Could your wellness routine use a Spring makeover? Check out Vermont Sun! They’re our featured Co-op Connection Business this month and they offer 50% off their lifetime membership fee to Co-op member-owners!
Vermont Sun has been keeping our community fit since 1985. Whether you’re visiting their facilities in Middlebury or Vergennes, you’ll find their clubs geared up with the essential elements of a great workout. Their fitness equipment vendors are the best in the industry, and their club owners stay current with the latest technology! They offer a wide variety of cardio, strength, and free weight equipment to ensure that you get the best possible workout.
In an effort to protect and promote community safety during these challenging times, Vermont Sun has adopted a rigorous health and safety plan. Here’s what to expect when you visit:
SAFETY PRACTICES
Masks are required to enter the building and should be worn at all times even while exercising.
To enter Vermont Sun, you must have been in Vermont for at least 14 days or 7 days with a negative COVID test.
If you or someone in your house are sick, has a temperature, or has a pending COVID-19 test, stay home.
Check-in! It is required by the state to keep accurate records of all visits.
Use hand sanitizer when you enter and before you leave.
Consider bringing your own personal items such as towels, mats, and water bottles. Water fountains will be available for filling bottles only.
Wipe down each piece of equipment after you use it, and dispose of the wipes appropriately.
Plan your workout routine ahead of time and consider coming dressed in your workout gear to avoid lingering and socializing. This will allow more members to work out given the reduced occupancy necessitated by distancing requirements.
Please read here for more information.
FACILITIES AND PROGRAMMING
Both Vermont Sun locations are open Monday thru Friday 6 am-8 pm, Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am-4 pm. This includes the pool as well! They’re currently offering a limited class schedule, with in-person and remote options, which are posted on their website. To attend one of their live virtual classes call ahead to register at least 10 minutes prior to class start time.
Their facilities also offer racquetball courts, saunas, and indoor pools for lap swimming, rehab, or recreation.
Need help to ease safely back into a workout routine? Or maybe you’re just looking to set some new fitness and nutrition goals and could use a professional guide? Vermont Sun offers Personal Training services and Nutritional Counseling from a knowledgeable staff of certified, credentialed specialists.
In short, Vermont Sun has everything you need to help make your fitness goals a reality! Stop in and find out for yourself why they are voted the #1 Fitness Center in the region year after year! And don’t forget to tell them you’re a Co-op member-owner!
In honor of National Shelter Pet Adoption Day on April 30th, we’re shining our Member Deals Spotlight on one of our favorite pet product brands – Wellness! All of their natural pet products are 20% off for member-owners from April 29th – May 5th! During this time, for every purchase of pet food you make, the Co-op will donate the equivalent item to Addison County’s Humane Society – Homeward Bound! Read on to learn more about Wellness and their philosophy of care for creatures great and small:
At Wellness, they know that healthy doesn’t have to be hard. That’s why they offer a simple, holistic approach to pet food that focuses on real ingredients with real benefits. In the 1990s, their dedicated team began working with animal nutrition experts, veterinarians, and scientists to develop a food that would revolutionize the pet food industry. Since then, they have continued to push forward to represent a new generation of natural pet food, supporting their local communities and creating long-term sustainability initiatives along the way.
Quality Ingredients
The team at Wellness recognizes that mealtime is more than just a bowl of food. They’re committed to your pet’s overall wellness and offer thoughtfully prepared recipes that are crafted to be as delicious as they are healthy. They include superior nutrients and probiotics to provide the foundation for whole-body health and wholesome, natural ingredients to satisfy every appetite. Click here to read more about their ingredients.
Rigorous Safety Standards
Their mission is to provide you with wholesome, natural pet food that is the best it can be. They require all suppliers to meet stringent requirements and adhere to the highest standards, exceeding even the strictest requirements from the FDA. They are determined to go further, to do better, and to take as many precautions with your pet’s food as is taken with food for humans.Click here to read more about product safety standards.
Sustainability
Wellness demonstrates their dedication to long-term sustainability by embracing and supporting recycling efforts. Through a unique partnership with upcycling and recycling leader TerraCycle®, they created a program allowing you to recycle your Wellness pet food packaging and providing you the opportunity to donate to your favorite school or nonprofit organization. Join the 230,000+ people currently participating in this program and register to Recycle Your Wellness Packaging. It’s free and only takes a couple of minutes. You can sign up as an individual or sign up to create a recycling hub at your child’s school, your office or your favorite local community organization.
