If it were a “normal” year, by now we’d have lots of local produce: ramps, radishes, a wide selection of tender herbs, watercress, spring mix, etc., etc., etc. But it is gloomy and chilly yet, the trees in Powderhorn Park just barely showing evidence that leaves will exist again. One hundred years or so ago, we’d have been subsisting on sprouting potatoes and sad storage cabbages left over from autumn harvests, so let’s be thankful for the glory that comes our way from California and other southern locations. The red onions, for instance, are back again, and we have lovely stone fruit and melons filling up about a third of the fruit tables. So, while we wait for the sun to come out and warm up our soil, here are a few particularly delicious treats:

Orange honeydew — Personally, I almost always like orange melon better than green, and at this moment honey is an appropriate term of endearment for these fruits. I’m a bit of a purist, because I don’t think any preparation other than cutting and deseeding improves a melon of any kind. That’s my opinion, though, and a lot of people like to fill the hollow of a half melon with yogurt and berries.

Peas— most of the time there are two choices: sugar snap and snow. Snow peas are flatter and often a little less sweet, and sugar snaps are fat with sweet green peas. The latter are quite versatile — sautéed, steamed, or raw are all delicious; while the former are usually used best in a stir fry. A bowl of sesame scallion noodles with slivered peapods sounds great to me today, or actually any day.

Mexican peaches — It’s amazing to me how early we can source peaches. And these are certainly worth eating. They are smaller and paler than the California ones that come into season later in the year, but the flavor is deeper and more concentrated.

English cucumbers — Most of the time these days we have these guys in stock from Living Waters in Wells, Minn. The skin is tender, which means they don’t need to be peeled, but it also means that they lose moisture very rapidly once harvested, which is why they are always wrapped in plastic. I’ve been cutting them into small cubes and combining them with radishes cut similarly in a miso and scallion dressing. Very healthy and spring-like.

Local herbs — Although the supply of herbs at the moment is much lower than normal, we’ve still been getting a few bunches of mint, tarragon and oregano from Wisconsin Growers. Take it as a sign of hope, and mince the tarragon into eggs, throw oregano into the spaghetti sauce, and make some mint tea. More varieties will be coming in soon.

As a final note, let’s talk about the price of limes. It’s high, getting close to $6/lb. This has come up in conversation outside of work, and I’ve seen a few articles about it in newspapers, so it seems appropriate to address the issue. There hasn’t been much domestic production of limes since 2001 when there was a citrus canker outbreak in Florida, the only area of the United States with a suitable climate for commercial lime growing. Now we get nearly 90% of our limes from Mexico, where, this year, there have been significant weather and disease problems, compounded by supply restrictions caused by drug cartels active in the lime-growing regions. For now, it seems that we will just have to tolerate the high prices. I would suggest that lime juice can be mixed with the much cheaper lemon.

With the investments tallied from the first week of May, we officially surpassed one million dollars with $1,116,420 in owner investments. This number is the result of 114 investors and includes a healthy mix of Class C stock purchases and owner loans. With the introduction of the “Grow Together” t-shirt, investments now range from $30 to over $100,000.

This is a fantastic milestone to reach but know that our campaign is ongoing and we continue to work toward our goal of $2.5 million. If you haven’t invested, consider the investment opportunities that Seward Co-op is offering and pick up an investment packet at customer service or by contacting Jill Livingston at 612-314-2012. If you have invested, we encourage you to talk with your friends and neighbors about opportunities for ownership and investment at Seward Co-op. We are grateful to have such engaged and supportive owners. Thank you!

The next time you’re in the big green co-op, go to register lane 4 and you’ll find a display of brand new, crisp and beautiful t-shirts that are brimming with cooperative POWER:

These shirts were designed by Tammy Ortegon, a South Minneapolis artist where she runs the ColorWheel. Ortegon has also been a founding board member of Women Create (a women’s art collective) and SMARTS (South Minneapolis Arts Business Association), and we’re so fortunate to have her expertise for this shirt.

Ortegon’s art on the “Grow Together” t-shirt shows the dynamic community surrounding our co-op at a time when huge things are possible: The Friendship Store, the purchase and development of the Creamery Building, and the capital investment campaign to make these projects happen.

