There is tremendous progress to report. Over the past several months the project has received zoning and land use approvals, as well as all of the permits required to build the new store. And recently, the project financing was completed, which allowed the co-op to purchase the last remaining parcel of land from the City of Minneapolis. This purchase coincided with the reassembly of the former parcels into one new property address, 317 38th Street East, the home of the Friendship store.

In the weeks ahead we plan to complete the demolition and utility work. During that time the site will be cleared of debris and the concrete footings and foundation for the new building will framed and poured.Work began on the site in August after two of the reusable houses were moved to new locations in the neighborhood and two were removed. The site plan calls for a new east-west section of alley at the southern end of the property. This section of alley was completed in September to allow the existing alley outlet at 38th Street to be permanently vacated. Demolition of the church building has started, and is being carried out in coordination with utility companies to ensure existing service lines are permanently rerouted around the perimeter of the property without disruption of service to their customers.

Thank you!
There are numerous people and organizations to thank for their support and for their help in getting this incredibly complex project to this stage: the Bryant and Central neighborhood groups, the Carrot Initiative, immediate neighbors, Sabathani Community Center staff, the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, city staff, Councilperson Glidden and her staff, HIRED staff, co-op Board of Directors and staff, the project team, the lender team, co-op owners for investing in the project, and the list goes on. Thank you everyone!

The co-op has requested that our general contractor, Watson-Forsberg, their co-contractor Tri-Construction, and all subcontractors make every effort to hire a construction workforce that reflects the neighborhoods around the Friendship store. We are using several metrics which mirror the goals requirements of projects which are funded with public dollars, specifically:

• 10% of subcontracted project dollars to women-owned businesses.
• 10% of subcontracted project dollars to minority-owned businesses.
• 32% of project hours completed by minority workers.
• 6% of project hours completed by women workers.

We are also asking:

• 5% of onsite project hours completed by apprentice labor.
• At least 10 people from the surrounding neighborhoods be employed on the project.

In August, the co-op co-hosted an open meeting with Watson-Forsberg and the local office of HIRED, then participated in a construction jobs open house hosted by the City of Minneapolis. These events were great opportunities for the co-op, HIRED, Watson-Forsberg and Tri-Construction to talk about the project. Both events were successful as HIRED received contact information of a large number of people from the area who are interested in working on the project. HIRED will work with the subcontractors to place as many of those job seekers on our project as possible.

October 2014 Workforce Participation Status

United Natural Trading LLC dba/ Woodstock Farms Manufacturing is recalling bulk cases of Rice Cracker Mix because they may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have allergies to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

All recalled product has been removed from Seward Co-op shelves. Affected product was potentially sold between July 20 and October 20, 2014, with the following barcode numbers (or “PLU’s”), weights, and price per pound:

PLU 2294, Woodstock Farms Bulk Rice Cracker Mix, $6.49/lb.

Recalled products will be fully refunded at our Customer Service desk.

Seward Co-op’s Education and Outreach Coordinator LaDonna Sanders-Redmond was on Fox 9 this morning, sharing a collard greens recipe for National Co-op Month.

Great tips from LaDonna on cooking greens and how to get the texture just right. Recipe here on the Fox News site.

With a Honey Cashew Chicken recipe and scrumptious dish in hand, Seward Co-op’s Tom Vogel (Marketing Manager) and Ladonna Sanders-Redmond (Education and Outreach Coordinator) went on Kare11-TV yesterday to talk co-ops, Equal Exchange cashews, and our Friendship store expansion.

As an important source of protein, an alternative to peanuts for those with allergies, and a unique ingredient for many traditional dishes, cashews are a key staple sold at Seward Co-op. Cashews are so popular with Seward customers, in fact, that we’ve sold over $56,000 worth since the beginning of 2014.

So when our long-time partner in sourcing international food, Equal Exchange, asked us to lend a hand to a cashew-growing partner in El Salvador, Seward agreed to help.

“We look to Equal Exchange to find and vet internationally traded product,” said Tom Vogel, Seward’s marketing manager. “So when they tell us about a small producer in peril and ask for help, we consider that a worthwhile cause.”

Equal Exchange has resided in Seward Co-op’s coffee aisle for almost 30 years. In 1987, they were the very first company to make a “fair trade” claim on coffee in the United States, and today they continue to innovate, making inroads to U.S. markets for small farmers who wouldn’t otherwise have access.

Equal Exchange continues to innovate, proposing to raise $200,000 over a five-year period for Aprainores — a cashew producer cooperative of 62 farming families in El Salvador — and help strengthen the productive capacity of the cashew cooperative as a whole.

