This summer, Nourish celebrates its first anniversary. A year ago, Seward Co-op launched the Nourish program as a way to provide greater access to the products and services we offer. We recognize that shopping for healthful and affordable food can be challenging. This is why, in conjunction with the introduction of Nourish, we increased our needs-based discount last year from 5% to 10%.

We do not want financial need to be a barrier to shopping at Seward Co-op. At the same time, we have to be conscious of maintaining the co-op’s financial health. When deciding how much to increase the discount, we evaluated the impact that this change would have on our pre-distribution net income (PDNI). We have a goal of accomplishing at least 3% PDNI so that we have enough to issue a patronage refund to our owners. For every $100 of discount sales, we lost $2 when the needs-based discount was 5%. Moving it to 10% increased that loss to $7.

When the discount was 5%, we determined that for every $100 dollars of discounted sales, we needed $515 of regular priced sales to make up for these losses in order to maintain 3% PDNI; at 10%, it became $1,031. There are those who think we should raise our discount to 20%. If we were to do that, the co-op would lose $17 on every $100 of discount sales, which would require an additional $2,062 in sales. This table breaks down how this works.

Since the introduction of Nourish last year, the co-op has sold $1,582,854 in Nourish products and given $209,787 in needs-based discounts. We believe the current 10% discount rate strikes an appropriate balance between providing affordable options in the community, providing an appropriate patronage refund to owners, and maintaining the financial health of the co-op.

What Else Does Nourish Offer?

In addition to increasing our discount, we also used the Nourish program to more proactively promote the payment options we have for ownership. In addition to the one-time payment of $75, we offer a partial payment and a needs-based option. Shoppers who have financial need can become owners with an initial investment of $15 through the needs-based ownership option. (The remaining $60 of co-op stock is accrued through patronage refund earnings.) Needs-based ownerships were started in 2013 and are available to those enrolled in Minnesota Food Assistance/Support, WIC, MinnesotaCare and Minnesota Medical Assistance, Social Security Disability or other self-identified need. Since its inception, we have welcomed 695 owners to the co-op through the needs-based ownership program.

The Nourish program also focuses heavily on education. After all, it is the fifth cooperative principle. The program helps shoppers identify Nourish items — which include some of the co-op’s most popular foods and wellness products — by using our staples list (found at Customer Service and online) as a guide. Shelf signs throughout the store also designate Nourish items, and our staff are always happy to point out Nourish options.

Cooking at home is an important component to Nourish. The recipe rack next to the Customer Service desk contains many Nourish options. Nourish recipes are an affordable way to feed four people — often for $10 or less — using ingredients available at Seward Co-op. The co-op offers a series of free Nourish classes designed around shopping the co-op and making unique dishes using Nourish ingredients. Classes teach basic scratch-cooking techniques, how to prepare recipes that feed a family of four for under $10, and how to shop the co-op. Class topics have included Simple Thanksgiving Sides, Kwanzaa Table, Cooking with Bulk Grains, and an African Heritage Cooking series.

For more information on Nourish, visit our website or pick up a Nourish brochure in the store.

Dear Seward Co-op Owners,

Just months from now is the scheduled opening of the Friendship store, which is a realization of the co-op’s long-term vision of expanding our community-owned business. In October 2015, nearly 2,000 households that are current owners of Seward Co-op will have a store less than 1½ miles from their home. We are writing to address the conversations the board of directors has been having, and the questions and comments we have been hearing regarding the Friendship store.

We started this project over two years ago when The Carrot Initiative, a non-profit formed by residents of the four neighborhoods around 38th and Chicago to attract a grocer to the community, invited Seward Co-op to consider opening at the former site of the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. Their building had been on the market for a couple of years. It proved to be a good site. We decided to call it the Friendship store to honor this history. We believe it will be a place to bring neighbors, family and friends together.

Since our very first community meeting at Sabathani Community Center in July 2013, co-op board, management, and staff have been engaged in conversations and outreach with the neighborhoods surrounding the Friendship store. For example, members of the co-op management, staff, and board have attended and participated in the Future of East 38th Street community meetings; engaged in conversations and education with community members through door-to-door outreach; and attended many neighborhood events, fairs, and educational programs. The board is energized by the support and encouragement the co-op has received in our direct conversations with members of the community throughout the surrounding neighborhoods of Bryant and Central.