In fact, all proceeds from the t-shirt will go to Friendship/Creamery capital campaign, so buying a “Grow Together” shirt is a two-fer: It’s a terrific way to contribute to Seward’s twin expansion projects AND proclaim your pride in your co-op’s vibrant community.

Learn more about investing in your co-op to make the Friendship Store and the Creamery building project a reality.

If you would like information on these investment opportunities, please check out frequently asked questions here, and request the offering document from Customer Service or by contacting Jill Livingston at 612-314-2012.

To make the Friendship Store and Creamery Building projects a reality, Seward needs to raise $2.5 million by June 30, 2014.

Want to help us do it?

Here’s how:

1. Invest

We’re offering an investment opportunity to Seward’s owners that will make you money while strengthening the financial base of Seward Co-op. We aren’t asking for donations or a handout — these are stocks and loans with a rate of return to you, Seward’s owners.

Our target return on investment for what we call “Class C Stock” is 4%, which many owners have reported is a better deal than their credit unions or banks have been offering.

“Owner loans” are another option and rates vary between 3.5–5.5%. More information is available in the offering summary found in investment packets at the Customer Service Desk in the store. Or, call 612-314-2012 to speak with Jill Livingston, Seward Co-op’s Owner Capitalization Coordinator.

2. Buy a Tammy Ortegon “Grow Together” T-shirt

These shirts are gorgeous, feel great, and cost $30. All proceeds go toward our June 30 goal, so if you already invested or don’t have the funds for such a financial step, buying a shirt and wearing your pride in Seward is a great way to go!

You can find them by Register 4 in the co-op. They’d make a terrific gift, don’t you think??

3. SPREAD THE WORD

See the “share” buttons at the bottom of this post? You can help Seward by spreading the word about our investment campaign on your Twitter and Facebook feeds.

You can share the above pic as a meme on social media, too!

Not big into social media? That’s totally ok. Instead of tweeting, talk up our investment opportunities the old fashioned way at parties, coffee shops, dinners, or at neighborhood social functions.

One last very important way to spread the word. If you have friends who aren’t yet owners of the co-op but who shop here frequently, now would be a terrific time for them to “seal the deal” and join Seward. The more owner-members the better, and, besides, only owners can invest…

On March 18, 2014 from 6–8 p.m., 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 community had the opportunity to submit questions to Seward Co-op covering a range of topics. Seward Co-op management and staff collected these questions. They have provided their answers below.

Q: In the Bryant-Central neighborhood and the broader Powderhorn community there is a growing awareness among young people regarding the importance of healthy eating. This awareness is supported by the proliferation of urban agriculture projects and community gardens that are led by youth groups across the community.

One of those groups is the WE WIN institute, our April 2014 SEED grant recipient. We are committed to work with groups like WE WIN in order to enhance access to healthful food and increase the presence of urban agriculture in the community.

Over the past three years, Seward Co-op has contributed to a number of youth-oriented agriculture and food education programs. Each of the recipients below received at least $1,000 from Seward Co-op:

• Midwest Food Connection
• Youth Farm and Market
• WE WIN Institute
• Seward Montessori School
• Trans Youth Support Network
• Seward Childcare Center
• AchieveMPLS
• YEA Corps
• Nawayee Center School
• Kaleidoscope Place

Additionally, we realize that parents and caregivers work hard to provide for their families. Our new Nourish initiative, which we will introduce this summer, will help shoppers identify products in the store that can be used in the creation of affordable meals.

Q: In what ways does an expanding co-op market share (both for Seward and metro-wide) help bring prices down?

In the short run, Seward Co-op’s expansion, along with the expansion projects by other Twin Cities co-ops, will not have a significant impact on our prices. In the long run, we hope our growth, and the growth of the cooperative economy, will encourage more affordability in the natural foods world.

Seward Co-op prices products in a manner that allows us to pay farmers and producers a fair price for their product, provide a fair wage and benefits to our employees, and bring value to our owners and shoppers. We work with over 300 vendors and farmers. The majority of these farmers and vendors are small, independent operators. As we continue to grow, our hope is that our farmer and vendor partners will grow with us. We have invested in several of our partners’ projects, which include the installation of solar panels, the construction of hoop houses, and pre-harvest financing for small farmer co-ops.

