Our 2019 SEED grant recipients, including those chosen by the Community Choice public vote, were announced at the Annual Owner Meeting on Oct. 30.

We’re proud that selection for our 12 yearly SEED recipients is led entirely by co-op staff, with a majority of cashiers serving on the committee. This year, the staff committee selected eight of the 12 recipients for 2019, leaving one Community Choice recipient per quarter.

The eight SEED recipients selected this summer are:

Appetite For Change
Cultural Wellness Center
Dream of Wild Health
Isuroon
Sabathani Community Center
Soup for You Café
Southside Services, Inc.
Village Financial Cooperative

Community Choice
Seward Co-op owners and customers were invited to select four SEED recipients from a list of 10 finalists reviewed by the staff-led grant committee.

The four organizations with the highest vote totals are part of Seward Co-op’s 2019 SEED recipient calendar. All 10 organizations on this list will receive a small grant through the Seward Community Fund, whether or not they are ultimately selected as a SEED recipient. Nearly 2,000 community members and co-op owners participated during the voting period between September 19-Oct 10.

The 2019 Community Choice SEED Recipients are:

Mental Health Resources
Open Arms of Minnesota
Sexual Violence Center
Green Garden Bakery

Seward Co-op owners have so much to be proud of—with an average donation of only 40 cents per transaction, we are able to raise over $20,000 every single month through the SEED round-up program. It’s a great example of the power of cooperation, and the program is a national model within the co-op movement.

Thank you to everyone who voted—and to everyone who donates when they shop!

Why did the board vote to remove one of its members?

The board voted to remove director Filiberto Nolasco Gomez for cause, under Section 5(b) of the co-op’s bylaws. Filiberto received the 10-day notice of the proposed removal and had the opportunity to be heard at the August 28, 2018 board meeting, pursuant to the bylaws. We do not undertake director removal lightly. We tried over several months to raise the board’s concerns with Filiberto, with a goal of addressing them informally and finding a way to repair the relationship through mediation. Filiberto has not been willing to take part in these efforts.

The board has been concerned about ongoing false and misleading information. Some of this information is being spread by the board member in question. As a board, we believe this director has a conflict of interest and has repeatedly violated his fiduciary responsibility to the co-op. We have tried to have a dialogue with this director and he has refused to engage. The word fiduciary means: legal responsibility to act solely in the interest of all co-op owners.

Our board policies identify a code of conduct that requires a director to report conflicted loyalties that could interfere with their role as a director of the co-op. Removal is being considered because this director has taken actions and engaged in behaviors that are a violation of board policy. Our bylaws provide a process for removal.

• This director has engaged in actions the board has found are contrary to a director’s fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of the co-op. In particular, without the board’s knowledge or approval, the director attended and filmed a workplace grievance brought by employees to management objecting to the termination of a co-worker for cause and requesting more latitude on tardiness for employees. On August 3, he published the footage, through Workday MN, replacing audio with his own commentary and failing to disclose his status as a member of the BOD. After this event the board began contemplating removing the director from the board.
• We have found this director has violated the board’s Code of Conduct.
• This director did not disclose his conflict of interest to the board until June 19, 2018, despite a board process to disclose potential conflicts in November, 2017, and the ongoing obligation to disclose potential conflicts.
• This director has inserted himself into a role inconsistent with board policy.

The board certainly acknowledges and supports the rights of Seward staff to organize, and for journalists and other members of the community to discuss, debate, express, and publish opinions about the unionizing effort and the co-op.

The fiduciary duty of a board director, however, dictates that you wear one hat or the other – but not both simultaneously, except when explicitly authorized by a board decision.

The board unanimously decided to remove Filiberto Nolasco Gomez.

The director’s term was up for election in 2018, and the new director will be decided at the annual meeting in October.

The statement read by board president Mary Alice Smalls on behalf of the board at the August 28, 2018 meeting and an FAQ are available here.

Farmworkers are the food system’s most vital workers; their labor allows us to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. Despite farmworkers’ economic and cultural contributions to the communities in which they live and work, they continue to be among the lowest paid, least protected and unhealthiest workers in the United States. The international principles that guide Seward as a consumer cooperative, along with our Ends Statement, challenge us to provide goods and services in a socially responsible way. Despite the growing interest and demand for natural foods, this remains a difficult challenge as farmworkers are largely invisible to shoppers and diners.