Rhapsody Natural Foods is basking in Member Deals Spotlight this week and all of their fabulous fermented foods are 20% off for member-owners from April 22nd – 29th. Read on to learn more about this family-owned local business hailing from the heart of Cabot, VT, and their quest to bring you traditional plant-based foods produced in harmony with nature:
Sjon and Elysha Welters moved to the US from the Netherlands in 1983 with their 1-year-old daughter in tow in search of a place to build a homestead from which they could carve out a sustainable lifestyle. Their family eventually landed about a mile from Cabot Village in central Vermont and began setting down roots, raising their three children, and starting a business.
Sjon Welters on the family homestead in Cabot, VT standing between the Rhapsody production facility and office
Their initial venture was a restaurant in Montpelier, which would serve as a test kitchen of sorts for the line of Rhapsody products that we know and love today. Their ultimate dream, however, was to be able to produce these foods on their homestead, cutting the commute and allowing the family to decrease their carbon footprint and dependency on imported food. The 2011 construction of a small production facility on their homestead allowed this dream to come to fruition, rooting the Welters family more deeply into the rural Vermont landscape where they were able to focus on improving the soil, maintaining their large vegetable gardens, and tending to the fruit trees and fields.
Sjon Welters in the Rhapsody production facility on the Welters family homestead
The Welters family is committed to producing foods that uphold their traditional value to nourish the health of their community. They understand that traditional foods can hold solutions to many modern-day problems. They are particularly passionate about fermented foods, which contain beneficial probiotic bacteria, are full of digestive enzymes that aid in digestion, support immunity, and help nutrients and minerals assimilate more easily.
Rhapsody is committed to supporting a sustainable local economy by sourcing from local and regional producers as much as possible, buying organic, and minimally processed, clean ingredients, and avoiding all GMO foods. They are constantly seeking opportunities to collaborate with local farmers so that more of the ingredients in their products can be sourced closer to home. They experimented with growing rice on their homestead for 7 years, proving that rice production in Vermont is possible. They hope to someday be able to source the rice for their Koji (starter culture for their miso) locally. They are also hoping to find someone who is excited to grow organic natto soybeans locally as those are only available from a very limited number of suppliers. Rhapsody’s products are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers and their goal is not to only meet the organic standards but to exceed them, as the national standards of organic become less representative of the intention on which it was based. Additionally, in October of 2020, all of Rhapsody Natural Foods’ products became certified kosher.
Sjon Welters planting rice on the homestead
Presently, their three children and their families (7 grandchildren) live on the same property and support the business in their own unique ways, making it a true family affair. According to their webpage, the Welters family is “committed to running a sustainable business that supports a natural lifestyle where the days and weeks of our lives are engaging, dynamic, inspiring, challenging, and fulfilling. Production, sales, marketing, distribution, and bookkeeping are all divided up according to skillset and interest. We get it all done with a sense of purpose and satisfaction! In the face of the health, economic, and environmental crisis that our community, both local and global, faces today we are committed to actions that contribute to positive change. Our work towards meeting this challenge is in part by sharing our passion for high-quality fermented local food!”
Are you gearing up for some spring cleaning? Keep it green with Seventh Generation! They’re basking in the glow of the Co-op Spotlight this week and member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line ofproducts from April 15th – 21st! Read on to learn more about their energy-efficient practices, socially responsible business model, their fight for labeling transparency for cleaning products, and their impressive efforts to tackle climate change:
More than 30 years ago, a group of like-minded individuals came together to create Seventh Generation, a company dedicated to nurturing the health of the next seven generations. They do that by creating everyday products using plant-based ingredients, and by creating positive policy change through their mission and advocacy work. They’re on a mission to transform the world into a healthy, sustainable & equitable place for the next seven generations.
As a mission-driven B-Corps business, Seventh Generation aims to pioneer a more mindful way of doing business. They remain committed to examining their impacts as a business and considering the principles that matter to them as a company: responsible sourcing; using materials from plants, not petroleum; ensuring the health of our planet and the people on it; having an engaged, motivated workforce; and caring for their community. They track their progress toward these goals and present them with total transparency. Click here to check out their most recent impact assessment.