Seward’s largest supplier is United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI). UNFI supplies us with a significant portion of our overall grocery and wellness products. Our contract with UNFI is negotiated by National Cooperative Grocers’ Association, which brings together the purchasing power of more than 100 food co-ops from around the country. Seward Co-op is already one of the largest retail natural foods cooperatives in the United States, and currently pays the lowest cost on products from UNFI available through our contract. Unfortunately, a second location will not improve our pricing from UNFI.

Seward Co-op remains committed to working with small, local, and cooperative farmers and vendors. If you see the P6 logo next to a product on our shelves, you know it came from a farmer or vendor with two of those three characteristics. Our hope is that the Friendship store will provide more market opportunities for new farmers and for vendors in the area of the Friendship store. While an expanding co-op market share is not likely to lower prices, it will instead raise the individual — and commonwealth — of our farmers, vendors, employees and owners.

Q: How many new members do you project the new store will bring?

Since moving to our current location in January of 2009, we have grown from 4,500 to nearly 12,000 owners. This growth includes a surge in new ownerships in the months following our opening. Currently about 15% of our owners reside in the neighborhoods surrounding the Friendship store location. We anticipate many of those owners will shop at the Friendship location. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate how many new owners will join. We encourage everyone to become an owner of Seward Co-op. We offer three options of payment. More information can be found on the ownership page on our website or at the Franklin store Customer Service desk.

Q: Have you considered 10-20 cross-cultural staple items and really bringing those prices down?

We are developing a program called Nourish that will roll out this summer. As part of Nourish we will highlight around 50 of our most affordable staple items throughout the store with signage at the shelf. We will lower our price on many of these items.

Q: Could some features of the new store highlight the area’s rich history and people who contributed to it? – Former Mayor Sayles Belton, Playwright Kim Hines, mainstays of the NAACP would be some examples. So would the history of King Park, the 35W project, Central High School, and Bryant Jr. High.

Yes. We have designed the exterior of the building to include two locations for large murals. We will conduct a community procedure around determining the process for what will be displayed at these locations. There may also be interior wall locations where the area’s history can be highlighted. Once the interior design is complete we will have a better understanding of the potential locations.

Q: Will the Friendship Store have as much bike parking as the Franklin Store?

Not right away. In its first year, we anticipate the number of shoppers at the Friendship store will be fewer than half that of the Franklin store. Over time, we have added a significant number of bike racks at the Franklin store as the number of shoppers has increased. There are currently 66 racks at the Franklin store. We plan to have 30 bike racks at the Friendship store on opening day.

Q: How could you encourage customers to use alternate forms of transportation?

In addition to a large number of bike racks (30 racks, which is 25 more than required by the city), we will also continue our employee and customer biking incentive program. The program reimburses staff who regularly ride to work for bike-related expenses. We will add showers to the employee areas of the store for staff who bike to work, and we will reach out to Nice Ride and Hour Car about offering their services at the Friendship store. The Friendship store will be on a number of existing bus lines. We will assist any effort to improve or add bus shelters along 38th Street.

Q: How often will Sean and other managers be at the Friendship Store?

The Friendship managers and staff will be trained and empowered to operate the Friendship store in line with Seward Co-op values, policies and guidelines. We anticipate that the administrative managers — such as Sean, the General Manager, or Nick, the co-op Operations Manager — will frequently attend meetings and offer significant support during the start-up phase.

Q: Is there any chance the name for the store could reflect the area – like the name “Southside Coop”?

Though Seward Co-op will have two stores when the Friendship store opens, we will remain one organization governed by one board of directors (any owner can run for the board). The look of the Friendship store will be distinct from the Franklin store, but it will carry forward some of the elements that people have come to associate with Seward Co-op, including the name of the organization. We will, however, call the new store the “Friendship” store in acknowledgement of the former church building’s history and our commitment to build strong relationships within the community.

Q: Do you advertise in local community media?

Yes. We run regular ads in the “Minnesota Spokesman Recorder” and we air spots on KMOJ from time to time. We also plan to work with Spanish language media in order to reach out to the Latino community. We will continue to look at advertising options in neighborhood media as we move towards completion of the store.

Q: How can you compete with Sam’s Club or Costco where many local people go to buy food in bulk at low cost?

