June 9, 2016

Spotlight on Amy’s Kitchen

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Amy’s Kitchen this week to shed some light on a family-owned company that was organic before organic was cool. Member Owners can enjoy 20% off the full line of Amy’s Kitchen products this week! Read on to learn more about this pioneering company that set out nearly 30 years ago to offer convenient, time-saving foods that didn’t sacrifice health or quality:

We didn’t set out to become the nation’s leading frozen food brand. All we wanted to do was create a business that would allow us to earn a living by providing convenient and tasty vegetarian meals for people like ourselves, who appreciated good food, but were often too busy to cook “from scratch.”
We started in 1987, the year Amy was born, using our own house and barn as headquarters. The founding meetings were held in the same room where we were married and where our daughter Amy was born. This was before the idea of “organic” food had become well known, and when there were very few frozen meals available for vegetarians to eat, either in health food stores or supermarkets. We were, however, very fortunate in being in the right place at the right time. The number of vegetarians had increased dramatically, as had consumer awareness of the harmful effects on their health and the environment of chemicals in the food supply.
Amy’s Kitchen uses organic vegetables, grains and beans whenever they are commercially available. At this time, over 99% or our vegetables, grains and beans are organic. All of Amy’s products comply with the NOP (National Organic Program) requirements that ingredients and products not be irradiated and not contain GMOs. We are active participants in the Non-GMO Project and we rely on testing and other procedures to assure the ingredients in our products are not contaminated with GMOs.
Although we have considerably expanded our production facilities and the number of people we employ, we have remained a family owned and operated business, sensitive to the needs of our customers. Our total commitment to quality has made the difference.

June 3, 2016

Annual Meeting & Celebration 2016

Saturday, June 1st marked the Co-op’s 40th Annual Meeting & Celebration! We were so grateful to be joined by nearly 150 member-owners to celebrate this exciting occasion at Middlebury’s American Flatbread.

We feasted on a seemingly endless supply of mouth-watering flatbread, salad, & dessert, and sipped on local Champlain Orchards cider. We were so impressed by the crew at American Flatbread! They sure do know how to please a hungry crowd!

We said a reluctant goodbye to two wonderful members of our Board of Directors, Sheila McGrory-Klyza and Kevin Lehman. Sheila and Kevin have given such devoted and valued service to our Board over the last several years. We thank them for their leadership and know they will surely be missed.

We also welcomed two new members to the Board of Directors, Ann LaFiandra & Amanda Warren, and congratulated re-elected incumbent, RJ Adler. We look forward to having these new leaders at the helm!

We reveled in the company of friends old and new. Marjorie & Marian from Orb Weaver Farm were in attendance, and reminded us that they’ve been selling their glorious veggies and cheese at the Co-op since 1981! Wow!

Co-op Staffers Emily Fleming & Lily Bradburn

As the meeting commenced, Glenn shared a Co-op year-in-review. One highlight was learning that the Co-op’s sales of local products continue to grow steadily. Thank you for making this possible by supporting the incredible local farmers and producers in our community! We’re so lucky!

Sales of Local Products Relative to Overall Store Sales

Board President, Tam Stewart, talked about the challenges ahead for food co-ops across the country, as competition heats up from more traditional retailers who are responding to consumer demand for organic foods. Their buying power presents a challenge for cooperatives trying to offer competitive prices, though we’re finding creative way to address that through our Co-op Basics program and other cost-saving measures for shoppers on a tight budget.

Board Treasurer, Lynn Dunton, gave a report on the Co-op’s fiscal year and expressed confidence in the Co-op’s financial status based on our healthy debt to equity ratio. She also shared exciting news about the Co-op’s first ever patronage dividend, which will be mailed out to member-owners in the coming weeks. The Co-op had a profitable year and we’ll be able to return a healthy portion (40%) of those profits to member-owners! The remaining 60% of the claimed patronage will be retained and reinvested in the Co-op.

