Just six weeks into our capital campaign, Seward Co-op owners have invested $788,500 — 31 percent of our $2.5 million goal. With roughly ten weeks left in the offering, we are well on our way to securing the investments needed to build the Friendship Store and renovate the Creamery. In addition to purchasing shares of…  Read More →

In the past five years, Seward Co-op’s ownership has nearly tripled, so it’s not surprising that owners have already invested $674,500 — 27% of our goal — in Seward’s Friendship Store & Franklin Creamery Projects. But in case you didn’t know about Seward’s twin expansion projects or haven’t heard anything recently, here’s a brief recap/update:…  Read More →

Note: Sale prices on the items mentioned in this article ended Tuesday, April 15. You know “shave and hair cut two bits,” right? When you’re at the co-op today, hum the words Sale and a Coupon: No Way! to that tune and it’ll help you remember to save a boatload of money. It’s a little…  Read More →

On March 18, 2014 from 6–8 p.m., the Seward Co-op convened a community meeting to discuss the new Friendship Store. The meeting, held at Sabathani Community Center, was designed and facilitated by Yvonne Cheek of Millennium Consulting Group. The agenda for the meeting was shaped by interviews with community residents and by a planning committee…  Read More →

The co-op’s launch party for the 2014 capital campaign was a lively and successful event. Around 200 co-op owners and community members visited the Franklin Cooperative Creamery building at 2601 E. Franklin Ave. to tour the space and learn about investment opportunities in the co-op. Direct investments from owners will help make possible a new…  Read More →

We invite you to join us for a community meeting on Tuesday, March 18, from 6–8 p.m. in the gymnasium (2nd floor) of the Sabathani Community Center. At this meeting, we will continue to discuss ways in which we can work together to build a grocery store that best serves our community. We would like…  Read More →

“If you build it, will they come?” That’s the essential question of NPR’s article It Takes More Than A Produce Aisle To Refresh A Food Desert that’s been making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds this week. As it happens, the article is a nice bit of synchronicity for Seward. As we contemplate the…  Read More →

The new Farm Bill, or, the Agricultural Act of 2014, is being signed into law today, and as usual, every sector of the country and economy is finding something to despise in it. The sustainable foods movement can take heart and celebrate several small victories though. Farm Bill 2014 makes it easier for low income…  Read More →

Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables started in 1995 as Jack Hedin and Jenni McHugh’s five-acre garden at the Zephyr Valley Land Co-op near Winona, Minn. Since then, the farm has relocated to land near the town of Rushford, Minn., and now employs nearly 50 people working on over 250 acres of optimal vegetable-growing ground. Beginning in…  Read More →

Heartbeet Farm, outside of Lake City, Minn., is a relatively new producer for Seward Co-op. Owned by Joe and Rebecca Schwen, Heartbeet uses a combination of draft horses, small tractors and other technologies to grow a wide variety of vegetables. In coordination with Earthen Path, a farm long owned and managed by Steven Schwen (Joe’s…  Read More →