Not Business As Usual
Our planet’s future and the health of generations to come is far too important for business as usual, which is why Seventh Generation constantly strives to make their products more sustainable, why they’re racing to reduce their carbon footprint and become a zero-waste company by 2025, and why they’re advocating for climate justice. They stand with the Youth Climate Movement and seek to use their platform to elevate the voices and initiatives championed by the leaders of the Movement who have heard the call and stepped up to lead the charge.
As many climate activists have noted, though, this movement is about more than just switching to a renewable energy economy and curbing our fossil fuel usage. It’s about demanding true Climate Justice. It’s about changing our energy usage in a way that is fair and equitable so that frontline communities and those among us who are most vulnerable aren’t compromised in the process—as they often are. The students have raised their voices and the team at Seventh Generation feels compelled to not only stand beside them but also to take action and use their own ability to affect change to help the movement grow and create the healthy future all of us deserve. As a sustainable business, Seventh Generation feels a responsibility to fight for that future and they invite you to join them. Click here to read more about their ongoing Climate Justice efforts.
Envisioning A Zero Waste Future
Packaging is more than just a container to the folks at Seventh Generation. In every packaging decision they make, they consider the impact on the health, safety, and sustainability of people and the planet. And as industry leaders in their use of post-consumer recycled plastic, their sustainable packaging embodies their mission to nurture the health of today and the next seven generations. By 2025, they aspire to reach their goal that 100% of their packaging will be reusable and reused, recyclable and recycled, or biodegradable and degraded.
But recently, the company doubled down and shifted tactics to involve moving away from plastic completely, starting with a new line called Zero Plastic Homecare.
“What we realized is that we really need to take action and move ourselves as a business away from plastic, because as good as the plastic is or as little you use, recycling alone will never solve the problem,” says Seventh Generation CEO Joey Bergstein. In the U.S., according to an EPA report last year with the most recent data, only around 9.1% of plastic waste is recycled; another 15.5% is burned. The rest—26 million tons per year—ends up in landfills. That’s despite years of effort to improve recycling rates.
To eliminate plastic in the new line, the company rethought the products themselves. By using non-liquid products, the containers don’t need plastic to act as a “moisture barrier.” “If we remove plastic from the equation, that means removing the liquid from the equation as well,” says Joe Giallanella, who leads the company’s growth incubator, the team tasked with eliminating plastic from packaging. The cleaning power of these liquid-free tablets and powders is activated with water when you are ready. A fundamental clean is achieved without the use of dyes, bleach, wrappers, or plastic. And they will biodegrade once you are done with your cleaning routine.
For now, these products are available exclusively through Grove Collaborative online. This will allow Seventh Generation to test the products with a smaller audience before going more mainstream. We look forward to seeing how these work!
Pandemic Response
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the health and livelihood of millions every day, Seventh Generation is thinking hard about how best to support and uplift their communities, especially those who need help the most. First, they have significantly increased production of the essential cleaning and household products people and families need. They are working closely with retail partners to continually restock products to meet the unprecedented increase in demand. They’re also continuing to assess where their voice as a business can be most effective in spurring and supporting systemic change that nurtures this and future generations.
For the past several years, they’ve been outspoken advocates for climate justice and equity because they know that vulnerable and marginalized populations are the first and worst affected by the climate crisis. Now, as they raise their voice and channel their resources in response to the COVID-19 crisis, they remain more committed than ever to supporting equity and justice. It is their strong belief that the solutions created to battle this crisis must be equitable and that they must address the vulnerable and marginalized communities that are experiencing the effects of COVID-19 first and worst.
Now is the time to invest in people and the planet, and as solutions are proposed to respond to COVID-19, Seventh Generation has pushed for stimulus and relief packages that put the people first. That’s why Seventh Generation has endorsed the People’s Bailout, a comprehensive approach to recovery and relief built around the needs of the everyday people who need the most support. They have asked our elected leaders to act in line with the People’s Bailout principles, which put us all on a path toward a society that leaves no one behind.
