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Spotlight on Weleda

Looking to give your skin and body care routine a Spring makeover? We’re shining our Member Deals Spotlight on Weleda this week and all of their natural body care products are 20% off for member-owners from May 3rd – 9th. Read on to learn more about this company that has been providing all-natural personal care products for nearly a century!

 

 

Heritage

What started in 1921 as a pharmaceutical laboratory, with its own plant garden, is today a world-leading manufacturer of certified natural by NATRUE personal care. Founder, Dr. Rudolf Steiner along with Dr. Ita Wegman and a team of scientists created the first synergistic products orchestrated to reconnect the body with its natural rhythms. For the most active ingredients, they planted the first biodynamic gardens with farming, seed production, and landscape maintenance following the rhythms of nature and the earth. They began delivering glowing, healthy-looking skin and wellbeing in Switzerland, then Germany and eventually North America.

Today, Weleda has partnerships and offices around the globe and, despite their success, they remain a people-and-planet over profits brand. They still cultivate their own biodynamic gardens and work in fair trade agreements with small farmers and gardeners to source the best raw materials. They still strive to make the best non-toxic, cruelty-free, paraben-free, GMO-free, phthalates-free and synthetic fragrance-free products available in the marketplace.

Values

At Weleda, they see beauty in the soil, flowers, plants and the fair-trade partnerships they build that honor the human spirit and respect the natural world. Their purpose is to cultivate beauty. They are committed to supporting your overall wellbeing and beauty, and that of every living being. They strive for each of us to be empowered to cultivate beauty in the world, for ourselves, for our children and the future of our planet. Here are their 7 fundamental principles:

  • Fair Treatment – Since 1921, Weleda proved that transparency and honest communication works with customers, partners, and suppliers. Our integrity is our foundation worldwide. We are committed to fair trade agreements with our farmers, gardeners, and other suppliers. The result is lasting, reliable relationships with everyone we touch.
  • Employees as Partners – We have deep gratitude for the people who work for us at every level. Weleda employees own their roles. Their hands-on experience gives them insight into decision-making, operating processes and structures as well as innovation and business advances.
  • Integrity and Quality – The raw plant, flower, and fruit materials for Weleda products are carefully cultivated and harvested in order to preserve their full effects. Our holistic products are cruelty-free in accordance with NATRUE standards, non-toxic, paraben-free, synthetic fragrance-free, SLS-free, and GMO-free. We believe the Earth is a living organism, as connected to the cosmos as it is to us. Our philosophy, rooted in anthroposophy, honors human beings and nature. That reverence drives us to create the highest quality products possible. Our mission is to give everyone the experience of extraordinary well-being.
  • Science and Spirit meet in our Research and Development – For Weleda, the human family is the center of our work. Integrating science and philosophy, we research and develop innovative, groundbreaking products and beneficial approaches.
  • Sustainability – The earth’s resources are limited. Our planet requires protection, for humans, nature and all living beings. Our responsibility is serious. We set demanding environmental standards. To us, sustainability means protecting the environment, biodiversity and the lives of our farmers and gardeners and their families, as well as conserving natural resources.
  • Ethical and Value-Creating Business Practices – Since our founding, we dedicated ourselves to human development, restoration of health, need for physical well-being and a balanced way of life. This vision determines Weleda’s business orientation and is the guiding light and driving force of all our actions. In every encounter, Weleda participates in cultural initiatives that empower people from our customers to our suppliers and investors.
  •  Cultural Diversity – The Weleda Group embraces cultural and racial diversity as inspiring, powerful and necessary to our evolution. Historically, Weleda grew from separate entrepreneurial initiatives unifying into a corporate group. Today, our reach spreads around the world but our ethical and quality standards, strategies and policies are binding for the entire Weleda Group.

Visit their webpage to learn more about their story, their standards, their products, and their commitment to quality.

Business of the Month – Jumelles Wellness Midwifery

Are you sprouting a new family? We invite you to check out our Co-op Connection Business of the Month for May Jumelles Wellness Midwifery! Located in Middlebury’s Historic Star Mill in the Riverside Natural Health Center Suite, 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

Visit their webpage to learn more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on Wellness Pet Products

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 26th – May 2nd! 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.