Co-op shoppers have a strong interest in high-quality food. Awareness of farmworkers, who are often exploited, needs to be part of that equation. Eighty-five percent of fruits and vegetables harvested in this country is handpicked, and it is estimated that between 2 million and 3 million men, women and children work in the fields across America. Many farmworkers live in poor conditions, small spaces and have unpredictable work. Instead of valuing farmworkers in our society, we undercut their ability to live and work by denying them a living wage and benefits like healthcare. When compared to others, the people who plant and harvest our fruits and vegetables suffer from the highest rate of toxic-chemical injuries, as well as higher incidences of heat stress, dermatitis, urinary tract infections, parasitic infections and tuberculosis. In extreme cases, farmworkers can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved—all within the borders of the United States.

Farmworkers remain unnoticed by many and continue to live and work in unacceptable conditions, in part because farmworkers are treated differently under the law. Federal law simply does not guarantee farmworkers unemployment insurance, protection when joining a union or overtime pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act was amended in 1978 to mandate minimum wage for farmworkers on large farms only, and it does not include provisions for overtime. Though an increasing number of consumers choose locally and organically grown food, farmworker justice is often not part of food conversations.

At Seward Co-op, we recognize that we exist within a large, often exploitative, industrial food system. That context presents challenges in operating two full-service grocery stores, a production kitchen and a café. However, we remain committed to honoring the critical economic and cultural contributions made by farmworkers. Every day, our staff demonstrates our commitment to social responsibility by seeking out truly sustainable local growers and producers, who acknowledge the abuse and inequities in agriculture and actively work against them. Over the past 45 years, we have built strong relationships with local farmers and have seen firsthand how they treat the land and farmworkers. The trust that comes with these relationships is something a label or certification simply cannot ensure. Unfortunately, until all farmworkers are wholly protected under federal law, there are national brands and products on our shelves that contribute to this nation’s dominant agricultural system and its inherent injustices. All grocers, including Seward and other food co-ops, meet the needs of their customers by offering national brands in seasons when local is unavailable.

During National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW), March 24–31, Seward Co-op honors the contributions of farmworkers. Please join us on Friday, March 30, at the Friendship store for an evening screening of Food Chains, a documentary film about agricultural labor in the United States. As conscious consumers throughout the year, stay attuned to opportunities to positively impact our food system. Please consider rounding-up your grocery or café purchase for SEED, especially when the funds raised are directed at local, socially responsible farms like the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) and Dream of Wild Health.

Seward Co-op is a member of two advocacy organizations—Domestic Fair Trade Association and National Co+op Grocers—that support actions and advocacy for just living and working conditions for farmworkers, and an end to unfair treatment under the law. Please follow our social media posts March 24–31 in recognition of National Farmworker Awareness Week, sponsored by Student Action with Farmworkers in North Carolina.

Congratulations to Vina Kay and Filiberto Nolasco Gomez on their election to the Seward Co-op Board of Directors, and to Lenny Nelson for his re-election to the board. The results were announced at the Annual Owner Meeting on Oct. 23. Full election results are available here.

There were three at-large seats up for election this year (two three-year terms and one one-year term; the candidate receiving the third-highest number of votes serves the one-year term). Vina and Lenny were elected to three-year terms, and Filiberto was elected to the one-year term.

Thank you to all who ran and all who voted. Your participation in the election maintains our healthy co-op democracy and helps us in the direction we take as a community-owned business.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2017 Annual Owner Meeting. This year’s meeting was held at the University of Minnesota in the Great Hall of the Coffman Memorial Union. Seward Co-op owners enjoyed live music by Kenn Wanaku and David Stenshoel, a performance by Appetite for Change, and an engaging conversation led by Diversity and Community Engagement Manager LaDonna Redmond Sanders and guest chef Tunde Wey regarding the true cost of food. We ended the night by welcoming two new directors—Vina Kay and Filiberto Nolasco Gomez and congratulating Lenny Nelson on re-election. Full election results are available here. Photos from the evening are available on our Facebook page.

As we reflect on fiscal year 2017, which ended June 30, Seward Co-op has a lot to celebrate as an organization and community of owners.

We invite everyone to become a co-op owner through multiple payment options and a needs-based discount:
• 18,253 total owners
• 1,850 new owners

We hire staff who reflect the neighborhoods in which we operate:
• 58% of staff reside within 1.5 miles of our locations
• 35% of staff identify as people of color
• 15% of staff are multilingual

We prioritize and promote giving back to the community:
• $297,913 raised in SEED donations
• $71,241 given in the form of grants, donations, and sponsorships
• 465 paid employee community service hours

We contribute to a more equitable economy by offering quality products through intentional sourcing:
• $20.8 million in P6 (small-scale, locally produced, and/or cooperative enterprise) sales, or 46% of sales.
• A total of $2.7 million fair trade products sold.

We source products that minimize negative environmental impacts:
• $17.6 million in organic product sales, or 39% of sales.
• $19 million in local product sales

We offer products that are accessible and affordable:
• $1.1 million in SNAP and WIC transactions
• $390,346 in needs-based discounts
• $2.1 million in Nourish products sold

We operate using 35% less energy compared to industry norms:
• 80% of all Seward Co-op waste is recycled.

