Pittsburgh, members have participated in clothing drives, mutual aid funds, and direct action. These aren’t exceptions, they’re expressions of our cooperative principle: Concern for Community.
Still Committed to DEI
As rollbacks to DEI programs make headlines, marginalized communities are once again being told their dignity and rights are optional. But not here. At the Co-op, we strive to provide a safe, welcoming space for all — promoting Pride, uplifting our community’s voices, and creating inclusive policies that endure.
Co-ops Matter Now More Than Ever
As autumn arrives and this tumultuous year winds down, it’s a time to reflect on where we are and where we’re headed. Across the country, major institutions are reevaluating their once-public commitments to racial equity, environmental sustainability, and inclusivity. Social responsibility, once marketed with fanfare, is often the first to go when profits dip.
But here at the East End Food Coop, and thousands of co-ops around the world, our values don’t vanish with market shifts. We aren’t run for shareholders. We’re run by and for you — our neighbors.
Cooperatives are rooted in shared principles: democracy, equity, sustainability, and concern for community. These aren’t slogans, they shape how we operate. Whether it’s sourcing local produce, supporting
BIPOC- and women-owned vendors, or investing in sustainable practices, we make choices guided by our values, not trends.
Economic Justice in Action
While corporate grocers report record profits, many families are struggling to put food on the table. Co-ops offer an alternative: fair prices, regional supply chains, and competitive wages for staff. Every dollar spent here strengthens the local economy and supports ethical business, not executive bonuses.
Mutual Aid, Not Marketing
In moments of crisis, from pandemics to local emergencies, co-ops are often among the first to step up. Right here in
The Future Is Ours to Grow
The nation’s food system is broken — economically, ecologically, and socially. The co-op model offers more than critique; it provides solutions, including regenerative agriculture, shared governance, and food sovereignty. These aren’t buzzwords here, they’re blueprints.
No model is perfect. But the cooperative model is participatory. It invites you in, gives you a voice, and centers shared wellbeing. In an era of institutional mistrust, co-ops continue to earn trust by standing firm in our values.
This fall, recommit to your values, your Co-op, and your community. Whether it’s shopping local, sharing a meal with a neighbor, or investing in your Co-op, your actions matter. Because now, more than ever, co-ops matter. And you make ours possible.
Learn more about investing in your Co-op by visiting our website, eastendfood.coop/capital-campaign
Board Corner
Upcoming Capital CampaignWhat Are “Preferred” Shares?
Over the last few years, during EEFC’s evaluation of the three locations that were being considered as possible expansion opportunities, discussion turned to the methods by which we might pay for such an undertaking. Most food co-ops, when they take steps like this, put together an array of funding sources that include cash reserves held by the business, bank or other institutional loans, and monies invested by members. Within that last category, a co-op has options. Two of the primary alternatives are loans from members or additional share purchases by members. After discussion with our co-op consultants and lawyers, the Board and Management agreed that EEFC would go the “preferred shares” route taken by many of our peer co-ops.
This
Run For The Board/ Attend The Annual Meeting/Vote!!!
Our Vision & Values
What is a “preferred” share? A preferred share is a type of nonvoting stock that pays a return out of the profits of a business. It represents an ownership interest in the business itself, and is called, in accounting parlance, “equity.” The financial returns are called dividends, rather than interest. The difference between those two types of monetary return is of key importance to the financial position of a business. Interest on loans is usually payable on a set schedule. Think of a bank certificate of deposit (CD). Interest is added by the bank to the initial deposit, usually on a monthly basis, based on the interest rate. Dividends, on the other hand, are payable at the discretion of the business, which means it can, and usually does, take the up-todate financial performance of the business into account in deciding when and at what rate to distribute dividends.
Another factor in the determination of which funding route to use in raising money from our members was the difference
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between equity (shares) and debt (loans) when it comes to the financial “health” of the business. Debt to members is considered to be a higher business risk than member equity, and the presence of that higher risk can affect just how receptive other lenders might, or might not be, when EEFC seeks to borrow bank or institutional money. The Board and Management decided that EEFC should take advantage of that difference.