The Fight for Ingredient Disclosure
Seventh Generation firmly believes that you have the right to know what is in the products you buy, which is why they helped launch the #comeclean campaign. Through this campaign, they aim to air the cleaning industry’s dirty laundry. They support state and federal legislation to require manufacturers of both consumer household and industrial cleaning products to disclose all intentionally added ingredients, including fragrance components, on their product labels and on their websites. Thanks to their vigilant efforts, landmark legislation (SB 258-California’s Cleaning Product Right to Know Act) was passed which required that, by 2020, companies must list certain ingredients on their packaging and website. It’s a major step forward in the fight for ingredient transparency and affirms our collective right to know what’s in the products we buy. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the emails, calls, texts, and tweets from our collective community. Seventh Generation encourages you to get involved.
Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth? We’re shining our Member Deals Spotlight on Krin’s Bakery from April 1st – 7th and member-owners can enjoy 20% off Krin’s full line of local confections! Read on to learn more about this wonderful woman-owned bakery nestled in the mountains of Huntington, VT.
Krin’s Bakery is the home of artisan baker Krin Barberi. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, then exploring and working for others, Krin opened her own bakery in 2005. Krin’s Bakery makes delicious cookies, cupcakes, and other treats using time-honored recipes and simple, fresh ingredients. Whether in a lunchbox, enjoyed over coffee, or served at a special occasion, Krin’s baked goods celebrate her twin passions for baking and for building community.
Krin’s bakes the treats you love and remember—chocolate cupcakes with a thick frosting; chewy cookies in classic flavors and festive shapes; classic Italian biscotti and moist chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, all baked in their small Huntington, Vermont bakery by a dedicated crew of skilled bakers, using thoughtfully-sourced ingredients from neighboring farms, orchards, and businesses. Their treats are available in local grocery stores and co-ops throughout central and Northern Vermont, and if you’re not lucky enough to live in VT, they ship!
Krin is a passionate local foods activist supporting the cause by working with local distributors, markets, producers, and farmers. She takes her inspiration from her rural New England family’s tradition of supporting and participating in the life of her community. She believes that where our food comes from is important and takes pride in using local Vermont ingredients whenever possible.
It is from this deep sense of community and place that Krin continues to bake love and care into each and every treat.
We’re casting our Member Deals spotlight on a company that’s been making pickles the old-fashioned way for over 30 years – Bubbies! All of Bubbies naturally-fermented pickle products are 20% off for member-owners from March 25th – 31st. Read on to learn more about this company and its humble beginnings:
First founded in 1982 as a hobby project for Leigh Truex, whose presents to relatives and friends of her homemade dill pickles led to their encouragement that she produce the dill pickles commercially, Bubbies has since grown to become the leading brand of refrigerated dill and sweet pickles, sauerkraut, relish, and horseradish in natural food stores nationwide. Under Truex’s tutelage, the company produced delicious naturally-fermented dill pickles but struggled to gain a financial foothold, leading her to sell the struggling company in 1989 to John and Kathy Gray.
The Grays were former bankers and small business owners who breathed new life into the company, expanding the lineup beyond the signature dill pickles, and lending their business and financial acumen to truly build a brand. They rebranded the products to bring us the iconic prominent picture of Bubbie on the label, which they felt evoked what consumers who’d tried the product were saying about it. “Natural, old-world, bringing back the good feelings we had about our families and the home-cooked, wholesome experiences with something that tastes unique, refreshing, and distinctive.”
As John describes the Bubbie persona, “She’s the essence of the kindly Jewish grandmother who happens to be passionate about things like cooking and pickling. She stands for all Old World grannies who pamper their family with wonderful foods they’ve hand made using authentic ingredients and traditional recipes.” Bubbie’s worldly advice is evident in the company’s playful slogan: “Eat My Pickles. Wear Clean Underwear. Marry a Doctor.”
John credits Bubbies success in part to the relationships they’ve built with natural foods stores like our Co-op. “Without the independent grocer and their willingness to innovate—to try new things—and our loyal following of consumers who love our naturally-fermented, wholesome foods we wouldn’t be here today.” relates John.