The final portion of the meeting was led by Architect, Andrea Kerz-Murray, of Vermont Integrated Architecture. She updated us on the latest round of potential designs for the Co-op expansion.

The highlight of the night came when a very special guest was asked to give the official motion to adjourn the meeting. It was Glenn’s lovely mother who happened to be in town for a visit!

What an exciting time for our Co-op! It’s been an incredible 40 years and we’re so grateful to this fine community for supporting us through the years! We had a fun look back at our past and an exciting peek into our future. Thanks again to everyone who came out to attend our Annual Meeting & Celebration! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Cheers to another 40 years!

June 2, 2016

New Board Members!

The votes were tallied and the results are in! We’re excited to announce the three candidates elected (or re-elected) to your 2016 Board of Directors:

Thank you to everyone who voted! One of the coolest things about being a member of the Co-op is that membership is ownership in your Co-op. Exercising your right to vote in Board elections is one of the best ways to shape the direction of your Co-op, and we’re grateful that so many of you took the time to do so! Voter turnout was excellent this year.

We also want to extend our gratitude to all of the candidates who ran for the Board this year. It was a record number! It takes guts to put your hat in the ring, and we’re thankful that you did. We hope you’ll consider running again next year!

It’s an exciting time for our Co-op and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store with these new leaders at the helm!

June 2, 2016

Spotlight on Vermont Creamery

With National Dairy Month in mind, we’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Vermont Creamery and reminding member-owners that they can enjoy 20% off their decadent dairy products this week. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a state with the highest number of artisanal cheese makers per capita, and Vermont Creamery ranks high among them. Their cheeses, creme fraiche, mascarpone, and cultured butter have garnered awards locally, nationally, and globally, creating quite a reputation for this incredible creamery with such humble roots. Read on to learn more about how the creamery began, their model for for being a sustainable mission-driven business, and what keeps them inspired to produce their world-renowned products:

Our Story:

Vermont Creamery was started by two young visionaries devoted to new and non-traditional agriculture, Allison Hooper and Bob Reese. As a college student, Allison spent a summer traveling in France. She worked on a small family farm in Brittany, earning room and board while learning how to make all of the essentials of what was to become her life passion: cheesemaking. Bob always thought he would one day take over his grandparents’ dairy farm. Unfortunately by the time he finished his degree in Agriculture, they’d sold the farm. Appropriately enough, the improbable run as long term business partners began in 1984 during a dinner celebrating Vermont agricultural products. Bob was in charge of the dinner and desperately needed a locally made goat cheese for the French chef’s signature lamb dish. He reached out to Allison, who was then working at a dairy lab and milking goats in Brookfield. Allison made the chèvre on the farm, Bob delivered it to the chef– the dinner was a success and Vermont Creamery was born.
As they say, “time flies when you’re having fun”. And what a fun wild ride we’ve had. A quarter century ago, $2,000 of savings, and a $4,000 loan from an ag-minded Vermont church made possible our first nervous debut of fresh chèvre in the milk house on the farm in Brookfield. We sold first at farmers’ markets, then to food co-ops and French chefs. Back then, fresh chèvre, so popular today, was a dazzling exotic foreign delicacy for American palates. Today, almost 30 years later, 20 Vermont goat farms ship their milk to Vermont Creamery. We are humbled and proud to have won more than 100 national and international awards. Our butters and cheeses populate some of the most prestigious cheese boards in America. But what makes us proudest perhaps is that we have sustained a team of family farms and creamery artisans. Together we thrive making simply great cheese for discerning, appreciative eaters, home cooks and discriminating chefs alike.

Our Mission:

At Vermont Creamery, we strive to produce the highest quality cheeses and dairy products using local ingredients while supporting and developing family farms. We aim to exemplify sustainability by being profitable, engaging our staff in the business, and living our mission every day in the creamery.

