Westbrae Natural Foods is basking in the Member Deals Spotlight this week and all of their products are 20% off for member-owners from February 23rd – March 1st. Read on to learn more about their history of offering healthy foods for nearly 40 years!
Westbrae’s original co-founder Kristen Brun launched the business with partner Bob Gerner based on a simple idea – she wanted to do something for the planet, and something good for the people on both sides of the counter. That was way back in 1970 and though the company has evolved significantly over the years, they remain true to this original philosophy.
Bob Gerner and Kristin Brun initially offered their customers homemade granola, organic vegetables from Bob’s garden, organic fruits from local farmers and whole grain baked goods using Kristin’s recipes. In the late 1980s, the business was sold to a group of food-savvy investors, relocated to southern California, and continued to grow. The Research and Development Department expanded the Westbrae Natural line and achieved leadership in the natural products industry
In 1997, Westbrae was acquired by The Hain Food Group (now known as Hain Celestial), which is headquartered in Melville, New York. Available in natural food stores as well as mainstream supermarkets, Westbrae Natural’s array of vegetarian foods includes beans, soymilk, miso, mustard, and more.
Be sure to check out their website for great recipes!
We’re shining our Co-op Spotlight on Annie’s this week to highlight their mission to “make organic for everybunny”. All of Annie’s products are 20% off for member-owners from February 16th – 22nd, so it’s a great time to stock up and save on all of your favorites. Read on to learn more about Annie’s history and mission:
History
It all began in 1989 with a young lady named Annie Withey who believed it was possible to start a business that was both socially conscious and successful. Annie started by making delicious mac & cheese and selling it out of the trunk of her car. Now, nearly 30 years later Annie’s remains devoted to the business of good: creating good food, demonstrating good business practices, and helping build good communities.
Organic Commitment
The folks at Annie’s feel passionate about increasing access to organic foods. They focus on organic ingredients because they believe they’re better for you and for farmers, animals, and the environment. Certified Organic always means non-GMO, avoiding toxic, persistent pesticides, and so much more. We all benefit when there are fewer chemicals in our soils, water, food and air. Click here to read more about Annie’s commitment to organic.
Giving Back
In addition to offering an array of healthy and organic foods, Annie’s is proud to support the next generation of farmers committed to sustainable farming practices. They have two wonderful programs to help achieve this end:
Through their Grants for Gardens program, they’ve funded hundreds of school gardens to help kids connect with the source of their nourishment, encouraging them to think more holistically about their food, their communities, and the planet.
Thanks to their Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program, they’re able to offer $150,000 yearly in funds to college students studying sustainable agriculture. This year, 15 winners will each be eligible to receive $10,000 from Annie’s to help kickstart their adventures in sustainable farming.
When you buy Annie’s products, you cast a vote in support food education and make healthy gardens accessible to hundreds of students across the country.
Keeping it Green
Packaging: The crew at Annie’s recognize the large role that product packaging plays in pollution and climate change. The natural resources required to make packaging is just the start. Yes, plenty of packaging is recyclable or compostable, but when it ends up in a landfill, it might give off methane, a potent greenhouse gas. If it’s incinerated instead, it releases CO2 into the atmosphere. And packaging that weighs more requires more fossil fuels to transport. Annie’s works hard to take all of this into account, using sustainable materials that are recyclable or compostable and light to transport.
Facilities: Annie’s has maintained both LEED Gold and Bay Area Green Business Certifications since 2013 at their Berkeley, CA headquarters. In 2016, they received the Climate Disruptor award, recognizing their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint. Additionally, they monitor and encourage energy efficient practices among their suppliers, gaining insight into the supplier’s energy practices, greenhouse emissions, water use and waste output. To encourage improvement, they give an Annual Green Bernie Award to an exemplary supplier demonstrating continuous improvement for at least two years in a row and documenting high performance in one or more of these areas: energy, waste, water, and climate change.