Aprainores drew Equal Exchange’s attention because its story is particularly harsh. After the end of the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992, the cashew cooperative was formed. It did well selling to various fair trade groups, but in 2005, found itself $350,000 in debt after serious malfeasance by its managing director. Today, after almost 10 years of barely treading water, the co-op’s farmers are in dire need of upgrading their operations, in addition to being saddled with massive debt. Adding insult to injury, a devastating storm wiped out their crops earlier this year.

Phyllis Robinson of Equal Exchange was present in El Salvador when Aprainores’s new General Manager, Alex Flores, explained to the co-op farmers that it would be another year without profits.

“He reminded them that much of their hardship was due to the significant debt they were carrying,” Robinson said. “Nevertheless, he tried to encourage them. In seven years, they had paid off more than two-thirds of the debt; a few more years and they would be in the clear.”

After meeting personally with co-op management and taking a look at their books, Equal Exchange believed Flores was correct. By 2012, under his skilled guidance, the co-op’s 55 producer members had consolidated, fair trade and organic certifications were earned, and they’d purchased a processing plant that now employs 30. Furthermore, demand for cashews in the international market vastly outstrips supply.

With all this in mind, Equal Exchange began organizing food co-ops in the United States to join them in helping Aprainores over the next five years.

“We would like to invite 15 of our most committed and loyal food co-op and natural food store partners to join with us to help. Through this project,” Equal Exchange said in a statement to potential grocery co-op partners, “our goal is to increase the amount of cashews available for export [from Aprainores] by 33 percent.”

As a co-op thoroughly dedicated to the sixth principle of cooperation (cooperation among co-ops), Seward has decided to join the project as one of the 15 “loyal food co-ops.”

“This is a great example of co-ops working together to strengthen an international farmer co-op and tell Aprainores’ story to our owners,” Vogel said. “It’s also a wonderful way to demonstrate the potential impact of cooperation during Co-op Month.”

Seward owners can take part in the project as well. From October to December, Equal Exchange will donate 50 cents per pound on Aprainores cashews sold at our store, and Seward Co-op will also donate 50 cents per pound.

“We have only just begun this work, and we are so excited and so proud of the enthusiasm and the commitment we have received already,” Robinson said. “Hats off to Berkshire Co-op Market [Massachusetts], River Valley Market [Massachusetts], Weaver’s Street Market [North Carolina], and Seward Community Co-op for being the first food co-ops to understand the value of this initiative and give us a resounding ‘Yes.’”

Photo: Aprainores Cashew Co-op farmer courtesy Equal Exchange.

Love GMOs? Then Label ‘Em!

A coalition called Right to Know Minnesota (RTK-MN) has organized a campaign supporting passage of a labeling bill to require foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be labeled as such. This joins with over two dozen other state initiatives for GMO labeling and 64 countries that currently label. RTK-MN members include state representatives, farmers, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, food co-ops, chefs, the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, and a variety of environmental organizations. While there are varying views about GMOs among members, we all respectfully agree that they should be labeled.

According to recent national surveys done by Neilson, “GMO-free” is the fastest growing health and wellness claim among stores’ private labels, and a 2010 Thomson-Reuters poll found that over 90 percent of Americans want genetically modified foods to be labeled. With this kind of citizen support, Minnesota is well-positioned to become a national leader in the fight for transparency in food labeling.

Minnesota’s 2015 legislative session will include discussion of H.F. 3140 and S.F. 2865, bills that would mandate the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients. These bills are sure to be controversial, as they pit the interests of consumers and health/environmental advocates against those of large-scale agribusiness and the biotechnology industry.

Stay informed about the latest on these bills by following Right to Know Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for alerts here. Also, on the RTK-MN website: find a voter guide with information where about candidates stand on GMO labeling. See if your candidate(s) answered and what they said.

In support of this action, Seward Co-op is:
• A Right to Know Minnesota coalition member.
• A supporting retailer of the Non-GMO Project.
• A partner in the Just Label It campaign.

Seward Co-op’s product standards include a specific statement about prioritizing non-GMO-verified products.

At Seward Co-op: GMO Right to Know Event
Saturday, Oct. 18, noon–4 p.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, join us in recognizing GMO Right to Know Month by learning about the co-op’s relationship with the GMO labeling movement. Meet Right to Know Minnesota board member and Birchwood Café owner, Tracy Singleton, and sample Birchwood’s amazing, non-GMO-verified granola with Kalona organic yogurt. Also, say hello to local, small-scale producer Kadejan, while sampling their free-range chicken and learning about their effort to raise money to build an on-property mill to process non-GMO feed.