Berkeley Student Food Collective Food Prep Expansion By the Numbers: $439- average weekly
Mission The Berkeley Student Food Collective is volunteer-run, cooperatively-managed, nonprofit grocery store which aims to provide fresh, healthy, local, environmentally sustainable, ethically produced REAL food to the Berkeley community at an affordable price. We seek to educate students and community members about nutrition and food systems, empower new leaders and train youth to work in and manage sustainable businesses.
Food Prep Sales $922- highest week of Food Prep Sales
Lily, a member and creator of our new beauty line, shows off her newest products
Project Our Food Prep team is a perfect example of our values and mission. Every day our volunteers use our in-store staples to create delicious and healthy food items for all to enjoy! Utilizing our budget from TGIF we bought over $6,000 in new equipment to revitalize and expand our food production abilities and expand our menu.
Results
Reeva and Aida, Food Collective members, make food in our back kitchen
Since this project started Food Prep has evolved beyond a sandwich service to provide breakfast items such as pastries and parfaits, lunch items including sandwiches, salads, pastas, as well as dinner items for no more than $5. Beyond conventional grab-and-go food items Food Prep has excelled in surveying customer interest by offering organic, raw beauty products, juices, smoothies, and even ice cream. The hard work and ingenuity of our Food Prep volunteers has greatly contributed to our growth over the past year, with 2013 comprising of our most successful year to date! TGIF’s grant allowed us to expand our mission, our Food Prep and our customer base, allowing us to share our love of good REAL food with many members of the Berkeley community.
Berkeley Student Food Collective Greening our Education Project Since 2011, the Berkeley Student Food Collective has offered a DeCal called Berkeley in the Global Food System. The course aims to analyze the social, economic areas related to food and agricultural systems in order to discover the processes that get our food from farm to fork. Using this money, the BSFC aimed to empower our DeCal students to do projects that delved into the intricacies of the food system, and reward them through highlighting their projects in the store. We also increased our educational outreach to the Berkeley community and will have a speaker series in Fall 2013.
Mission The Berkeley Student Food Collective is volunteer-run, cooperatively-managed, nonprofit grocery store which aims to provide fresh, healthy, local, environmentally sustainable, ethically produced REAL food to the Berkeley community at an affordable price. We seek to educate students and community members about nutrition and food systems, empower new leaders and train youth to work in and manage sustainable businesses.
Results Thus far we have laminated over 20 student-created posters that will be rotated in the store on a regular basis. This follows the advice gained from Kristen Bourne, the Marketing Director for Bi-Rite in San Francisco. We have held over 30 events since August 2012, that have highlighted sustainability, green lifestyle choices, and consumer accountability. Currently, our Education committee is organizing a Speaker series that will go throughout the semester and which will focus on sustainability in food systems.