Spotlight on Cascadian Farm

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 April 19th – 25th, 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 more than 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:

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 from April 5th – 11th! Read on to learn more about this pioneering company that set out over 30 years ago to offer convenient, time-saving foods that didn’t sacrifice health or quality:

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Their Story

Amy’s didn’t set out to become the nation’s leading frozen food brand; they simply hoped to create a successful business that would provide convenient and tasty vegetarian meals for people who appreciated good food but were often too busy to cook healthy, organic meals from scratch.

Andy & Rachel Berliner launched the business 1987, the year their daughter Amy was born, using their own house and barn as headquarters. The founding meetings were held in the same room where the couple married and where Amy was born. They began with a humble vegetarian pot pie, followed soon after by pizzas and soups. The business continued to evolve and expand, realizing a need to include gluten-free and dairy-free items for those living with food allergies. Amy has since grown up and started a family of her own. She and her husband, Jace, both play active roles within the company.

Berliner Family

Organic Before Organic Was Cool

Amy’s was serving up organic food before there was a national certification program. In fact, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to create standards for organic, they looked to Amy’s for guidance. Together with other industry leaders, they helped pioneer the organic food industry and, more importantly, helped make organic food available to more people. Their commitment to organic ensures that neither farmers nor consumers are exposed to harmful chemicals and pesticides. A proud supporter of GMO labeling initiatives, all of Amy’s dishes are non-GMO. They were also the first to market canned items with non-BPA-lined cans, and they’re happy to see many other food companies following their lead.

Amy’s Kitchen has grown beyond the Berliner’s wildest dreams, going from several family members pitching in anywhere they can, to a wonderful group of employees, farmers, and suppliers. But no matter how big the company grows, one thing will always remain the same—the family spirit that permeates every decision made inside of Amy’s Kitchen. Although they have considerably expanded their production facilities and the number of people they employ, Amy’s remains family-owned and fiercely independent. They choose what’s best for their customers, their farmers, their employees, and the planet. It’s a tall order, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Business of the Month – Pro Skin Studio

Is your skin in need of some TLC? Or maybe you’re long overdue for a massage? Check out our Co-op Connection Business of the Month, Pro Skin Studio! Co-op member-owners can enjoy 10% off when they visit this beautiful boutique spa in the heart of Middlebury’s Marbleworks!

As a Co-op shopper, you likely know that eating well does a body good, but did you know that carving a little time out of your hectic schedule to care for your skin and body can also reap major benefits to your overall stress level and sense of well-being?  Experience the bountiful benefits of the wide range of treatments that Pro Skin Studio has to offer!

Pro Skin Studio offers a unique experience unparalleled to that found in a large salon and spa or medispa. Their skilled staff members provide exceptional skin treatments, peels, microdermabrasion, LED, micro-needling, full body waxing, eyebrow design, lash lifts, brow & lash tinting, fireless cupping, shiatsu, & full body massage. They have the ability to customize services not only to clients’ skincare needs but also to your budget.

Are there wedding bells in your future? Pro Skin Studio offers all of the services you will need to look fabulous on your wedding day! Here are some options to consider:

  • Book a series of facials for beautiful, radiant skin on your special day
  • Relax with a massage
  • Consult with a Pro Skin Studio makeup and brow artist
  • Host a ‘Girls’ Day’ spa party before your big day

Meet the Crew

Jenn Buker, the owner of Pro Skin Studio, is a Licensed Skin Therapist and the only Dermalogica Expert Plus in Vermont. She has built Pro Skin Studio from a small, one room booth rental, to a private two room Studio with 3 employees. Jenn’s philosophy on skincare is simple – healthy skin is beautiful skin, and only needs accentuating, not covering! She is deeply committed to her clients, and truly enjoys the time spent with each and every one of them.

 

 

 

 

Jennifer is a Licensed Skin Therapist & has been a Professional Makeup Artist for over 12 years. Her previous experience as the Head Esthetician at a Medical Spa guides her passion for results-driven skincare. She believes the key to optimal skin health is finding the balance between protecting and enhancing, which then aids in overall well-being. Jennifer graduated from The Salon Professional Academy and went on to attend classes at the International Dermal Institute, Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics, as well as Jane Iredale University. Other education includes advanced certifications in Chemical Peels, Micro-Needling, Dermaplaning, Photo-rejuvenation, and combination therapies utilizing medical modalities such as Microdermabrasion.