Our mission is founded on five principles:

The farms: Improve our rural communities by supporting family farms which have best management practices that are sustainable and environmentally sound.
A culture of continuous improvement: Invigorate and challenge our creamery community to maintain the highest product quality, excel at customer service and care for our consumers by inviting them to be part of our family.
The value of cheese: Promotes a life of good health and meaningful connection through the preparation and sharing of good food with others.
A responsible manufacturer: Add value to milk while minimizing our impact on clean and plentiful water, clean air, and land.
The Team: Accountability and responsibility allows every team member to create a profitable, meaningful and fun workplace where he/she is challenged empowered and motivated by his/her contribution.
A workplace that thinks globally and acts locally: Fostering mutual respect and tolerance in pursuit of a better life for everyone resonates within the creamery, into the community, and beyond

Our Culture:

In 2014, Vermont Creamery became B Corp certified. B Corps are a new type of company that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. This designation reflects the values upon which our company was founded and our operating philosophies today. We became B Corp because capitalism affects change when it is mindful of doing what is right at the expense of profits. The B Corp Impact Assessment reflects not only what we currently do, but applies rigor to and accountability for our mission.

Our Recipe for Making a Difference-

100% of our company utilizes open book management
100% of Creamery employees participate in profit sharing
100% of our milk comes from small-scale suppliers/farms
Our conservation partnership with the Ayers Brook Goat Dairy trains future Vermont farmers
1% of profits are given to support non-profit and community work
Cut water consumption by 1/3 even as our business grew
50% of the management team are women
5 days paid maternity and paternity leave per year
Carpooling and bike-to-work incentive programs
More than 70% of heath insurance premium cost covered by the company

Meet the Goats:

June 1, 2016

Co-op Connection Business of the Month: Green Peppers

Have a hankering for a mouth-watering slice of pizza? Or how about a calzone, some pasta or a fresh, beautiful salad? Check out Green Peppers Restaurant! They’re our Co-op Connection Business of the Month, so we’re reminding member-owners that you can enjoy 10% off your meal at Green Peppers! Green Peppers, owned by Mark and Donna Perrin, has been serving up delicious food in Middlebury since 1982. It’s truly a family business, as Mark’s step-daughter Amy serves as the restaurant’s General Manager. A recent visit to the Green Peppers kitchen found Mark, Amy, and the rest of the crew hard at work keeping up with the lunch rush, while a large pot of their homemade sauce simmered away on the stove. The aroma was heavenly!!

In addition to being a great chef, family-man, and successful small business owner, Mark is also very involved in serving his community. He participates in Hunger Free Vermont’s local chapter of the Addison County Hunger Council, which aims to alleviate food insecurity for members of our community. He has also been actively involved in the community by serving on the Chamber of Commerce Board, Workforce Investment Board, and Middlebury Business Association Board. Governor Shumlin appointed Perrin to the State Board of Education on April 12, 2013 to serve a six year term (2013-2019) with a focus on policy concerning the education of Vermont students and assuring equal access for all Vermont students to a quality education.

Perrin also knows what it means to be a good neighbor. Last year, when a water main ruptured in front of the Co-op leaving us with a mountain of dirty dishes and no running water, Mark and the rest of the crew at Green Peppers welcomed us into their kitchen without hesitation! We were so grateful!

We’re proud to know Mark and proud to have such a wonderful local restaurant as our neighbor. Green Peppers is open daily at 10:30 am and offers dine-in or take out service. Choose from a mouth-watering list of soups, calzones, salads, pastas, pizzas, subs, and more! Gluten free? They’ve got you covered! Just don’t forget to mention that you’re a Co-op member!

June 1, 2016

Celebrate Dairy Month!

Since June of 1937, Americans have been celebrating National Dairy Month!