Only 23 percent of children in West Africa who enter primary school actually finish 6^th grade. The main reasons are lack of basic supplies and transportation. Since Alaffia built their first school in 2011, they have built 10 schools and donated school supplies to more than 20,000 students in Togo. Through Sept. 30, co-op owners and shoppers can donate the following items:

• #2 pencils
• Ball point pens
• White chalk
• Protractors
• Metal compasses
• Lined paper

Please bring any donations to the Wellness desk in either of our store locations. With your support, Alaffia will be able to provide thousands of students with much needed school supplies.

Alaffia is a fair-trade producer cooperative of skin and body care products in Togo, West Africa. The women of the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative gather shea nuts and hand craft shea butter and other raw ingredients using traditional, sustainable methods. The cooperative’s unrefined shea butter is then used as the base for Alaffia’s skin and hair care products, handmade in Lacey, Wash.

In 2003, Alaffia’s founders began the process of establishing an organization that would empower communities while preserving culture and resources. It was apparent that shea butter was the resource that would truly empower local Togolese. Members of the Alaffia cooperative have the opportunity to use their traditional knowledge and skills to support their families, while making indigenous, sustainable and effective skin care available to the global community. Furthermore, Alaffia dedicates a minimum of 10 percent of all sales to community-empowerment projects in Togo, so the impact of fair-trade, handcrafted shea butter reaches beyond the cooperative. Alaffia shea butter is certified Fair for Life by the Institute for Marketecology, one of the first and most renowned international certification agencies for organic and social accountability.

Purchase tickets here!

Share a traditional Nigerian meal with us on Monday, Oct. 23 at our Annual Owner Meeting. Guest Chef Tunde Wey, along with Seward Co-op’s Diversity and Community Engagement Manager LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, will engage co-op owners in an open dialogue around the real cost of food using the 1863 Homestead Act to spark the conversation.

The 1863 Homestead Act was critical to the founding of Minnesota and paved the way for the evolving nature of labor on the land as experienced by many small family farms, migrant farmers and food service workers. It encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land. By 1862, most of the land that was still available for homesteaders was located in subprime farming regions prone to wildfires, damaging wind and problematic pests.

Together, we will discuss the acquisition of land for arriving immigrants, the emancipation from slavery of Africans Americans, and Native American Indian removal caused by the Act, as well as its effect on racial discrimination, wealth inequity, and its impacts on rural and urban communities.

Annual Owner Meeting Menu

Egusi Stew with Pounded Yam
The Nigerian Egusi soup, prepared with melon seeds, is popular in West Africa. The soup is thickened with the ground seeds, and is prepared by most tribes in Nigeria in many different ways.

Pounded Yam
Pounded yam is one of the Nigerian fufu recipes. It is eaten with Nigerian soups, dipped into the soup like bread.

Moi
Bean cake made with African honey beans.

Stewed Chicken with Pepper Sauce

Desserts
House-made by Seward Co-op
Triple chocolate cookies
Made-without-gluten peanut butter cookies
Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Vegan poppy seed cookies

Fruits, Veggies and Dips
Provided by The Wedge Catering
Fruit and nut trays
Raw veggie trays
Roasted veggie trays
Parmesan and artichoke dip
Roasted red pepper hummus
Spinach dip served with crostini, flat breads, Tuscan bread and crackers
Roasted vegetables

Beverages
Local beer
Wine
Non-alcoholic beverages: organic apple juice, organic milk, Joia soda, LaCroix,
Peace Coffee

* Please note that the annual meeting will be photographed.

During February 2017, nearly 500 Seward Community Co-op owners provided their feedback on the cooperative’s performance. Seward appears to be meeting owners’ needs quite well; nearly 90% of the respondents said they were satisfied or extremely satisfied, and we rank highly relative to other food cooperatives around the country. However, newer owners are less satisfied with Seward than more long-time owners, and overall satisfaction indicators have been trending slightly downward since 2013.

In terms of shopper satisfaction with store characteristics, Seward ranks significantly higher than the average cooperative with respect to some key store features: quality/freshness of its products, location, hours, atmosphere, and natural/organic products. Seward Co-op owners are even more pleased with the quality of store departments; nearly every department meets the needs of a significantly higher proportion of owners than the average cooperative.

Compared to other cooperatives around the country, Seward owners spend a significantly higher proportion of their food budget at the cooperative. In 2017, nearly half said that Seward is their primary grocery store.

Owner awareness of the P6 and Nourish programs was mixed. A much higher proportion (70%) was aware of the P6 initiative than the Nourish program (43%). Consumers seem to place more value on an item being organic or local than whether it is classified as P6.