 

 

 

Gina has been in practice as a certified Massage and Bodywork Therapist for 14 years. She started her training in Minnesota at Centerpoint School of Massage and Shiatsu Therapy. She has continued to expand her repertoire in Thai Massage, Reiki, Ayurvedic Energy Balancing & and variety of spa relaxation treatments and wraps. Gina loves to read people’s body and designs treatments specific to each client. She is very well rounded with her training and ability and loves to range from relaxation massage to energy work and deep tissue massage. She believes each individual is unique and manifests stress and blockage in different ways. It is her job to find what each client needs that day to leave feeling revitalized and refreshed.

 

 

 

As skilled estheticians and massage therapists, we are able to bridge the gap between the result-driven corrective services of a medispa while still providing the relaxation and pampering of a larger salon and spa. The only way to truly know the unique services that Pro Skin Studio has to offer is to come and experience them for yourself. We guarantee that you will look and feel your best!

We look forward to working with you! If you have any questions please, call (802)458-8964 or contact us via email.

Jenn, Jennifer, Gina, and Lydia

Click here for great skin care tips from the pros at Pro Skin Studio!

Spotlight on Shaker Maple Farm

To celebrate sap season in Vermont, we’re shining our Member Deals Spotlight on Shaker Maple Farm! Member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line of maple syrup products from April 12th – 18th, so it’s a great time to stock up on liquid gold!

Shaker Maple Farm is owned and operated by Steve and Leah Willsey of Starksboro, VT. They have been sugaring for over 30 years and currently boil from 20,000 taps. Many of these taps are from maple trees on their beautiful farm in Starksboro and some taps reside on two neighboring properties from whom they buy sap. In 2013, they completed construction on a beautiful sugaring barn, complete with a small canning facility. Just this year, they signed a new land lease which will allow them to increase to 30,000 taps over the next two seasons!

The 2017 season yielded 10,300 gallons of syrup at Shaker Maple farm. The Willsey’s sell about half of their syrup wholesale and the other half is sold in bulk. You can find their syrup at a variety of local grocery stores, co-ops and restaurants. You’ll also notice that their syrup is certified organic, which may lead you to wonder, “isn’t all maple syrup organic?”. The answer might surprise you! Organic certification ensures that:

  • No pesticides or chemicals were used to manage the forest. Like any crop, a forest can be sprayed to control insects. The same organic standards for field crops apply to maple forest to regulate things like buffer zones and runoff and ensure that no fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals were used.
  • A healthy forest is maintained. Organic standards limit the number of taps allowed in each tree to sustain the health of the tree. Organic certification ensures sustainable management of forestland to promote tree health, biodiversity, and reduce erosion.
  • No lead, filtering agents, or chemical defoamers. Certified organic maple farms must adhere to strict regulation when it comes to things like lead in equipment and the use of filtering agents and chemical defoamers.

Spotlight on Sunridge Farms

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on SunRidge Farms this week! All of their products are 20% off for member-owners from March 29th – April 4th. Read on to learn more about their commitment to offering nutritious, ecologically respectful, and sustainable foods for more than 30 years!

The Company

SunRidge Farms is a family-owned business that has been producing high-quality foods for more than 30 years. Their organic and natural food offerings can be found throughout our bulk department and are a reflection of the company’s commitment to a healthier lifestyle – a commitment that extends to the environment, the supply chain, and their community. They carefully source quality ingredients from suppliers who share their values and source organic, non-GMO, and Fair Trade ingredients whenever possible. They choose to offer their products in bulk as a way to demonstrate the value of purchasing foods in a manner that reduces cost and waste. Their facility, located in Royal Oaks, California, is completely solar-powered and their fleet of trucks run on bio-diesel. They also pay an extra $5 per day to their team members who choose to bike to work. These measures add up to a greatly reduced carbon footprint for their company and a lineup of products that you can feel good about.

The Mission

  • SunRidge Farms is committed to providing the healthiest products to their customers by producing foods without highly processed or refined ingredients. We are dedicated to sourcing Non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients.
  • SunRidge Farms is committed to the planet and supports organic farming and sustainable practices.
  • SunRidge Farms sincerely believes that it is essential to aid in the conservation of ecological diversity, wildlife, and natural terrain in order to preserve our world. Their contributions include substantial donations toward the successful resolution of environmental, social, food related issues on both local and global levels.