Be sure to check out their web page for fun recipes!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Aura Caciathis week to highlight all of the wonderful things this cooperative does to source and provide quality products while also giving back to their community. All of their products are 30% off for member-owners from February 9th – 15th — just in time to put together the perfect DIY spa kit for your Valentine! Read on to learn more about what makes this company worthy of the Spotlight:
As part of Frontier Co-op, Aura Cacia shares the cooperative values of nourishing people and planet. They care for the small grower communities at the source of their products, openly share product information, show their customers how to improve their lives with aromatherapy and give back to help those in need.
Aura Cacia is committed to both quality products and quality of life. They offer outstanding products made from simple and pure botanical ingredients that improve the well-being of those who use them. They test every shipment of essential oil they receive to verify its purity and quality.
As part of Frontier Co-op’s far-reaching sustainable sourcing initiatives, they support the growers’ communities with charitable projects that fundamentally improve people’s lives. They’ve created the Positive Change Project to give back a portion of each Aura Cacia purchase to organizations that help women bring positive change to their lives. Through this project thus far, they’ve been able to:
Provide a $25,000 grant to Thistle Farms, a social enterprise for women who have survived prostitution, trafficking, and addiction. Thistle Farms provides a two-year residential program and employs more than 50 survivors.
Fund the building of a two-room Ambohimena Schoolhouse within sight of the trees where the Aura Cacia ylang-ylang farming families work. These families needed an affordable option for early childhood education, so Aura Cacia worked with local educators and social workers to develop a plan for a simple, local facility where the pickers children can enjoy learning, thus helping them to better lives in the future.The school has about 50 two- to five-year-olds enrolled, with the capacity for 60 children.
Help rebuild the Haiti Library in the city of Les Cayes after the earthquake in 2010. Aura Cacia’s vetiver essential oil supplier is in Haiti and Haiti is the world’s largest producer of vetiver.
Ambohimena School
Ylang-Ylang fields in Madagascar
Be sure to check out Aura Cacia’s impressive collection of recipes to unleash the full potential of their essential oils. Whether you’re looking for DIY recipes for facial care, body care, or home cleaning products, they’ve got something for you!
We’re shining our Co-op spotlight this week on America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers – Organic Valley! All Organic Valley products are 20% off for member-owners from February 2nd – 8th! Read on to learn more about Organic Valley’s rich history, their commitment to their farmer-owners, and to the environment:
In the 1980’s, a dairy farming crisis was underway. The price for milk fell below production costs and the dairy farmers producing it were facing economic extinction. Farmers were told to “get big or get out”. Industrial, chemical farming was presented as the only existing option for survival. Never mind its effects on our health, our animals, and our environment.
There were many farmers who simply didn’t want to be industrial, chemical farmers at the mercy of corporate agriculture. Thankfully, in 1988 a Wisconsin farmer named George Siemon hung posters calling like-minded farmers in his community to band together. Family farmers filled the Viroqua county courthouse and all agreed that there had to be a better, more sustainable way to continue doing the work they loved in a way that protects the land, animals, economy and people’s health. And that’s how their farmer-owned cooperative was born.
This pioneering group of farmers set high organic standards, which eventually served as the framework for the USDA’s organic rules. The cooperative first focused on organic vegetables, calling themselves the CROPP (Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool) Cooperative, and within a year they expanded to include organic dairy. Demand for their organic products grew, as did farmers’ interest in joining the thriving cooperative. Interest came from farmers and consumers all over the country, and it became clear that they needed a new name to represent their broader base. With that, the CROPP cooperative became Organic Valley.
Now, almost 30 years later, Organic Valley continues to produce some of the highest quality organic dairy, vegetables, soy, and eggs. They remain farmer-owned and remain true to the powerful working model that puts the environment, wholesome quality food, and the farmer first.
Click HERE to read more about the family of farmers that make up the Organic Valley Co-op and find out if there are any near you!
Click HERE for the top 5 reasons to choose organic.
Click HERE to read about sustainability initiatives at Organic Valley.
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Spectrum this week and all of their products are 20% off for member-owners! Read on to find out more about what makes Spectrum shine.
Spectrum Naturals
The Spectrum Naturals brand started over twenty years ago with the purpose of making a variety of oils available to the American public. Their line of culinary oils and vinegars includes more than 30 varieties of seed, nut and plant oils including coconut oil, as well as a variety of vinegars, mayonnaise products, cooking sprays and non-hydrogenated shortening, many of which are organic and/or non-GMO verified. Gourmet food lovers will find extra virgin olive oils from Spain, Italy and Tunisia, each estate-grown and produced in small batches.
