by clicking the button below — our online signup page has options for paying in full or installments if more convenient.

Why Join Now?

• Membership means ownership. When you become a member, you also become an owner of a member-owned and member-controlled local store, that operates for the mutual benefit of all members.
• Co-op ownership means putting your dollars where your values are — the cooperative system, healthy communities and supporting local farms and businesses.
• Co-ops, and their money, are owned and controlled by their member/owners, therefore members provide the basic capital to start the Co-op. The Co-op’s profit is returned to its member-owners in proportion to the amount of groceries each member has purchased.
• Co-op equals community. You have the opportunity to interact and connect with like-minded people who seek to support their community’s local living economy.
• You can begin saving money now through our buy local initiative.

By joining as a member, you can put us one step closer to opening a cooperative grocery right here in Richmond that will support local farmers, be a fun atmosphere to shop in, and allow you to be part of a fun, equally minded community of member/owners.

If you have further questions please leave a comment below or send us an email at info@richmondfoodcoop.com.  

I personally look forward to meeting you as one of our newest members!

Tim Vidra

Vice-Chair, Richmond Food Co-op

Cooperation & Coffee

My friend Craig likes to make up his own rules. He started a self-sustaining non profit, Richmond Cycling Corps., that offers kids from rough neighborhoods a chance to experience the joys of cycling. Real cycling. This program is funded directly by and operated out of Richmond Bicycle Studio . RBS is basically a high-end custom fit bike shop complete with its own life style brand (Phaup St. Journal) and indoor training facility. The idea is the people who can afford high-end bicycles can get the best bicycle on the market with all proceeds going to the RCC. The shop is beautiful, repurposed 100 year old barn beams, salvaged iconic neighborhood signs , all hand worked. A few years ago he wanted to bring more people into the shop. He asked if we would be interested in subletting the back of the shop to operate a kiosk. For us, it represented an opportunity to try out a different version of our experience. We ended up with a pour-over bar, a skylight, a record player, and 2 leather couches, the Kickstand. In exchange for nominal rent we were able to provide a second option for our community connection . While I initially thought of the kickstand as our tasting room/ think tank, I soon realized what we actually had was the “model home “ for scott’s addition. All day you would see building owners meeting with people who had ideas . Ideas about brewing beer. Ideas about flipping over giant tires. Ideas about Massive event spaces/catering facilities . Actually, several different people had ideas about brewing beer. They all liked to talk about what these old spaces could be. Here they could look through our door and see a second modern business in action with RBS. The Kickstand was better than a traditional model home because here is an actual business , 2 in fact, that seem to be making a go of it.

Never mind the fact that making money was not part of our plan for the Kickstand. Our business then featured an over crowded café and a back alley anonymous roasting operation. We were making great coffee, winning accolades , and learning vast amounts of information about our craft. We wanted a place to slow down and connect with the people who were interested in our coffee.. We were meeting other small batch roasters around the country and world and finding our product to be on the level and we wanted the make our cupping’s accessible to the public . Adding to the hustle and bustle of Addison st. didn’t make sense. At our Addison St. café, the barista rarely have the chance to interact with guests in more than a passing manner due to the volume of and diversity of offerings, but at the Kickstand we could talk to you about the coffee we were preparing for you. We could try new brew methods and share a chemex with guests. We never advertise, so basically as long as it wasn’t a money pit we would come out ahead. If you were to ask me if the neighborhood could support a coffee shop then I would say no, but for us it was perfect.

During one of those idea sessions our benevolent landlord, Scott Coleman, made it known that if we were interested in the space next door, it was ours. It was a no brainer, of course we wanted a place where we could invite the public to be a part of our process start to finish , where they can witness the workings of a modern coffee laboratory. We had organically grown from roasting on site to paying rent on a warehouse and rent on a tasting room so when the time came tocombine the two the end cost was not a great leap for us. Now we are able to generate revenue and build customer knowledge of our product in addition to roasting a larger amount of coffee beans. Recently the Scott Coleman presented us with the opportunity to run a café at 26 Morris St. effectively doing for our food operations what Summit Ave. did for our coffee. Since we are already leasing a commercial kitchen, we are able to offset the rent increase by consolidation. Sustainable organic growth has been made possible by building relationships that are mutually beneficial. And that is the point of cooperation. 