At our May meeting, the board welcomed owners who presented a petition and wished to discuss the decision to postpone the conversation regarding creating a Mutual Benefits Agreement (MBA). After that meeting the board expressed its continued agreement with the decision made by Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO) and co-op management that our focus needs to be on opening the Co-op Creamery Café and Friendship store. We responded to those owners who signed this petition to inform them of our continued support of that decision.

At the June board meeting, representatives of Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) were given time to state their reasons why Seward Co-op should accept the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that they drafted as a starting point for negotiations. The board discussed their request and decided to continue, as planned, with the decision made by Seward Co-op and BNO to defer this conversation until after the Friendship store opens. You can find a letter to CANDO on our website.

The board agrees that management’s efforts to enter into an MBA is the correct approach. The proposed CBA is not congruent with co-op values. However, we want to be clear that this does not mean that the co-op’s board and management have ceased our conversations with the community or compromised our goals, aspirations, or ideals related to the Friendship store. To the contrary, many of the provisions that have been proposed in the CBA have already been addressed by the co-op, independent of the recent proposal by CANDO. For example:

• The co-op voluntarily set construction hiring goals that are used by the City of Minneapolis.
• The co-op has set hiring goals to be a more inclusive workplace.
• The Seward Co-op Nourish program offers both a needs-based ownership option and a discount.
• Seward Co-op has used the Minneapolis living wage model for more than eight years. Factoring in discounts, benefits and insurance, all vested co-op employees earn at least $15 per hour.
• Seward Co-op has engaged in outreach and partnerships throughout the neighborhoods surrounding the store. We have supported, and will continue to support, many Bryant-Central based organizations and nonprofits.

Our website has more information about the co-op’s efforts with respect to the Friendship store. In addition, we must note that the CBA proposed by CANDO has several provisions that could potentially put the co-op in fiscal jeopardy, including a stipulation that the co-op can be fined $1,000 a day (up to $100,000) if it does not operate in accordance with the CBA. We cannot accept these kinds of terms as a starting point for any conversation.

The board believes that management’s actions and decisions on these issues are entirely consistent with and further Seward Co-op’s Ends Statement and the International Cooperative Principles. The board supports management’s efforts to ensure that any agreement that the co-op enters into be consistent with the International Cooperative Principles. Finally, and fundamentally, the board believes that the co-op has had, and will continue to have, a positive effect on the communities within which the co-op operates.

From the beginning of this process, we heard concerns regarding racial equity and social justice. We invite owners to review our Scorecard to see our progress on our goals. Make no mistake, we still have work to do, and we look forward to doing that work in the months and years to come. We thank everyone who has been involved with the Friendship store to this point. Promoting healthy food, living wages, affordability, accessibility, and concern for community have long been a priority of the cooperative and we look forward to building trust and meeting the expectations that our shared values require.

In Cooperation,

Leah Janus – President, Board of Directors
Joe Riemann – Vice-President, Board of Directors

For a list of common questions we have received and how we are responding, follow this link.

Seward Co-op is planning on the creation and installation of original pieces of artwork for the Friendship store. The building design designates two wall locations for local art work, one on an exterior wall, and one on an interior wall that will be visible from the outside.

Our goal is to honor the history of the site and its cultural impact. We want to celebrate the communities and events that have made the neighborhoods around Friendship home.

For more information, contact LaDonna Sanders-Redmond at lsandersredmond@seward.coop.

Download the RFP for the project here.

Please submit proposals via email. The submission deadline for proposals is 10 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2015.

For a brief background on the cooperative movement within the African American community, read these articles by LaDonna Sanders-Redmond:

Additional historical materials:

Bryant Central Co-op 1977 (PDF)
Bryant-Central Co-op facade (image)
Kenneth “Mo” Burton (image)

Don’t throw those radish greens away!

Planted last fall, garlic bulbs won’t be harvested for another week or so. Once harvested, in order to store they will need to cure for at least a few additional weeks. Luckily, garlic plants offer up a scape to keep us sated while we wait. Garlic scapes are the flower stalks of the hard-neck garlic varieties that grow in our cool (cold) climes. They emerge in early summer and curl elegantly a few times before they are snipped, diverting the plant’s energy from producing bulbils to developing a bulb.