Spectrum Essentials
Spectrum Essentials refers to the company’s line of dietary supplements aimed at supporting good health by providing essential fatty acids (EFAs) like Omega-3, Omega-6, Vitamin D and other vital nutrients. The Spectrum Essentials line offered at the Co-op features flaxseed oils & fish oils. They use the highest quality raw ingredients that deliver nature’s essential health benefits and offer supplements for every day for every life stage.
American Masters of Taste
The Spectrum Naturals line of culinary oils are recommended for chefs by chefs and have been endorsed by The American Masters of Taste. A national panel of executive chefs evaluates each product based on many attributes such as taste, appearance, character, and flavor. The following Spectrum Naturals products have been awarded the seal:
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Unrefined
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Organic Extra Virgin Mediterranean Olive Oil
Organic Canola Oil
High Heat Safflower Oil
Organic All Vegetable Shortening
Click here to check out delicious recipes and suggested uses for Spectrum products!
We’re shining our Co-op Spotlight on Garden of Life! Their entire line of products are 30% off for member-owners this week, so if your New Year’s resolution involved boosting your wellness routine, it’s a great time to give them a try! Read on to learn more about their mission to empower extraordinary health!
The Science of Whole Food
Garden of Life is fanatical about food. This may not be the first thing that typically comes to mind for a company that makes vitamins, probiotics, and protein powders, but Garden of Life is different that way. When they set out to create a line of products, they challenged themselves to consider what “good stuff” present in the highest quality foods are typically missing in our diets. Which of these foods have the greatest potential to impact and empower extraordinary health?
Clean is Healthy
As fanatical as they are about what goes into their products, they are equally diligent about what to keep out of them. This means no synthetic chemicals, no GMOs, just true, whole, traceable ingredients. If it’s not found in real food, they don’t want it in their supplements. Their philosophy is to slow it down, make it by hand, grow it in rich organic non-GMO soil with enough sun, air, water and time for it to be its best. Harvest it when ready. Treat it with care. Turn it into a power-packed nutritious food supplement.
The Lebaron Farm in Utah grows, harvests, juices, and dries the greens for the Perfect Food Raw products.
Traceability
Garden of Life aims for their product ingredients to be traceable all the way back to the seed. This means knowing where each and every one of their products comes from, how it’s grown, where it’s grown, and by whom. They believe in having strong personal relationships with their growers and ensuring that the farmers and farm workers that grow the products are well compensated and well cared for. Click here to read all about the farms that grow ingredients for Garden of Life products.
Fourth-generation family farmers growing organic cranberries in Massachusetts for Garden of Life
Certifications
There is a great deal of noise in the marketplace today that makes it difficult to find the clean truth. Independent, unbiased, third-party certification and verification provides the best option for that assurance. However, to attain Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified status, every ingredient must be traced back to its origin, which means tracing back to organic crops and family farms and also how and where it’s manufactured. Developing a fully traceable raw material supply chain is a massive, complex undertaking—especially considering some formulas could have over 100 different ingredients!
It’s no easy task, but it’s totally worth it. Garden of Life is committed to producing Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified supplements. They also use unbiased third parties such as Vegan.org, NSF, Kosher and Informed-Choice whenever possible.
Sustainability
Garden of Life is also a Certified B Corps! They are deeply committed to energy efficient and sustainable practices including LEED Gold Certified facilities, use of renewable energy, recycled bottles, recyclable packaging, and soy-based inks. Click here to read more about the sustainability initiatives at Garden of Life.
We’re shining our Co-op Spotlight on Stonyfield this week to highlight their commitment to organic dairy, the family farmers that make it possible, and the Earth that sustains us. Member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line of organic dairy products this week! Read on to learn more about Stonyfield’s history and a few of their impressive initiatives to help support farmers and the environment.
