State of the Start-Ups

1 September 28, 2017 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTERPark Slope FoodOF Coop,THE Brooklyn,PARK SLOPE NY FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume LL, Number 19 September 28, 2017 State of the Start-Ups La Louve in Paris: The PSFC Helping Start Other Co-ops It’s a Coop, not a Museum! By Heidi Brown ou might think La Louve is the famous art museum in YParis featuring a glass pyramid obscuring the original entrance. Not quite. La Louve (as opposed to Le Louvre) is a food coop that opened just last year in the French capi- tal’s 18th Arrondissement, or borough. Meaning “she-wolf,” or female wolf, in English, La Louve came to life thanks in large part to the vision of two Americans living in Paris who were inspired by our thriving 17,000-member PSFC. Tom Boothe, originally from Indiana, is a former wine buyer for “an organic/gourmet supermarket” in the U.S. He first visited the PSFC in 2009 with friends who were members. Boothe and Minnesota native Brian Horihan, an independent filmmaker, had become disillusioned by the PHOTO BY GREENE HILL FOOD CO-OP PHOTO BY GREENE HILL FOOD CO-OP PHOTO BY GREG BERNARDI proliferation of the same food-shopping challenges in Paris The Greene Hill Food Bay Ridge Food Co-op is “Getting to know our that grocery shoppers in New York face: mediocre products Co-op has an inviting currently housed in the member-owners has been a at conventional supermarkets, and high prices and elite atti- produce and bulk section. Union Church on Ridge joy,” says Greene Hill Food tudes at the “all-natural” food shops. A coop in Paris seemed Blvd. between 79th and Co-op’s Board member like a great alternative. By Taigi Smith 80th Streets. Chris Gollmar. France did have a coop heritage. Back in the late 19th and Saturday afternoon trip early 20th century, coops existed in England and France, Ato the PSFC can be a true sense of community we’ve cul- unappealing. “Your typical but they functioned under a different model: Members were test of endurance. Shoppers tivated at the PSFC. health food store in small- charged prices similar to for-profit stores, and at the end of compete with one another town America has been the year, any profits the coop generated were distributed to for space—both mental and Coop Dream in degraded to sort of a vitamin the member-owners. But Horihan and Boothe preferred the physical—in a grocery store New Jersey shop. The first thing to go is PSFC model—in which all products were sold every day at so packed it sometimes takes When Dan Becker moved to produce. That’s hardly what steep discounts—and everyone works. an hour or more to reach a New Jersey two and a half years the educated, progressive, To get the necessary PSFC wisdom, Boothe and Horihan have cashier. It’s not uncommon for ago, he found himself in what healthy consumer really wants weekly Skype consultations with Joe Holtz and Ann Herpel. shoppers to aggressively push he calls a “nutritional waste- and needs. The true function- CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 stuffed carts through gridlocked land.” In fact, Dan still travels ing health food store is all aisles while worker-members to Brooklyn at least twice a about fruits and vegetables. re-stock shelves. Cortisol lev- month because as he sees it, You need to get your nutri- els rise, nerves fray and irrita- there’s nowhere in New Jer- ents from real foods,” and not ble children fidget and whine, sey that can provide him with supplements, says Dan. It has while teetering on the brink of the shopping experience he’s been almost two years, but Coop-induced meltdowns. At grown accustomed to after Dan still can’t shake the mem- some point in time, we’ve each being a member of the Coop ories of his first trip the neigh- asked ourselves, “What the hell for almost five years. Becker borhood health food store, “I I am doing here?” only to accept survives by supplementing his saw a non-functioning juice moments later, that there really twice monthly shops with trips bar and a few sweet potatoes.’’ is nowhere else in the Tri-state to Trader Joe’s and Fairway, No longer content with area we’d rather shop. Let’s but for Becker, there’s no place living in a “food wasteland,” face it. Outsiders find it odd like the Coop. Becker, who has Dan Becker is hoping to start that we stand in line for hours a background in health, heal- a coop based on the PSFC PHOTOS BY EMANUEL BOVET at a time to spend money in a ing, and Chinese medicine, model in northern New Jer- Co-founder Tom Boothe Co-founder Brian Horihan place that doesn’t even give sees our Coop as a highly sey. There’s just one prob- out shopping bags. (For the developed health food store. lem—Becker’s idea hasn’t IN THIS ISSUE record General Coordinator Joe “You may see some organic taken off. “We need to have Holtz says with the new check- foods in the supermarkets,” a critical mass of people who Puzzle...............................................3 out process, long waits are not but that’s about it, says Dan, are informed, interested, and The Funny Pages ......................................4 that common.) But most mem- who calls his trips to Trader able to participate. It’s very Heavy Pre-Dawn Work at the Coop with “The Lifters” ........5 bers will agree, there’s really no Joe’s fun, but says shopping at difficult to start a critical Welcome ............................................7 place else on the planet quite TJ’s is “not getting down to the mass. When I’m Brooklyn, I Coop Calendar, Governance Information, Mission Statement ....7 like our beloved Coop. As the fundamentals of the food for meet people who are sympa- Calendar of Events . 8 Coop bursts at its seams, sever- sustaining a healthy diet.” thetic to my plight, but they Safe Food Committee Report ..........................10 al groups have actually tried to He also finds the lack of live right around the corner in Obituary............................................10 replicate the model, in hopes of fresh fruits and vegetables at Brooklyn.” Community Calendar, Classifieds .......................11 recreating the vibe, energy, and his local health food stores CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Exciting Workslot Opportunities, Thank You ..............12 Read the Gazette while you’re standing on line OR online at www.foodcoop.com 2 September 28, 2017 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Start-Ups coops will alleviate overcrowd- hours have expanded. I think, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ing at the PSFC. You can shop too, that since many members with us three times before have PSFC as their model for The Bay Ridge Food becoming a member,” says a coop, they don’t realize how Co-Op Stefania, who adds that while much time it takes to develop Stefania Vasquenz can’t there is no work requirement, into a smoothly running store. believe it’s almost been 10 there is a $200 membership When I joined Park Slope in years since she and a hand- fee. “It’s higher than the PSFC, PHOTO BY DAVID MARANGIO the early 1990s, it was one ful of other people started but we needed to do that The Bay Ridge Food Co-op is in its 10th year and dreams storefront that opened at 3 in the Bay Ridge Food Co-op. because we need money,” she of opening a store front one day. the afternoon, had no coolers Also a member of the PSFC, says, adding that it takes a lot for produce or freezers at all. It Stefania remembers wishing of hard work to keep a food this, says Ann, the leadership Gollmar and Sarah Chinn to took decades to PSFC to get to she didn’t have to leave Bay cooperative financially stable. of the PSFC has always been find out how things are going where it is now. Ridge to procure the fresh, As the members of the Bay open to helping other coops over at that coop. LG: What has been the most wholesome, organic food she Ridge Co-op look to the future, get started. “We are not paid LG: How many years has rewarding aspect of starting this loved so much. “We started a they dream of renting an actu- consultants, but we make our- Greene Hill been in existence? coop or becoming involved with it? market that would open once al storefront one day. Current- selves available. We’re not a CG: We incorporated as SC: Working collaboratively every two weeks,” remembers ly hosted by the Union Church professional firm, but we see an owner coop in 2009 and with people to come up with a Stefania. The Bay Ridge Food of Bay Ridge, on Ridge Blvd. helping other coops as part of opened our doors six years model of what we want to do Co-op is typically open twice and 80th Street, members are our job. We make time to have ago. and how we want to do it. a week and also hosts pop-up hoping for a brick and mortar the conversations,” says Ann LG: How many members does CG: This is going to sound shops to sell unsold produce, location someday soon. “We’d pointing to the assistance the your coop have? hokey, but getting to know but currently no markets are love a sweetheart deal in rent. PSFC gave La Louve, a thriving CG: We’ve broken our other member-owners more scheduled.

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