Garlic scapes (above) have a fresh verdant garlic flavor and may be used in place of garlic cloves. Slice thinly and sauté with greens or add to stir fries. Chop with herbs and olive oil — add an oily nut to make a pesto or capers to make a salsa verde — and serve with grilled bread and burrata or toss with grilled vegetables and pasta.

Grilling mellows the garlic bite of the scape. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place them directly on the grill. Turn once and sprinkle with a little more salt. Remove when the scapes are slightly charred and tender but not soft. Grilled scapes make a delicious complement to grilled meats.

There are many early root vegetables available at the moment with their greens intact. This is an indication of freshness, as the delicate greens deteriorate before the longer-storing roots. It is also a culinary bonus, since both the greens and the roots are edible.

If you purchase green-top kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, carrots, or beets, don’t discard the greens. Instead, remove the greens and store them separately. Once cooked, turnip and radish greens resemble mustard greens, kohlrabi greens taste like kale, beet greens like chard, and carrot greens may be used in place of parsley as a garnish, in a pesto, or in dressings.

As the weather heats up we may see a decline in supply or the end of some crops that thrive in cooler temperatures. Rhubarb appears to be in steady supply at the moment, but it may be affected by peaking July temps. Luckily rhubarb preserves well and can be frozen, canned, or pickled.

Rhubarb is most often prepared with sugar to moderate the tartness and served in sweet settings — jams, cakes, and pies. However, rhubarb can easily make a statement in savory dishes as well. I particularly enjoy rhubarb cooked with star anise and ginger, strained and pureed, as a sauce to accompany a seared duck breast. This would be equally delicious alongside pork chops or wild game.

This Monday, July 13! Join Seward Co-op and other Seward members at Fair State Brewing Cooperative for happy hour 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Bring your Seward ownership card and enjoy a beer at half-price (one per person).

Did you know Fair State Brewing is a co-op just like Seward? They have membership, a board of directors, and an annual election, just like we do. The one big difference?

THEY HAVE BEER.

Case in point, we’re particularly excited to try Fair State’s Hefeweizen, if it’s still available. City Pages calls this beer “a great addition to the local scene!”

So join let’s get a mob of Seward owners over at Fair State and get some co-operating done.

WHERE: 2506 Central Avenue Nordeast Minneapolis
WHEN: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Monday, July 13

WHY: Well. Co-operation among co-ops IS a key principle…

Spring is moving quickly this year. Availability lists from local farms have been getting longer each week with the help of greenhouses and warm, wet weather giving plants a little boost.

We’ve already had a few deliveries of green and red tomatoes from Wisconsin Growers Co-operative (Mondovi, Wis) which taste more like summer than early spring. Rhubarb, scallions, and bunched radishes are reliably locally grown. And each week more varieties of bunched fresh herbs arrive – tarragon, chives, garlic chives, mint, and lemon balm are just the first of many that will be available throughout the growing season.

Our selection of local bulk greens has also become more diverse and delicious with a bin each of Heartbeet Farm’s (Zumbro Falls, Minn) arugula and a spicy mix of baby arugula, mizuna, and mustard greens offered alongside local spring mix and spinach. Heartbeet has also been delivering limited quantities of rainbow chard and we received our first delivery from Featherstone Farm (Rushford, Minn) the first week of June with beautiful heads of romaine, green, and red leaf lettuce.

Multiple local growers have been keeping us in steady supply of asparagus and in the past few weeks have received deliveries of tangy, citrusy French sorrel from Garden Farme (Ramsey, Minn).

After months of citrus, the fruit selection is becoming more interesting as well. We are often cautious when stone fruit arrives as the first taste can set the tone for the entire season. If the first fruits are mealy and bland, folks might be apprehensive to make a repeat purchase. Luckily, this year the early harvests have been delightful – the nectarines in particular, both yellow and white, are fragrant with a rich, honeyed flavor and smooth, juicy flesh.