History
While Stonyfield is best known for making yogurt, yogurt wasn’t the way the founders of Stonyfield thought they’d change the world. In 1983, Stonyfield co-founders Samuel Kaymen and Gary Hirshberg were simply trying to help family farms survive, protect the environment, and keep food and food production healthy through their nonprofit organic farming school.
Just to keep things running, the duo started putting their farm’s seven cows to work making yogurt. They knew they were making healthy food grown with care; what they didn’t expect was how much people would love it.
People went crazy for the yogurt from Samuel and Gary’s little farm school, and the two knew they had found a way to make a real difference. With this yogurt business, the two organic farming teachers could show the whole world that a company could make healthy, delicious food without relying on toxic chemicals that harm the environment and public health.
So, the two went all-in on yogurt and, over 30 years later, they remain steadfast in their mission. They’re still headquartered in New Hampshire, just 30 miles east of the old farm where it all began.
Organic Commitment
Stonyfield’s products are all 100% certified organic – made without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs. In one year alone, their organic ingredient purchases keep more than 185,000 pounds of toxic persistent pesticides from the air, water, and land! WOW!
Supporting Farmers & Caring for the Planet
Stonyfield believes in the importance of supporting family farms and taking care of the world around us. They consider the impact of everything they do–from the plant-based packaging to the quality of the ingredients, to how their products are made, and finally, how it gets to you.
When they learned that the organic farmers cooperative from which they source their bananas was having to endure significant hardships and loss to get the bananas to a processing facility, they knew they needed to step up. Transporting the bananas to the nearest 3rd-party processing plant required farmers to transport their crops on their backs, then by boat, and then by truck to get there. Even under the best conditions, the trip takes many hours and is often fraught with hazard. In the end, up to 40% of the fruit is either lost on the journey or left to rot on the trees. Given the challenges of processing at such a remote facility, there’s little incentive for farmers to fully harvest available fruit or invest in their farms. Upon learning this, Stonyfield invested in a processing plant that is completely owned and operated by the AAPTA growers cooperative, allowing them to cut waste, improve efficiencies and stabilize their income. How cool is that?! Click here to read more about it!
Stonyfield is also helping to jumpstart the next generation of organic farmers. They recognized that the population of organic dairy farmers is aging, and very few people are lining up to take their places as they retire. They decided to play a central role in sustaining and rebuilding organic dairy in America through a groundbreaking training program for organic dairy farmers. In the program, aspiring organic dairy farmers spend two years at Wolfe’s Neck Farm on the coast of Maine. Living on site, they receive intensive training in organic farm and pasture management, animal health and comfort, and business planning. At the end, they pitch their farm business plan to potential investors before setting out on their own. The first group of trainees started in June of 2015. Stonyfield will be following this first batch of farmers on their blog as they move through the program, so stay tuned!
Click HERE to read more about Stonyfield’s sustainability initiatives.
Does your New Year’s resolution include new health & fitness goals? Check out Vermont Sun! They’re our Co-op Connection Business of the Month for January and they offer 10% off 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.
If you’re looking for great group fitness classes, you’ll find over 250 each month, including Yoga, Spinning, Zumba, Body Pump, Arthritis Aqua Aerobics, Senior Fitness classes, Self-defense classes, and more! There’s something for every age group from kids to seniors.
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 New Year’s Resolution 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!
BONUS!! Vermont Sun is offering a special perk for Co-op member-owners during the month of January! Show your Co-op member card at Vermont Sun for a FREE ONE WEEK PASS!!
We’re shedding some light on Niman Ranch this week to celebrate their efforts to provide all-natural meats raised by family farmers committed to sustainable & humane practices. All of their meats will be 20% off this week for member-owners, and it’s a special 10-day sale this time around, so it’s a great opportunity to stock up the freezer! Read on to learn more about Niman Ranch, their dedication to sustainable meat, and the small family farmers who make it possible.
Niman Ranch began in the early 1970’s on an eleven-acre ranch in a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. The cattle were raised using traditional, humane husbandry methods and given wholesome all-natural feeds. Before long, Niman Ranch beef became a favorite in local grocery stores and at San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 700 independent American farmers & ranchers, who all share Niman Ranch’s dedication to the strictest protocols. Their meats are humanely raised, never given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed only the finest all vegetarian feeds.
