Issue 46 • Summer Newsletter 2016 IN THIS ISSUE: 2 Managing Growth 3 The Next Step 6 CCMA Visits the Pioneer Valley 7 Patronage Dividend Four Star Farms 8 Strawberry Ice Cream Social The Importance Jenny Miller Sechler CISA Volunteer 9 Austin Miller Co-op of Pollinators Hero Awards Adapted from CISA Farmer Profile Claudia Broman for Stronger Together 10 Local & Fair Trade Spotlight Anyone who talks to Liz L’Etoile of Four Star A simple lunchtime meal could look drastically 11 Shade-Grown Coffee Farms will come away from the conversation different without bees. We can thank these thinking about grains the way most people think 12 A Taste of Place pollinators for about one out of every three bites about fine wine. “We are hoping to get folks to of food we eat, including many of our favorite 13 Pesto Many Ways use flour in more specific ways,” says L’Etoile. fruits like blueberries, peaches, blackberries, Four Star certainly provides a lot of grains for 14 Preserving Your Organic grapefruit, raspberries, oranges, pears and plums. Harvest people to choose from. The L’Etoile family has As pollinators, bees flitting around apple been growing hops, barley, wheat, spelt, rye, 15 Arts & Community orchards and cranberry bogs move pollen from triticale, and corn for corn meal on their farm in the male parts of trees and plants to the female 16 Ask Ursula Northfield for 7 years and supplying the co-op parts. This shift of pollen allows the flowers with their products since 2009. to produce fruit. Many crops, like almonds, They have developed an appreciation avocados, cucumbers and even onions, wouldn't for each grain, as well as an understanding produce much, if anything, without the help of of how weather conditions and climate bees. In the U.S. alone, bee pollinators annually impact the end product in their customers’ contribute to about $20 billion of products kitchens. It helps that between five of them, people use every day. Recent scientific studies they boast degrees in fields as diverse as show that bee pollination is directly connected engineering, food science, and social work, to human health. and experience in everything from building People need to consume a variety of nutrients submarines to working in hospitals. The to stay healthy. Globally, the crops that provide L’Etoile family’s warmth, enthusiasm these nutrients vary widely from place to place, and inventiveness have made all the with developing regions of the world being more difference in their role as forerunners in dependent on particular fruits and vegetables Massachusetts’ grain farming revival. than others. Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4 MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM RIVER VALLEY CO-OP SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2016 River Valley Co-op Managing Growth 330 North King Street Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 584-2665 www.rivervalley.coop OUR EXPANSION DECISIONS ARE [email protected] LOCAL DECISIONS UNIQUE TO OUR River Valley Co-op is a consumer-owned, CIRCUMSTANCES. retail food co-op with a mission to create a just marketplace that nourishes the community. Dorian Gregory Board President Everyone is welcome! We are open 7 days a week, from 8 am to 10 pm. I am happy to report that co-op expansion reminded that there are many things we can BOARD OF DIRECTORS planning continues on track for identifying a second plan for: Dorian Gregory, President store location. The leadership team has identified • Building up our internal readiness and capacity Andrea Stanley, Vice President a couple of potential sites and market studies are to manage growth and change (staff and Board) Lynn DiTullio, Treasurer helping us sort out the possibilities. Jade Barker, Clerk The Board has also been increasing our • Ensuring sound fiscal policies and smart financial Steve Bruner knowledge base through educational opportunities planning Christine Dutton at Board meetings that are focused on learning • Educating ourselves about the competitive Eric Friedland-Kays about the local commercial real estate market, marketplace, projecting financial results, Rosalyn Malkin understanding pro forma financial statements evaluating lease vs. buy decisions Alex Risley Schroeder and projections, and evaluating various owner Rochelle Prunty, General Manager • Communicating with our community, owners, capitalization options available to the co-op in Board, staff, shoppers, cities, towns and CO-OP EVENTS & financing this first expansion. neighborhoods to ensure that the co-op OUTREACH VOLUNTEERS While our expansion decisions are local continues to reflect our values and that our Jane Nevinsmith decisions unique to our circumstances, we can work is transparent and inclusive Diane Stewart still learn a lot from others. We reached out to Trevor "The Games Man" City Market, Onion River