This time of year it is easy to build salads. A recent favorite of mine starts with a base of Heartbeet spicy salad mix. Add thinly sliced radishes and scallions, roughly torn leaves of mint and fava beans (shelled, blanched, and skins removed). Shave on a few slices of pecorino and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.

I have also been enjoying a composed salad of asparagus, blanched and refreshed, tossed in a sorrel infused butter, topped with a poached egg, and garnished with finely chopped sorrel and tarragon.

While nectarines are delicious eaten out of hand or in a dessert, they can also really star in a savory salad – especially when grilled. Halve yellow nectarines, brush with olive oil, and place flesh side down on the grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Toss spring mix or arugula in a honey mustard vinaigrette (teaspoon honey, teaspoon Dijon mustard, teaspoon white wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, salt, pepper – taste and adjust), add toasted sliced almonds, crumble on feta or goat cheese, then place the grilled halves on top and finish with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

A letter from General Manager Sean Doyle: In June 2014 leadership at the co-op was approached by Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO) and Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) to consider a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). Over the course of the past year we have had a number of conversations about whether a CBA would be appropriate for the co-op.

A CBA is fairly new approach to work with large corporations that typically focuses on holding that corporate entity accountable to the community that it is entering into with a development. These are large-scale developments, such as sports arenas and mass-transit development, in which hundreds of millions of dollars and public subsidies are involved. CBAs are also perceived to be adversarial in tone, often requiring cash payment from the developer to the community if the agreement is not fulfilled. Many of the stipulations included in a CBA could potentially put the co-op in financial jeopardy were we to agree to them.

This tone is not consistent with cooperative principles or values in that a co-op is created to respond to community need. Seward is already owned by the community, with 14,000 households in Minneapolis being owners. Nearly 15% of these households reside within the immediate geography of the Friendship store. Finally, as a community-owned business we are already accountable to the community through our democratically elected board of directors.

Instead of a CBA, we agreed that we would work to create a Mutual Benefits Agreement (MBA). To our knowledge we would be breaking new ground with an MBA — none exist. The ideas behind the MBA is self-help. One of the values of cooperation builds upon the desire of community to determine what is best for the future of the community. Additionally, the value of mutuality and self-help builds upon resiliency and not upon deficits. At its fundamental level, the vision for an MBA would be to articulate a vision of how the co-op and neighborhood groups could work together to benefit the community around the Friendship store. There are many shared concerns about livability that we all have for the 38th Street corridor. These include employment, affordability and overall development in the neighborhood. The idea behind the MBA is to look at the assets that each of our organizations have and to find a way to build on them together to more positively impact the community.

In January BNO and Seward started working to create the framework for an MBA. We invited CANDO to join this conversation. We started the process of having a community conversation about this at BNO’s spring meeting on April 25. The conversation at this meeting ended up being disrupted by a group of individuals — most of whom weren’t residents of Bryant neighborhood, but instead came from all over the city. For more information about the meeting, please read the Daily Planet article:

Seward Co-op’s Friendship Store and “Community Benefits”

After this meeting BNO and the co-op decided to postpone the work of creating an MBA until after the Friendship store opens. BNO felt that they need to focus on regrouping as a neighborhood association. The leadership at the co-op decided we need to focus on ramping up operations. This includes getting the building built and equipped and ensuring we have the right product mix in the store. In coming months we have significant hiring and training of staff to do. Next spring we will reconvene to take up this conversation once again.

We are pleased to announce the hire of Lucas Almendinger as Executive Chef of the Co-op Creamery. The café, set to open in late July, will offer a menu created by Almendinger that features local fare, as well as a beer and wine selection. Almendinger comes to the Co-op Creamery following an impressive career at some of the Twin Cities’ most well-known restaurants. Most recently, Almendinger was Executive Chef at Minneapolis’ Third Bird. Almendinger will start June 1, 2015.

“We are very excited to bring Lucas on board, as we believe his passion and focus on elevating simple, local, and fresh dishes meshes perfectly with our plan for the Creamery café,” says Chad Snelson, Co-op Creamery Production Manager. “He has built an incredible portfolio of work across the Twin Cities and will bring a unique perspective and talent to the Seward neighborhood.”