John has always been a car guy and he always dreamed of having for Bubbies an eye-catching delivery vehicle that would be a “billboard on wheels!” In 1997, he purchased an old, beat-up Chevy delivery wagon at the Goodguys car show in Pleasanton, CA. After months in the shop (and a fresh coat of green paint, of course) the Bubbiemobile 1.0 was on the road, making deliveries all over California. Over the years, the Bubbiemobile has seen its fair share of repairs and facelifts. In 2015, it was completely rebuilt and restored inside and out to its current version. The Bubbiemobile is now an absolute showstopper! The Bubbiemobile can now be seen at car shows as well as global industry events like the Natural Products Expo East and West. Otherwise, look for the Bubbiemobile cruising down the 101 freeway in Ventura or hugging the turns of Pacific Coast Highway. If you see us, roll down your window and say hello…we may have a jar of Bubbies for you!
1953 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery Wagon
After a five-year bout with early-onset Alzheimer’s, Kathy passed away in July of 2011. She and John were the entire staff of Bubbies for over 15 years. Through all the anxiety of Bubbies early years, Kathy never lost hope or had any regrets about leaving the corporate world behind. She once said; “We have to succeed because I am never going back to work for the bank!” Her indomitable spirit touched everyone she knew, whether as a classroom Mom or as President of the Board of Hospice of San Joaquin. She is profoundly missed by her family, friends, and co-workers. Her legacy at Bubbies is seen every day in the way they do business.
Kathy Gray
According to John, “It is hard to believe that over 30 years have passed since my wife Kathy and I set off on our journey with Bubbie. Despite all the difficulties we faced and the challenges we met and overcame in the three decades since, neither of us ever regretted the adventure.”
Be sure to check out Bubbies website for an excellent collection of recipes using their delicious products! And don’t forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Since he began tracking in 1995, John says that he’s received over 1,000 handwritten letters from loyal fans and he loves hearing from Bubbies fans on social media!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight this week on a local favorite – Lake Champlain Chocolates!All of their mouth-watering Fairtrade Certified chocolates are 20% off for member-owners from March 18th – 24th — just in time for the Easter Bunny to stock up! Read on to learn more about this local confectionery that has called Vermont home for almost 40 years and its commitment to responsible sourcing:
History:
The story of Lake Champlain Chocolates began back in 1983 when founder Jim Lampman dared his pastry chef at Burlington’s Ice House Restaurant to create a better truffle than the ones he had been buying for his staff as holiday gifts. Together they began making the most amazing hand-rolled, creamy truffles and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sourcing Matters:
From the very beginning, long before eating local was cool, Lake Champlain Chocolates has been committed to sourcing Vermont-grown ingredients whenever possible. They knew that using high-quality Vermont honey, maple syrup, and fresh dairy from local farmers and producers would result in superior chocolates.
The goal is to bring you their best. To make high-quality chocolate that amazes with exquisite flavor and creates a moment of pure joy. It’s also why they’ve never added preservatives, extenders, or additives, and why they’ve worked diligently to remove GMOs from all of their chocolates and use organic and Fairtrade certified ingredients whenever possible. With each new product, the goal remains the same – to create something special, and to give you the best experience.
Eric Lampman in the Dominican Republic
A Family Affair:
Lake Champlain Chocolates is a second-generation, family-owned business, just like the generations of Vermont family farmers that provide them with fresh butter, cream, maple syrup, and honey. And just like the generations of cacao farmers in places like the Dominican Republic and Guatemala — with whom they have direct partnerships. Today, Jim’s son and daughter, Eric and Ellen, are defining the future of Lake Champlain Chocolates by developing award-winning organic products and spearheading sustainable sourcing initiatives. Along the way following the Lampman family principles: Dare to do better. Always do it with Passion. And do it your way.
Lampman Family
Fair Trade:
Making great-tasting chocolate is hard work and the team at Lake Champlain Chocolates believes that every person in this process should be treated and compensated fairly and that their actions should make a positive impact on local and global communities. When you purchase Fairtrade chocolate, more money goes back to the farmers, allowing them to lift themselves out of poverty and build a better life for their families. It also allows these farmers to invest additional Fairtrade premiums in community development, ensures a ban on forced labor and child labor, and encourages environmentally-sustainable farming practices. Go ahead and indulge your sweet tooth and feel good knowing that 100% of the chocolate they use at Lake Champlain Chocolates is Fairtrade certified.