Why celebrate dairy? Here are a few facts about dairy in Vermont:

Dairy brings $2.2 billion to Vermont’s economy
5% of the 321 million gallons of milk sold in VT is certified organic
Dairy accounts for 70% of Vermont’s agricultural sales
6,000 – 7,000 jobs in our state depend on dairy
63% of New England’s milk supply comes from Vermont
$400 million in annual dairy sales comes from fluid milk
$650 million in annual dairy sales comes from cheese
A whopping $1.3 billion in annual dairy sales comes from the sale of dairy-based items like yogurt and ice cream
Vermont has about 850 family-owned dairy farms, the majority of which have less than 200 cows
Vermont has the highest number of artisanal cheesemakers per capita
The Vermont Cheese Council lists 48 active cheesemakers
The Co-op carries over 100 local cheeses!

Currently, 20 percent (or about 200 Vermont dairies) are organic, up from just 33 in 1998. This increase in organic dairy production in Vermont is something to celebrate, since organic dairy products have been shown to have many nutritional and environmental benefits. Nutritionally, organic milk from grass fed cows has been shown to be higher in CLA (an antioxidant) and ALA (an Omega 3 fatty acid). For years, dairy got a bad rap for being high in fat, though now we’re beginning to understand that there are many benefits to consuming healthy fats.

From an environmental perspective, organic dairy production offers improved water quality due to decreased pollution from agricultural runoff (a cleaner Lake Champlain!); decreased soil erosion and increased soil fertility; decreased antibiotic use; and improved animal health and welfare. Additionally, organic dairy farming offers our state an economic boost. According to a report from the University of Vermont from 2012, Vermont’s organic dairy farms contributed $76 million to the state’s economy, supported over 1,000 jobs, and offered a better return on investment for farmers. Now let’s celebrate that with a big ‘ol scoop of ice cream from Strafford Organic Creamery, or a pint of famous Maple Milk from Kimball Brook Farm!

May 25, 2016

Why Choose Local Seedlings?

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and according to local garden lore, that means it’s officially safe to put even the most frost-sensitive seedlings into your soil. When choosing your plants this year, we invite you to check out our gorgeous local seedling offerings from New Leaf Organics!

New Leaf Organics, nestled on the town line between Bristol and Monkton, is a certified organic vegetable and flower farm established in 2001 by Jill Kopel and Skimmer Hellier. They primarily grow food and plants for people in the five-town community through their on-site farm stand, their CSA program, two farmers’ markets, and also to wholesale accounts like the Co-op. They also raise specialty cut flowers for weddings and events. When in season, you can find their spinach, kale, parsley, fresh onions, and more glorious veggies & herbs in our produce department.

So, why choose local seedlings?

Aside from the fact that you’re supporting a wonderful local farm and keeping your dollars local, it makes good sense to purchase local seedlings for the assurance that you’re buying healthy plants that are regionally appropriate for our unique growing conditions here in Vermont. You’re also helping prevent the spread of plant diseases (blight, anyone?) and invasive pests like root aphids that travel in the soil. Additionally, Many plants from large commercial nurseries & garden centers are treated with plant growth regulators or PRGs. PRGs are applied to nursery plants to preserve or encourage certain traits that help make plants more marketable. This might include bloom-holding capabilities on flowers or growth-stunters that would keep tomatoes, peppers, and the like from growing leggy while awaiting sale. PRGs are classified as pesticides and their safety has not been established. Plants at large garden centers are also often treated with neonicotinoids. These chemicals are systemic, which means they are absorbed by the plant tissues and expressed in all parts, including nectar and pollen. Unfortunately, this spells disaster for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are so vital to our health and our food supply.

By choosing local, organic seedlings, you’re choosing to support local farms, your local economy, and preserving the health of your local ecosystem. It’s a win-win!

May 24, 2016

Rally for Change for Homeward Bound – We did it!