We cannot compete with them on price. These stores are essentially wholesale warehouses moving huge volumes of product. Economies of scale, along with their business models, reduce their costs and allow them to set low prices. It’s difficult to compare Seward Co-op with these warehouses because we are so different.

At Seward Co-op you’ll find local and natural products at competitive prices (please see other responses in this series for more information about our pricing and affordability strategies). You will also find helpful and knowledgeable staff. Seward Co-op is owned by those who use the business — our shoppers. Profits stay in the community through support for small local vendors, living-wage jobs, and profit sharing. While we may not be able to compete with Sam’s Club or Costco on price, we believe that Seward Co-op provides a different kind of value which enhances the health and economic well-being of our community.

Q: Outreach to Latino community

We continue to work at reaching out to the Latino community. We have translated several of our brochures into Spanish. Spanish language interpreters have been present at all of our meetings.

As a part of our outreach efforts, we plan to partner with Latino media (radio and print) to help us get the word out about the store, our events and meetings. Additionally, we will host Spanish language classes and meetings designed to encourage more interactions with the Latino community. We also work with HIRED, an area provider of job-skills and employment training, in providing job opportunities for individuals in the Latino community.

Q: How do I, a local vendor, get my product on the shelves of the store?

At Seward Co-op we are always interested in products that meet our customers’ needs and align with our values as a trusted retailer of local, organic and natural products. We welcome the opportunity to meet with producers and vendors and discuss potential partnerships.

The Grocery and Produce departments prioritize local products and are usually open to solicitations. The Grocery department looks for unique products that fulfill customers’ needs. Before carrying a product, they review ingredients, costs, and ordering and delivery systems. Additional consideration is given to local providers if their products are familiar (through exposure at farmers markets, for instance) or if the product has been requested by our customers. They may also ask providers if they are available for in-store samplings, so as to give their product increased exposure.

The Produce department is especially concerned with season extension (produce that’s available near the beginning or the end of the typical growing season). Although Produce has contracts and agreements with close to 30 local growers, we are always open to hearing about new products and ways of producing organic and sustainably grown produce. Like Grocery, Produce also likes to work with vendors who are able to come into the store and promote their products. Every year we hold our Know Our Grower Program, wherein several area providers come into the store to offer samples of their products and talk about what they do.

Find more information about becoming a vendor.

Q: Some of us would like to know more about how having the store in this neighborhood could lead to gentrification.

The topic of gentrification is a complex issue. The question of what is appropriate development is certainly an important topic in our neighborhoods. We are not interested in creating a situation wherein property values and rents make the community unaffordable. This issue is bigger than the co-op deciding to build in the Bryant-Central neighborhood. At the root of this issue is the price of real estate and whether it goes up or down. Prices are driven more by interest rates and public policy. Basically, the problem is an economy built on greed. We only need to look at the foreclosure crisis we all recently lived through as an illustration of our individual and collective vulnerability to the economic system.

We believe that cooperatives are a solution, not a contributor, to this problem. Co-ops build community-owned wealth that remains in the community. We believe that more neighborhoods need cooperatives because community ownership assures local control of the business. The profits of the business stay in the community because co-ops pay living-wage jobs, buy products from small, local producers (which keeps the money in our community), and share the profits earned with the owners who shop in the store.

Our mission, or Ends, states that “Seward Co-op will sustain a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships; positive environmental impacts; and inclusive, socially responsible practices.” Our intentions are not gentrification, but rather the improvement of access to healthy foods for current co-op owners and the broader community residing in neighborhoods near the Friendship site. We intend to build a store that is warm and inviting to all. We do not intend to force out any existing businesses or residents. We welcome everyone and look forward to learning more about how we can better serve the community around the Friendship site.

Q: Tell us more about the construction phases and agreements with contractors. Will they be hiring women and people of color?

Yes. We will require the general contractor to follow the hiring strategy in our Construction Workforce Plan. It stipulates a minimum of 32% of workers be minority, and a minimum of 6% of workers be women.

Q: I’d like to have a community agreement plan that addresses jobs.

Seward Co-op’s Scorecard provides a variety of measures that demonstrate our commitment to our mission: “Seward Co-op will sustain a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships; positive environmental impacts; and inclusive, socially responsible practices.” We recently revised the Scorecard to incorporate elements from our Long-term Hiring Strategy that outlines the co-op’s plan to more closely align our staffing practices with our mission.