Why Buy Fairtrade Certified Chocolate?
Farmers and workers are justly compensated and have safe working conditions (this includes prohibiting the use of forced labor and child labor).
Farmers are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty and help to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities.
Cocoa farmers and co-ops receive an additional premium for investing in community development.
Farming communities develop skills that help them use the free market to their advantage.
Farming villages become better stewards of the environment — using sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices to preserve local habitats and increase biodiversity
B Corp Certification:
Lake Champlain Chocolates joined a growing community of more than 2,500 certified B Corporations worldwide who are united under one common goal – to redefine success in business. Rather than focus solely on profits, certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Unlike other certifications that look at individual products, B Corporation evaluates the entire business — assessing the yearly impact on the environment, workers, customers, community, and government. This new type of corporation is purpose-driven to create benefits for all, not just shareholders, working together to be the change we seek in the world.
For Lake Champlain Chocolates these performance standards provide a valuable third-party measurement tool, assuring customers and suppliers that LCC’s business practices meet the highest standards. “Achieving B Corp Certification is the next step towards fulfilling our company’s vision to become the gold standard of chocolate companies in the United States, a respected leader other companies aspire to be,” says Eric Lampman, LCC President. “For more than 35 years, our practices have been guided by one core value – ‘everything must measure up to the chocolate.’ And this includes making a positive impact on our local and global communities by respecting our employees, fostering long-term partnerships with our suppliers, and practicing environmental responsibility.”
Factory Tours:
The folks at Lake Champlain Chocolates would love to show you around! Visit their flagship store on Pine Street in Burlington to watch their master chocolatiers craft extraordinary chocolate right before your eyes. Watch a brief video to learn how chocolate is made, where it comes from, and what makes their chocolates so delicious. And while you’re there, be sure to treat yourself to one of their specialty confections like Almond Butter Crunch, their famous chocolate truffle, or enjoy a hot chocolate, espresso, or ice cream from their café. Their factory tours are free, self-guided, informative, and fun! Chocolate is typically produced Monday-Friday; however, there can be changes in the production schedule without notice. You may visit Monday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, though to see the most action in the factory, it is recommended to visit Monday-Friday before 2:00 pm.
Lake Champlain Chocolates also offers free outdoor chocolate tastings (weather permitting) at their Pine Street location on Saturdays from 12:00 – 4:00.
We’re shining this week’s Member Deals Spotlight on Cascadian Farm. Their full line of organic products are 20% off for member-owners from March 11th – 17th, so it’s a great time to stock up and save! Read on to learn more about their commitment to providing healthy, organic foods for over 45 years:
The Cascadian Farm story began over 45 years ago when founder, Gene Kahn, an idealistic 24-year-old grad-school dropout from Chicago, wanted to make a difference in the world. He recognized the delicate balance between humans and their environment and wanted to farm in a way that would not harm the natural beauty of the earth or her inhabitants. Inspired by reading “Silent Spring” and “Diet For A Small Planet”, he set out to farm organically on a little stretch of land next to the Skagit River in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
The Cascadian Farm family is proud that more than 45 years after their founding, the original farm is still rooted in the organic values it was founded upon. It represents their ‘true north’, demonstrating their commitment to organic and land stewardship practices to the partner farms they work with to bring organic products to more consumers. Dedication and passion from farmers past and present preserves this organic legacy. Their company has been recognized as a pioneer in converting large-acreage conventional farms to organic production, now boasting more than 100,000 acres of organic farmland.
Want to visit the farm? They’re offering a trip for two to tour the original farm in Skagit Valley, WA to learn all about their history and farming practices! Three runners up will win $250 in free Cascadian Farm product. To enter, click HERE anytime after April 19th.
Why Organic?
Choosing organic foods allows you to:
limit your exposure to synthetic insecticides, fungicides, and herbicide
limit your intake of growth hormones and antibiotics
limit your intake of genetically modified foods
Organic Foods:
Do rely on natural biological systems for pest and weed control thus avoiding use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and soil fumigants.