The Vision

SunRidge Farms is committed to offering nutritious, ecologically respectful, and sustainable foods to their communities. Their complete line of certified organic and naturally grown products aids and supports an authentic lifestyle and display a commitment to food safety, ecological integrity, and excellence.
Their Green Commitment is centric to all of their business decisions. The manufacturing facility is solar-powered, and they support sustainable farming practices, energy usage, recycling, and freshness. Their goal is to enhance connections between consumers, retail stores, farmers, and suppliers.
They also embrace the many opportunities to contribute toward ecological diversity, wildlife, and the preservation of natural terrain. Reducing the impacts of global climate change and respecting the earth and its beings are vital to all that they do. Their support includes substantial donations toward environmental, social, food related, educational and world hunger issues.

 

Spotlight on Honeywilya Fish

Our Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly this week on Honeywilya Fish! All of their succulent salmon products are 20% off for member-owners from March 22nd – 28th! Read on to learn more about this unique local business that brings high quality, hook-and-line-caught wild Alaskan salmon to our Co-op shelves and the angler that makes it all possible:

For angler Lynn Steyaart, this fish tale begins on the shores of Georgia where he grew up fly fishing with his dad and watching the shrimp boats come into port. His path eventually led him to school at UVM, then on to adventures in commercial fishing in Alaska. It was here that Lynn met his wife, Maria, who had grown up in Chester, Vermont, but was spending some time as a wilderness ranger in Alaska. It was also there that Lynn purchased a commercial salmon troller called the “Honeywilya”, marking the exciting beginning of a new livelihood.

 

 

Lynn and Maria are now settled in Duxbury, Vermont, though Lynn still spends 6 months of the year fishing the 500-mile stretch of ocean in Southeastern Alaska from Ketchikan to Yakatak. He returns home to Vermont with 700-800 pounds of salmon, which he sells to friends, neighbors, and a select few local stores, including our Co-op.

 

 

All of Honeywilya Fish’s salmon are wild, sustainably caught by hook-and-line, individually landed, immediately cleaned, carefully iced, and gently handled by Lynn and his deckhand, Ryan Mulvihill. Without the use of nets (that can be detrimental to other species), this small quantity catch method ensures an attention to detail and superior quality with each fish. Steyaart and Mulvihill put in long days on the boat, working from 3 or 4 am until 9 pm to bring in their haul. The fish are cleaned and filleted right away, then packed in ice. Another boat meets Steyaart’s every couple of days to take the fish to a packaging facility to be vacuum-sealed. This ensures that the fish arrives to you as fresh as possible.

 

Steyaart says it’s tough to leave his wife behind for half of each year and the days working on the boat can be long and strenuous, but it’s surprisingly easy to stay in touch. Because cruise ships frequent the southern Alaska coastline, cellphone coverage is surprisingly good where Lynn fishes, and she hears from him often. And occasionally, as her schedule permits, she has even joined him on the boat.

 

Spotlight on Seventh Generation

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 of products from March 15th – 21stth. Read on to learn more about their energy efficient practices, socially responsible business model, and impressive efforts to bring labeling transparency to the cleaning product industry:

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For 28 years, Seventh Generation has been creating powerful plant-based solutions for your home & family. From their very first days as a company back in 1998, they have been on a mission to inspire a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations. They aspire to:

  • nurture nature
  • transform commerce with honesty, responsibility, and radical transparency
  • enhance health through education, activism, and innovation
  • build communities advancing social justice and equality to unleash human potential.

As a mission-driven B-Corps business, Seventh Generation aims to pioneer a more mindful way of doing business. They developed a plan known as the Path to 2020  and began by 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 our community. To track their progress toward these goals and present them with total transparency, they post an annual Corporate Consciousness Report, which we invite you to check out.

Come Clean

Did you know that the law does not require ingredient disclosure on cleaning product labels? It’s time to tell the industry to come clean!  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.  Food and personal care products are currently required to have content labels, but there are no regulations in place for the ingredient labeling of household cleaning products – especially for the fragrances that scent those products. Chemicals of concern can hide behind the term “fragrance” in ingredient lists on your cleaning products – chemicals that have been linked to serious health effects including allergies, asthma, cancer, and reproductive harm. Want to take action? Click here for the latest updates on these critical pieces of legislation and find out what you can do to get involved.