Q: Co-op grocery prices are not cheap. How will the Friendship Store adjust prices to make fresh good food affordable for this neighborhood?

We strive to offer local and natural products at competitive prices. Because our mission compels us to have equitable economic relationships, we price products in a manner that allows us to pay fair prices to producers, pay fair wages to our employees, and bring value to our shoppers. We price strategically and intentionally in order to ensure the sustainable operation of our co-op. We regularly visit local natural foods retailers and conventional stores to compare prices on hundreds of key items. Our total price for a “market basket” of about 150 staple items is lower than the same total at other stores we audit. This strategy, and similar pricing, will apply at both the Franklin and the Friendship stores.

This summer we will roll out our Nourish initiative, which we hope will help customers shop affordably at the co-op. Nourish will highlight some of our most affordable product options with signs at the shelf. The program will include recipes, sampling, and classes that will help shoppers plan budget-friendly meals and stretch their grocery dollars at the co-op.

Nourish will complement some of the other things we are already doing to help ensure that co-op products are accessible to shoppers of all income levels. Currently we offer co-op ownership purchase options and an everyday discount for shoppers who have financial need (visit our Customer Service desk for more information and applications). Owners receive a 10% discount on one entire shopping trip each quarter. We support WIC (Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). We offer promotional savings on many items throughout the store along with bimonthly coupon books, and we make it easy to comparison shop by posting the price per ounce for most products. We hope that these commitments and programs serve Seward Co-op shoppers well.

Q: Will this building have a second story? If not, can you construct the building so that it will support an additional floor or two for expansion?

Yes. The Friendship store will have a second floor for staff offices, meetings, and breaks, just like our Franklin store.

Q: I would love to see a commercial kitchen where one could buy a large quantity of veggies to can in the late summer/fall so that we can enjoy the bounty over the winter and do it relatively inexpensively.

This is a great idea, and one that we have considered in the past. Unfortunately, a shared commercial kitchen is expensive to construct and maintain. It would require a consistent revenue stream in order to sustain it, which is something we cannot count on. The Friendship store also will have limited space for such a facility, as most of it will be occupied by sales and production spaces.

Q: Once I am educated on how to shop, I can save more.

Please join us for our “Shop the Co-op” class. This class is offered on a regular basis and includes a store tour and tips for shopping on a budget. We have also created the program Nourish that will roll out this summer. This initiative will include classes, product sampling, and recipes focused on affordable meal planning.

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 Class C stock or making a loan to the co-op, Seward Co-op is offering another opportunity to contribute to the success of these projects. Beginning this week we will be selling a t-shirt designed by Minneapolis artist Tammy Ortegon and 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards our capital campaign.

The Friendship store is anticipated to open in the summer of 2015. Recently we closed on the six properties owned by private individuals and the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. The co-op now owns seven of the eight project properties, and we are in the process of purchasing the final property, which is owned by the city. We continue to work with the architects on design development and have scheduled a groundbreaking event this summer on July 12. This progress is exciting and each day makes the Friendship store more and more tangible.

The redesign and renovation of the Creamery Building is also underway. Currently, we are addressing the accessibility of the building through the design of a new entryway and elevator. We are also in the midst of a remodel of the second floor, which will offer much-needed office space. We are excited about the developing design and how our choices will positively impact the possibilities for the first floor where we plan to include food production facilities and a small café.

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:

1) The Friendship Store — Groundbreaking for the Friendship Store is slated for this July, and the store could open as early as summer 2015. It will be a full-service natural foods grocery on the corner of 38th St. and 3rd Avenue South. Sometime in July, we’ll have a big celebration for the groundbreaking. Stay tuned.

2) The Franklin Creamery on Franklin and 26th Avenues (pictured, from 1924) is being leased by Seward Co-op for badly needed office space (upstairs) and to expand our bakery, sausage and other meat production. The downstairs space may include a small retail café (so much depends on how much investment money we raise).

The Franklin Creamery was a dairy and milk delivery co-op back in the days when nearly all food was local — and a lot of it was cooperatively owned.

The initial campaign launch to ask Seward owners to invest began on March 11, with the co-op looking to raise at least $2.5 million by June 30, 2014. To do this, we’re offering an investment opportunity to owners; we aren’t asking for donations, these are stocks and loans with a rate of return.