-Zach Crinklbine, Lamplighter Roasting Co.

Join us this Saturday, Jan 18th 3-5pm at Lamplighter's Summit Ave Roastery for Coffee Cupping & Cooperation!

Member/Owner Hosted Parties: Let's Grow OUR Co-op!

Dear Fellow Co-op Member/Owners,

I wanted to share with you about a party that I recently hosted - it was very easy, a great success, and something you can do too to help the Co-op grow. I invited friends to drinks and appetizers on a Sunday afternoon and had a board member talk about the Co-op and the importance for our community. It was also an opportunity to answer any questions my friends had about the logistics of this start up.

I am sure we all have friends that want to join, but don’t realize they need to join now, not once the Co-op opens. Also, friends who may have doubts or questions need a comfortable setting to discuss and get a clearer understanding of what this is all about. Hosting my friends, letting them know why I care about this venture, and inviting them to join us in making it happen was truly easy and fun!

Many friends joined both that night and in the weeks that followed, and I am proud to have done my part to bring us closer to opening our doors. Did you know that if every existing member/owner got just 2 people to join we would be at our goal of 1000? Because of this party I am proud to welcome 8 of my dear friends into our cooperative community.

We need to get more active, proactive, and make our Co-op a living reality. I hope you join me and host a party of your own!

For info on throwing a party check out this handy guide, and email info@richmondfoodcoop.com to set yours up today!

-Patricia Michelsen King, Co-op Member/Owner

Bizarre Market + Richmond Food Co-op: Give the Gift!

Bizarre Market Holiday, Richmond's month-long local/handmade pop-up shop, is in its ninth year at Chop Suey Books in Carytown! Featuring all things sparkly, snuggly, modern, functional, delicious and supremely crafty, the market has become a favorite spot for holiday shoppers across the city. Find handcrafted toys, modern jewelry, artisan-made cutting boards, screen prints, ceramics and much more from 60 selected artists.

Making this year particularly special are the third annual TINY AUCTION, a fundraiser for the Richmond Young Writers scholarship fund AND Richmond Food Co-op gift memberships! The auction is comprised of one-off items made by artists in the community, a very special gift-getting opportunity for those who love rare finds. And for the food lovers and community builders in your life, there's the option to purchase a Richmond Food Co-op membership, complete with a rosemary-adorned burlap gift sack of Co-op goodies to stick under the tree. The gift of the Co-op is not just a local gift, it is an investment in making our local even better.

Details:

Bizarre Market Holiday

November 29th-December 24th

Chop Suey Books, 2913 W. Cary St. (across from the Byrd Theater)

Open Mon-Thurs 10-7, Fri-Sat 10-8, Sun 12-7

-Bird Cox, Co-op Supporter

http://birdcox.com/

Cooperative Thanksgiving Donation, Part 2: Thank You!

No matter how you say it, grace can transform an ordinary meal into a celebration—of family, love, and gratitude. -Anne Lamott

The Lovely Lockhart Family

This Thanksgiving offered the Co-op community the opportunity to come together and form a few new traditions - a potluck celebration and social, and the start of the Cooperative Donation. Like all things Co-op these came together because of a group effort to take action around shared values. Gratitude is a core value for this community.

The three recipients of the Cooperative Donations came from across the city (Northside, East End & SouthWest) and feasted with their families after a hard year. A single mother and PTA Vice-President, working multiple jobs while getting her degree; a great-grandmother whose house tragically burned down last Christmas; a single mother who has struggled with housing security for years; the common thread between these families is that each nomination stressed the ways that the nominee took great responsibility for caring for their families despite hard circumstances. Being able to provide a cooperatively created meal for these families is a testament of what this community can do together. We even had a sponsorship for one of the families to become Co-op Member/Owners. This Co-op is your Co-op - so thank you.

A very special thank you to Lockhart Family Farm (turkeys!), Shalom Farms (potatoes, kale, salad greens, carrots), Origins Farm (acorn squash), Milton's Local Harvest (pork belly) WPA Bakery (pies) and Costello Personal Services (sweet potato casserole) for making these meals possible. 

A Lockhart turkey prepared by Tim Vidra Eats

Milton's Local Harvest Pork Belly

Origins Acorn Squash

WPA Pecan Pie