Co-op in downtown And then there are the realities of the local Burlington, VT for our Board’s annual retreat. commercial real estate market, larger macro- PHOTOGRAPHY During our visit, we had focused conversations economic events that impact the region and River Valley Co-op Staff the economy, and so many things we cannot Jim Gipe, Pivot Media with their Board president, directors and their general manager. anticipate or control. We have to be ready to Ben Barnhart, bbimages seize opportunities when they arise, and cultivate Erbin Crowell, NFCA It was exciting to learn from Bonnie Hudspeth, NFCA resiliency to bounce back from any setbacks or other cooperators and to share obstacles that may occur. It makes me grateful NEWSLETTER that we are building a co-op that is as vibrant and Natasha Latour, Editor with pride some of the things resilient as the local food system we need and Trevor Powers, Design & Layout support. we do really well but also I love being part of a community effort to For events listings, see our online about lessons learned. strengthen my local food system and ensure access calendar and sign up for e-mail updates to healthy food to everyone in my community. at www.rivervalley.coop It was especially rewarding to re-discover Having a local food co-op means a lot to me, and how unique each co-op is and how each co-op I appreciate the opportunity to do this work on Follow us! reflects the community it serves. Learning Facebook: River Valley Co-op behalf of a community of co-op owners (you!) Twitter and Instagram: @rivervalleycoop about the paths of different co-ops over time – who each day make decisions and take actions that some 70 years old, some 40, some like ours 10 strengthen our co-op, our local food system, and years or younger – provided great insight and our community. Thank you! encouragement to all of us. I am encouraged by some of these lessons learned and I am page 2 The Next Step OUR CO-OP HAD MORE CUSTOMERS, MORE NEW OWNERS, AND MOVED MORE LOCAL FOOD THROUGH ITS DOORS IN 2016 THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE. Rochelle Prunty General Manager June 30th marked the end of our 2016 business feasibility and hope to secure an option on one of The retail food business is changing quickly with year with much to be grateful for and much to them within the coming year. a rush for all food retailers to incorporate organic look forward to. Thank you to co-op owners The overall timeline is still out a couple years and local foods into mainstream formats and old and new for your support of the ongoing before we will be opening a second store. We brands. We see a great opportunity to leverage development of River Valley Co-op into a are working with Wright Builders, Berkshire these competitive challenges by spreading the business that meets more of your grocery needs Design, Douglas Architects, CDS Consulting economic and social benefits River Valley Co-op while also building community and the local Co-op and the NCG Development Co-op on generates to multiple stores. economy. Thank you to our local vendors for preliminary feasibility studies. The details need to the increasing supply of fresh foods. Thank you remain confidential at this time as we engage in Increased sales and co-op to our staff for the daily dedication to operating real estate negotiations, but we are expecting to ownership will strengthen our co-op business. Thank you to the leadership secure an agreement within the next six months of our Board of Directors for envisioning a just that will enable us to securely disclose our our economic engine to marketplace through the growth of our co-op. preferred location while we continue for another benefit our local farmers And thank you to our many co-op, business, and 6-12 months to develop construction plan community partners who support our work. details and the financing for the project. The final and vendors, our staff, Our co-op had more customers, more new decision on the second store will be made by the owners, and moved more local food through its co-op’s Board of Directors upon securing the our customers, and the doors in 2016 than we ever have before in spite financing (which is expected to include significant communities we serve. of spending much of the last year undertaking a co-op owner financing in addition to bank loans) remodeling project. Thank you for bearing with after all the construction planning has been done. In last year’s co-op owner survey 60% of our us and helping us reach a milestone of $25 million The next step after that will be construction owners stated that they preferred a second store in annual sales. which may take up to a year to complete. This is that would take some pressure off the crowding The remodel and rebranding projects were not a fast process, we’ve been discussing a second in our current store.