In short, we’re offering Seward owners an opportunity to make money while in turn, empowering their cooperative to grow.

Our target return on investment for what we call “Class C Stock” is 4%, which many owners have reported is a better deal than their credit unions and banks have been offering. “Owner loans” are another option and interest rates for owner loans vary between 3.5–5.5%. More information is available in the offering summary, found in investment packets that you can pick up at the Customer Service Desk in the store. Or, call 612-314-2012 to speak with Jill Livingston, Seward Co-op’s Owner Capitalization Coordinator.

If you’d like to stay current on Seward’s investment progress, there’s a tracker on the left hand side of this page, and Jill is posting weekly updates on the “Invest in the Co-op” page as well.

We have 75 days to gather $2 million.

How can you help?

1) Become an owner. You can’t invest if you aren’t an owner (that’s the law).

2) Invest. Call Jill and decide what kind of investment is best for you.

3) Spread. The. Word. Do you know other Seward owners? Start talking, sharing links to articles like this one, and encourage them to invest and spread the word, too. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, email, dinner parties. We all have to start talking about how much we can make the Friendship Store and Creamery project a reality.

Because this is how co-ops grow — you, me, and our neighbors lifting this project up on shoulders. There is no national management or corporate CEO that will swoop in and grow the co-op for us. If Seward is going to grow, we have do it ourselves– stock by stock, and loan by loan — old school, just like Franklin Creamery Co-op did it way back in the day.

What do you say? Ready to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand growing a co-op?

A committed ownership is at the core of Seward Co-op’s success. In the past five years our ownership has nearly tripled. This growth is directly linked to our financial achievements, as well as our role as a positive contributor to our community and the environment. As we prepare for the upcoming expansions, owner support through co-op patronage, the purchase of Class C stock, and owner loans will enable the co-op to serve even more of our community and allow us to continue to thrive.

The Friendship store is anticipated to open in the summer of 2015. Recently we closed on the six properties owned by private individuals and the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. The co-op now owns seven of the eight project properties, and we are in the process of purchasing the final property, which is owned by the city. We continue to work with the architects on design development and have scheduled a groundbreaking event this summer on July 12. This progress is exciting and each day makes the Friendship store more and more tangible.

Once open, the Friendship store will offer the Bryant-Central neighborhoods more fresh, healthful, sustainable food options. It will provide a communal space for gathering and education. The Friendship store will be a part of the community, respond to its needs, and give back through the SEED program and other efforts. We anticipate this second store will create 80–100 new living-wages jobs with benefits. We hope many of our new employees will reside in Bryant-Central neighborhoods. Furthermore, with 15 percent of our owners currently residing near the Friendship store, its presence will likely ease the congestion at the Franklin store resulting in a more pleasant shopping experience at both locations.

A month into our capital campaign, we have experienced great enthusiasm and generous support from our owners. This past week we surpassed half a million dollars in investments with $674,500 raised —27 percent of our goal. Thus far, investments have ranged from single shares of Class C stock at $500 to loans over $100,000. This speaks to the diversity of our ownership. With appealing investment opportunities and compelling projects, we are confident that in the next few months we will receive the support from our owners needed to make our expansions a reality.

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 trick I taught myself as a dad who loves to shop at Seward.

How does sale-and-a-coupon save me money?

When Seward has Co+op Deals, we also have manufacturers coupons for the same products sometimes. When that happens, both the sale and the coupon apply to your purchase. Like this:

When some products are on special through the Co+op Deals program, manufacturers’ coupons for the same items are often available. When that happens, both the sale and the coupon can apply to a purchase. Like this: On Co+op Deals, Westbrae organic black beans are $1 off per 25 oz. can (reg. $3.19). Use the coupon from Westbrae, placed right on the shelf for you, and receive another $1 off for two cans.

Pretty sure you can do the math, but I always have to spell it out for myself to be sure. Without these two deals, I’d spend $6.38 for two cans, but:

$1 off per can + $1 off per two cans = $3.38 for two (about 1/2 price) or $3 off for every two I buy, and I buy a lot of black beans since my son declared himself a vegetarian. Deals like this made me start humming:

Sale and a coupon? No way!