Niman Ranch believes that sustainable agriculture is best described as livestock raising and production practices which balance current resource demands without compromising the future of these resources from an environmental, economic, and human perspective. They also believe that sustainability does not end with the farmer and must carry throughout the supply chain. For this reason, they choose to raise livestock in areas where feed sources are locally available to reduce the environmental impact of feed transport. Sustainability at Niman Ranch incorporates sustainable agricultural practices with economic sustainability for the farmers, the ranchers, their customers, and their employees; all of which are an integral part of their overall business philosophy of RAISED WITH CARE.
The Niman Ranch Top 10 Sustainability Best Practices
Pay farmers a premium in accordance to strict raising protocols
Establish a floor price for farmers tied to the cost of inputs of feed and fuel
Promote agricultural biodiversity by using breeds which thrive in their natural environment
Practice genetic diversity to keep breeds healthy over generations
Maintain livestock density well below conventional industry standards so as not to overburden the land
Raise livestock in geographies where feed is locally available to reduce carbon footprint incurred during transport
Mitigate soil erosion and/or loss through maintaining pasture with coverage for livestock, crop rotation, rotational grazing, and responsible waste/manure management
Prohibit use of concentrated liquid manure systems
Use buffer strips and grassed waterways
Provide a robust marketplace for farmers and ranchers and their livestock
Humane Animal Care
All Niman Ranch livestock are humanely raised according to the strictest animal handling protocols. These protocols were written based on the recommendations of animal handling expert Dr. Temple Grandin. Here is a summary:
Livestock are raised outdoors or in deeply bedded pens
Livestock always have access to fresh, clean water
Livestock are able to express their natural behaviors in healthy social groups
All farms are gestation crate-free
Click HERE to read in-depth animal-raising protocols
Ensuring Compliance
Niman Ranch follows a 3-step process to ensure full compliance with their protocols.
All of their farmers and ranchers regularly complete affidavits agreeing to follow all protocols
Niman Ranch personally inspects each farm before it is accepted into their program to ensure it meets standards
The Niman Ranch field agents, located throughout the country, regularly visit and inspect the farms and ranches in their network. Niman Ranch has more field agents than sales reps!
Click HERE to read more about their practices and view maps of their farm locations
Is there a delicious Italian dinner on your menu for the week? Be sure to check out Bionaturae! We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Bionaturae this week to shed a little light on this Italian-American partnership that has been bringing us a fine lineup of authentic organic Italian foods for over 20 years! All of their products are 20% off for member-owners this week, so it’s a great time to stock up on these staples. Read on to learn more about this company and their philosophy!
While majoring in Italian in college, Carla Bartolucci spent a year in Italy and met her husband, Rodolfo, who had a background in agriculture. In 1995, the two teamed up and enthusiastically created an organic selection of authentic Italian foods for the American & Canadian markets. Now, more than 20 years later, Bionaturae has remained a family-oriented, privately owned company, with a heartfelt devotion to quality and tradition.
Carla & Rodolfo
Bionaturæ (bee-oh-na-too-ray) roughly translates to mean “organic nature.” For the founders of the company, it means this and far more. It means the celebration of Old World tradition, of authentic Italian food and of family.
So what makes their products taste so great? A few things come to mind. Rather than the Teflon dies that most commercial pasta makers have turned to, Bionature uses the original bronze dies common to traditional authentic pasta making, resulting in a coarser pasta that holds sauce exceptionally well. Equally important is the slow drying methods they incorporate. Where most modern pastas are heat dried to speed the process, Bionaturae insists on using the more traditional method, which can take as long as 14 hours to dry the pasta and avoids cooking the wheat during the drying process.
According to Carla, “In Italy, we try to eat the foods that are the most seasonal, in their most natural form, with as little done to them as possible, and to eat a wide variety so that we are getting everything we need. The wisest thing, I feel, is to eat simply prepared, organic foods. It’s important to know where your food comes from.”
Here at our Co-op, you will find Bionaturae olive oil, balsamic vinegar, many different kinds of pasta (both packaged and in bulk), tomato products, fruit spreads, and nectars!