Do improve the quality and fertility of the soil
Do protect water quality
Do reduce soil erosion
Do reduce the impact of agriculture on our environment
Do produce high quality, great tasting food
Don’t use genetic engineering
Don’t use sewage sludge as fertilizer
Take it from Jim Meyer – Cascadian Farm’s Organic Educator and Farm Manager from 1993 until his retirement in 2015. His strong belief in working with nature and giving back to the community set a solid foundation for the future of the farm:
Our Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly on The Bakery this week! Member-owners can enjoy a 20% discount on all of their favorite baked goods from this local bakery hailing from the heart of Rutland, Vermont. Read on to learn more about the bakery and their commitment to serving up their local best:
If you’re cruising through historic downtown Rutland and find yourself craving fresh local baked goods and a great cup of coffee, The Bakery’s got you covered. Locals may recognize The Bakery as the latest evolution of the long-successful Baba-A-Louis Bakery — a central Vermont staple for more than 30 years. The time-tested recipes are the same, baked in the same original ovens, but the name, location, and the man at the helm have been new since 2013.
Donald Billings, who also owns Roots The Restaurant and The Annex in Rutland, as well as Crux and Mountain Merchant in Killington, took over the bakery in 2013. Billings has been involved in the restaurant industry his entire life and was named Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce‘s 2019 Business Leader of the Year.
Owner Donald Billings behind the counter at The Bakery
The Bakery’s mission is to create delicious food from fresh, local ingredients. They’re committed to providing affordable meals from minimally processed, locally-grown food, including organic crops and humanely-raised livestock. The Bakery is proud to partner with local providers and values the relationships they’ve formed with the local farmers and producers in our region.
In addition to baking up some of the most delicious bread and baked goods around, The Bakery also offers a full menu of soups, salads, smoothies, and sandwiches to please any palate. Of course, they’ve had to be nimble in the face of the pandemic and have tailored their offerings to suit a curbside-pickup model in an effort to prioritize both the safety of their staff and the community.
Here at the Co-op, you can find a wide range of their baked offerings, including bread, bagels, English muffins, and a staff favorite lemon blueberry bread that will make you swoon!
Are you sprouting a new family? We invite you to check out our Co-op Connection Business of the Month for March Jumelles Wellness Midwifery! Jumelles (pronounced ju-mell) is a woman-centered practice, offering central Vermont families homebirth midwifery care, doula services, lactation counseling, and childbirth education. Thanks to the Co-op Connection, Co-op member-owners can enjoy 2% off their initial prenatal appointment and 2% off a birth tub rental! Read on to learn more:
About the Practitioner:
Chenoa is a Traditional Midwife, a Certified Professional Midwife through North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), Licensed Midwife in the state of Vermont, a certi
fied doula, Certified Lactation Consultant and Emergency Medical Technician. Chenoa has been attending births since 1997. While pursuing her Bachelors of Art at the University of Oregon, she completed training as a birth doula through DONA (Doulas of North America.) Chenoa immediately began a three-year, traditional midwifery program.
Following the midwifery program/apprenticeship, she continued her training through another apprenticeship in a high-volume birth center in Portland, Oregon, specializing in water births. During that time, Chenoa also volunteered with Doula Circle, a program that provided doula services for teen mothers, a commitment that she currently maintains by offering childbirth education and support to families. In 2006, Chenoa moved with her family to Vermont, where she began working as the primary midwife at a group midwifery practice in Addison county. In 2010 Chenoa volunteered as the primary midwife for a busy birth center in Jacmel, Haiti with twin sister Nieve Shere leading to the eventual collaboration between Jumelles Wellness Midwifery and Riverside Natural Health Center in 2013.
Chenoa is certified by the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP & BLS) in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adults, infants, and newborns. She is a member of the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Vermont Midwives Association (VMA), and National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
Chenoa lives on a small farm in Cornwall, Vermont with her husband and three children.
Services Provided:
Home birth midwifery care including prenatal, birth & postpartum
Water birth & birth tub rental
Laboratory work
24/7 on call service for labor & urgent matters
Complete newborn exams & screenings
Lactation consulting & breastfeeding support
VBAC (Vaginal Births after Cesarean)
Childbirth education classes
Doula services
Acupuncture for fertility, pregnancy, birth & postpartum through collaborative care