Here’s another example:

Sale-and-a-coupon on Stonyfield organic 6 oz. yogurts. These are great for kids’ lunches so I buy them by the armful. On sale for $.79 (reg. $1.19), I’m already saving $.30 each. Plus the Stonyfield coupon, bless them, these yogurts are $1 off for three. Let’s double that for a week’s worth at six because that’s how I have to buy them for my daughter who loves Stonyfield:

($.30 off + $1 off per three) x 2 = $.55 per container.

If you’re a dad who likes to buy organic for his kids, prices like these at a store where I prefer to shop (call me the “Co-op Pop”) straighten my posture and make my eyes bug out.

One last example of sale-and-a-coupon-no-way:

I’m not wild about breakfast cereal for my kids, but I’m a smart dad who chooses his battles carefully. If it’s on sale, I can think Snackanimals as a treat, especially if I need them to clean their rooms later in the day.

Barbara’s Snackanimals normally go for $5.39 each, but with Co+op Deals they’re $2 off, and with the coupon from Barbara’s, they’re another $1 off for two boxe. That means, Smart Dad saves four bucks. Sale and a coupon? Kids get allowance this week!

There aren’t necessarily a lot of these sale-and-a-coupon-no-way combo deals, but when Seward has them, I’ll often save a ton on staple items or foods that will go fast in my household (one last equation: two voracious kids > six yogurts + two black beans + two boxes cereal boxes).

Just remember “sale-and-a-coupon,” and you’ll save money. Besides, as a guy I happen to know that no dad can resist that old tune…

* @NprMichael on Twitter read this post and adds, “my favorite is sale + coupon + quarterly member discount. I call it the co-op trifecta!”

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 of the Seward Co-op. Approximately 100 people attended the meeting.

This report includes information generated at the community meeting by the attendees.

Meeting Purpose:

Engage neighborhood residents in a discussion about the Friendship Store.

Meeting Goals:

• Share updates on the Friendship Store.
• Provide information about co-ops and ownership in the co-op.
• Discuss ideas for Friendship Store products and services.

Agenda Items for the Community Meeting included “Welcome & Meeting Purpose” by LaDonna Redmond, Education & Outreach Coordinator Seward Co-op; Role of Facilitator & Opening Question; “What Is a Co-op? How Does It Work?” by Sean Doyle, General Manager, Seward Co-op; “Friendship Project Progress, Store Design, Capitalization & Hiring” by Erik Hatting, Initiatives Manager, Seward Co-op and Barb Doyle, HIRED; “Questions and Answers; Anchor Questions for Discussion; Acknowledgement of Seward Co-op Managers” by LaDonna Redmond; “Store Tours / Running for the Board / Ownership in the Co-op / Participating in Future Community Events and Milestones” by Tom Vogel, Marketing Manager, Seward Co-op; “Next Steps and Closing Remarks” by LaDonna Redmond.

Questions to the community:

Question #1:

Where do you shop for groceries now, and what are your thoughts about that store?

Comments from some participants about what matters:

• cost
• proximity to my home
• organic items
• location
• fast check out
• easy to walk to
• quality of produce
• easy access

Question #2:

What types of products serve your family’s needs?

Question #3:

What deli foods would you like to see at the new store? Would you (often or sometimes) use the deli for your lunch or dinner needs?

Deli Use

Question #4:

What topics would you like to know more about? What classes would you like to take at the Friendship Store?

CLASSES

• Cultural/ethnic cooking
• Different cultural traditions
• Cooking healthy meals
• Healthy ingredient substitution
• Vegetarian cooking
• From garden to stove
• Diabetic cooking
• Soul food cooking
• Chemistry of cooking
• Shopping at the co-op on a budget
• Meal planning
• Healthy eating
• Food preservation
• Cooking dry goods
• Authentic Latino cooking
• Cooking gluten free
• Cooking from scratch
• Canning
• How to use different products to save money
• How to make vegetables taste better
• How to use spices
• Too busy to take classes, but love that they are available

WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT

• How to eliminate meet from my diet and eat healthy
• Information on products in front of me. Educate staff on how to educate me.
• Information on product origin
• Small, local companies
• Recipes
• Commercial kitchen
• Partnering with local organizations
• Partnering with Senior Center at Sabathani
• Partnering with high schools