Thank you so much for “rounding up” during our Rally for Change, May 12-18! With your help, we were able to raise $1,126 for Homeward Bound. The Co-op matched that amount, so we were able to donate a total of $2,252 to help care for animals in need. Here’s a word from Homeward Bound Director, Jessica Danyow, about just how they’ll put the donation to use:

Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, is so grateful for the community fundraising done by the Middlebury Coop through Rally for Change. By transporting dogs and cats to Homeward Bound from high-volume shelters around the country, we are on track to double the number of animals we help annually. We are proud of this and grateful for funds that will allow us to meet the medical needs and expenses of these animals. Rally for Change donations will help us pay for diagnostic work-ups for senior animals, dental cleanings, spay and neuter surgeries and more! Here are two beneficiaries of Rally for Change donations: Hugo, a sweet, shy hound mix from upstate New York and delicate Nema, who hails all the way from Texas. Thank you!

Hugo

Nema

May 23, 2016

Co-op 40th Anniversary Mugs are Here – Clean and Green!

Oooh….just look at those beauties! The Co-op is celebrating our 40th Anniversary with limited edition mugs from Sunset Hill Pottery in Neenah, Wisconsin. Sunset Hill received recognition as “America’s Cleanest, Greenest Pottery” last year. Follow this link to find out just what changes they’ve made at their facility to make their pottery better for their workers and for the environment.

Our new mugs are available, for a limited time, in four gorgeous glazes and styles:

Fresh Awakening – for those of us who need a few extra ounces in the morning
Traveler – for the busy bee who needs their cup to stay hot until they can get to it
Whole Lotta Latté – for the “sit and sip” crowd (great for soup and chili, too)
Pot Belly – for anyone – just because it’s so cute!

Stop by and pick up yours (or one of each) while they’re still here. They make great gifts, too!

May 19, 2016

Spotlight on Newman’s Own

This week, we’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Newman’s Own to tip our hat to the man who decided to launch a food business that gives away 100% of its profits to charity. Read on to learn more about how Paul Newman accidentally found himself at the center of a successful food business and the impact of his incredible philanthropy:

Paul Newman’s craft was acting, his passion was auto racing, his love was his family and friends. But his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place. His commitment to philanthropy was clear — he used his influence, gave of his financial resources, and personally volunteered to advance humanitarian and social causes around the world. While Paul Newman was a Hollywood star of extraordinary celebrity and a person recognized for exceptional commitment and leadership for philanthropy, he lived his life as an ordinary person, which he always considered himself. He was a man of abundant good humor, generosity, and humility.

Newman’s Own began as a bit of a lark. In 1980, Paul Newman and his pal A.E. Hotchner filled empty wine bottles with his homemade salad dressing to give as gifts for the holidays. After friends and neighbors came clamoring for refills, Paul and “Hotch” were convinced that the special recipe was good enough to be bottled and sold.

Newman’s Own Salad Dressing was officially launched in 1982 and, surprisingly, became an instant success. The first year of profits exceeded $300,000 and Paul declared, “Let’s give it all away to those who need it.” Without ever taking personal compensation, Paul shared his good fortune. It was a unique concept at the time – giving away all after-tax profits, but he believed that helping others was just the right thing to do.

In these thirty years, Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $460 million to thousands of charities. Newman’s Own Foundation is an independent, private foundation formed in 2005 by Paul Newman to sustain the legacy of his philanthropic work. Funded entirely through the profits and royalties of Newman’s Own products, the Foundation does not maintain an endowment, raise funds, or accept donations. The Foundation believes that each of us, through the power of philanthropy, has the potential to make a difference. Since 1982, when Paul Newman first declared, “Let’s give it all away,” more than $460 million has been donated to thousands of nonprofit organizations helping people in need around the world.

Today, Newman’s Own produces over 200 individual products across 20 categories. Always great tasting, always top quality, just the way our founder, Paul Newman, insisted. We’ll always follow his vision for putting quality first. The Newman’s Own business model has remained the same over the years. The enterprise remains true to Paul’s original mission and values, using only all-natural, high-quality foods and donating 100% of profits and royalties to charity. Who would’ve thought that so much good could come from a simple idea? As Paul said, it has been “a heck of a ride.”

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