In terms of communications, Seward owners continue to prefer more traditional forms of communication (emails/e-newsletter, in-store postings and mailings) over social media communication (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Large majorities of respondents said they are satisfied with the frequency and content of communications from us.

Seward Co-op, based on the 2017 results, continues to be high performing. The results suggest the need to address some issues: consolidating our position with newer owners, trying to determine the source of erosion of the proportion of very satisfied owners, considering the array of products offered at the Friendship store, and concerns about prices. Seward comes at these issues from a position of strength vis a vis owners’ attitudes about the cooperative.

In 2017, Seward Co-op looks forward to providing the community with healthy and sustainably produced food. Concern for community is one of the seven principles on which cooperatives are founded, and co-ops have a strong commitment to support their neighborhoods. This integrity of purpose underlines the vital role Seward and other co-ops play in the quality of our lives.

Building Commonwealth in 2016

This fall, the Friendship store celebrated its first anniversary and the Seward Co-op Creamery Café reopened after summer renovations and a menu relaunch. The Friendship store continues to perform beyond our expectations and the renovated café provides family-friendly dishes, and an upbeat and inviting atmosphere. Since opening the Friendship store and Creamery Café, thousands of new households have become owners of the co-op.

At Seward, we strive to build stronger relationships among employees, vendors, customers and our broader community by creating spaces in which people can come together over food. We are constantly asking ourselves how we can be more welcoming to all at the co-op. In 2016, this required that we acknowledge the larger historical context of racism and discrimination in our society and take proactive steps, as the board of directors did in September by publicly stating our co-op’s support for Black Lives Matter.

We take pride in the impact we make with our three distinct business units. We are able to offer more products and services from small-scale, local, and cooperative producers. And, each Seward Co-op location allows community members to gather over food, connecting with old friends and new acquaintances.

Community Giving

In early 2016, we reached $1 million in donations to local nonprofits via our SEED round-up program! Seward Co-op has made it a priority to give back to the community. In the spirit of the cooperative principles, the co-op launched SEED in 2011, a fundraising program that provides customers an opportunity to round-up their bill for organizations that share Seward’s commitment to a healthy community.

In the spring, Seward Co-op and many Twin Cities co-ops, teamed up to participate in the MN FoodShare March Campaign. Together, we raised a grand total of 109,371.37 dollars/pounds for the campaign! (This total is comprised of $97,211.67 and 12,159.7 lbs. of food.)

From Thursday, Nov. 17–Wednesday, Nov. 23 Seward Co-op donated 1 percent of all P6 sales, a total of $4,522, to the Cooperative Development Fund, a charitable family of funds that advances economic development through co-ops. These funds will be directed to area farms, many of which Seward has purchased from for years, that experienced damaging rains and consequential farm devastation in the 2016 growing season.

Recognition from Government Officials

In August, we received a visit from U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew. Lew and his staff visited the Friendship store because part of the financing for the building came in the form of a New Markets Tax Credit. Lew helped create this tax credit in the 1990s during the Clinton administration. The credit is aimed to create jobs and improve lives of people in low-income communities.

Representative Keith Ellison also paid a visit to the Friendship store in January. The congressperson toured the store, met with staff, and discussed the co-op’s recycling program and diversity hiring goals.

Seward Co-op is here to make the season of giving cheerful and bright! If you are someone with last minute gift needs, here is a list of ideas are under $20.

Evolution Himalayan Salt Lamps $14.99 (Reg. $19.99)
Salt lamps are said to cleanse and deodorize the air, all while putting off a pleasant soft pink glow. They offer a relaxing ambiance to any room!

Spa Room Diffusers ($12.99) & Wyndmere Orange Essential Oil $3.29 (Reg. $4.19)
Essential oils are great companions for managing moods and general sense of wellbeing. Spa Room offers small diffusers that are perfect for scenting a small space. We recommend starting with something uplifting like citrus essential oils, because most people are pleased with this scent!

Darn Tough Socks ($17.99 – $20.99)
People love these wool socks! Not only are they warm and cozy, they also come with a life-time guarantee! A gift that won’t disappoint!

Chinook Book Coupon’s Book $17.00 (Reg. $22.00) Mobile Application $10.00 (Reg. Price $14.00)
Great gift for that thriftster in your life! Chinook book offers hundreds of coupons for local restaurants, stores, and entertainment venues across the Twin Cities!

Fierce Ferments Fire Tonic $14.99
This tonic packs a punch! The blend of apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, habanero peppers and other herbs help soothe a cold. This tonic is very versatile, take it as a shot, add it to a hot toddy, or make a snazzy salad dressing.