Before opening Third Bird, Almendinger was Executive Chef at Union Fish Market, and previously worked with several of the Twin Cities’ top chefs, including Steven Brown at Tilia, Landon Schoenefeld at HauteDish, and Erik Anderson at Sea Change.

“The co-op already has a strong reputation for sourcing high-quality local food, and we will continue to build on that,” Snelson says. The Co-op Creamery menu will feature seasonal offerings for breakfast, lunch and dinner, using ingredients sourced from many of our long-time providers.

In addition to the café, the Creamery facilities will also assist in the expansion of Seward Co-op’s existing bakery, deli and meat production. The increased production capacity will enhance the support that the co-op already provides area farmers and producers.

Think of your grill like it’s the bat-signal from the old Batman series.

Your grill is a beacon of good smells that alerts your neighborhood what veggies and meats are best at Seward right now.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a delicious plume of grill-smoke from a co-op shopper’s Weber is probably worth twenty times that.

That’s because grilling has to be the best way to cook, whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, or committed carnivore. In fact, many vegetarians agree that the grill is the best way to prepare veggies there is and look forward to summer as much as carnivores do. By cooking vegetables quickly over a grill’s hot coals, you’re searing the outside of the grillable while keeping moisture in and slightly carmelizing the natural sugars in your vegetables and fruits. A win/win/win for the smart vegetarian.

Grilling tip! Place thin or delicate vegetables in a foil packet and rest it over high heat. Poke a holes in the foil to let that smoky goodness in. That will keep them from getting burned on the grill.

Huffington Post has some very inventive veggie grilling recipes here. Highly recommended. The broccoli marrow recipe is a great one and we’re also enticed by the Quinoa Sliders.

As for meat, grilling is great, of course, but a long, slow barbecue is even better. Local Blooming Prairie ribs that have spent four hours smoldering in a bed of smoke at 275 degrees? Slathered with Daddy’s Sam’s Slopping Sawce? That’s going to send quite a delicious signal about co-operative ownership to your neighbors.

Want to try your hand at something really tasty, like our Korean Short Ribs from Blooming Prairie? Here’s an excellent recipe for Korean BBQ Ribs that can be adjusted for more natural ingredients found at Seward Co-op.

One more grilling tip! To test meat to see if its done, a metal skewer is the way to go. Stick it into the middle of the meat while it’s still on the grill, then hold the skewer to your forearm. If the metal is cool, keep it on the fire. If it’s warm, you’re at medium-rare. If it feels hot on your skin, tell the neighbors to grab their plates and come on over.

We have some delicious organic blueberries in the Produce Department right now, some of the sweetest of the year so far. They’re from California, but the price makes them a great choice for all the grilling you’re going to do this Memorial Day Weekend.

What? Grill blueberries? Oh, yes. Here’s a simple, tasty recipe for fruit cobbler on the grill — or, better yet, cobbler on a campfire — that will wow your friends or camping mates this weekend.

Grilled Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 medium-sized ripe peaches, pitted and halved
Olive oil or melted unsalted butter for the fruit
4 tablespoons unsalted butter for cast iron pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, sucanat, turbinado sugar, honey, syrup, or other favorite sweetener
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (or whichever berries are local, in-season)

A cast-iron skillet, especially if you’re grilling/cooking on a campfire

Directions:

Stoke a grill or campfire to medium-high heat.

Cover both sides of peaches with olive oil, melted butter, or other fat to keep peaches from scorching too much; place on grill (or in cast iron skillet if you’re cooking on a campfire), cut-side down, cover, and cook until charred/softened, 4 to 5 minutes per side — less if the peaches are quite ripe.

Once the peaches are grilled/cooked, transfer to a cutting board with a spatula and, when cool to the touch, cut the halves into slices.

Put the butter in a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet and place it on the grill to melt butter.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well-mixed. Add buttermilk; whisk it up.

Once butter is melted, pour batter from bowl into in cast iron skillet; do not mix with the butter. Scatter the grilled fruit and berries over the batter beautifully (do not mix this either. Arrange stunningly and lovingly.)

Cover pan with foil and grill cobbler until the juices are bubbling and the batter is golden, about 45 minutes on a grill — maybe an hour on a campfire.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a fruity stout by the lake.