Issuing preferred shares is a financing strategy used by all kinds of business entities, but most importantly, it has been a successful strategy at many food co-ops like us. Within the recent past, Lexington Cooperative Market (Buffalo), The Common Market (Frederick, MD), The Keweenaw Co-op (Hancock, MI), Greenstar Food Co-op (Ithaca, NY) and GreenTree Co-op Market (Mt. Pleasant, MI) have all been successful in raising money to fund large projects such as re-location and in-store improvements through the use of issuing preferred shares for member investment.
Tom Pandaleon, President EEFC Board of Directors
Salutations, my cherished Co-op community! We have arrived at the time of year in which The Board Perpetuation and Elections (BP&E) Committee is pleased to announce the annual election season for Board of Director Candidates! At the time of this article’s publication, the timeframe to declare your candidacy has already started, having begun on August 31. However, the opportunity to run as a candidate ends on October 5. There are four open general positions available this year for different term durations: three three-year positions and one oneyear positions. Serving on the Board of Directors has been a pleasure of mine, and I recommend any member-owner who wishes to uphold our values and ideals, as well as ensure a sustainable future for our community to run. Being a Board member is a commitment (I joke to my wife that there goes half of my Monday nights), however, the job does come with perks as well, including a 10% discount and a monthly stipend. Once the voting ends and the ballots are certified, the new board will be seated on December 15.
We have a robust one-day retreat planned for January in which our committees are organized and our annual objectives are outlined. In addition, new Board members are given a simpler nutsand-bolts onboarding before their first monthly meeting in December.
All Co-op member-owners in good standing can participate in our Board election. Voting begins October 19 and ends November 30. Finally, we hope you will mark your calendar and come to the EEFC’s Annual Meeting on Thursday evening, November 6th.
The food is always good, and you’ll have the opportunity to hear and discuss important information on the health of our Co-op and our Strategic Plan for its future.
We are officially in the Year of the Cooperative here in Pittsburgh!
An official proclamation was read into the record at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 15. City Councilwoman Deb Gross invited yours truly, along with representatives from many of the numerous cooperatives operating in the city of Pittsburgh to attend the official ceremony and resolution declaring “ NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Council of the City of Pittsburgh, alongside the UN, recognize that cooperatives promote participation in the development of local communities and of all people, including women, individuals with disabilities, people of color, and Indigenous Peoples, whose inclusion strengthens economic and social development and does hereby declare the year 2025 to be “The Year of the Cooperative” in the City of Pittsburgh and encourages all residents to celebrate and promote the importance of cooperatives.”
It was an honor to share the spotlight with hardworking cooperators from around the city, including our very own EEFC Federal Credit Union, the Ujamaa Collective, Fourth River Workers Guild, the Belmar Gardens Housing Co-op, and many others.
Summer is over now, and we turn to the important work ahead of us this fall: beginning to implement our Year 1 strategic plan initiatives. These include expanding our café hours and menus, and beginning the feasibility stage of store renovations to expand our retail sales floor and revamp our seating capacity. We are very excited to take advantage of our longer lease here on Meade St and invest back into this space we have called home for so long.
We are asking members to help us fund the renovations and expanded services by investing in our capital campaign. Members will soon begin to receive information about purchasing additional, non-voting, preferred shares in ownership — shares that come with dividends until eventually they can be purchased back in full. This is something our Co-op has not done before. We are learning together
and growing stronger together.
We recently went through a democratic process with our membership to add to our bylaws, allowing our Board of Directors to set the specific terms of these investments. This initiative received a much larger response than I imagined, right out of the gate, even! Membership’s involvement, their rights and responsibilities in the governance of our cooperative is what really makes this job special and rewarding for me, personally and professionally. Our passionate, diverse community we have built here from the very beginning is how we are able to continue to serve each other, now and long into the future.
The United Nations, and now the city of Pittsburgh, have gone on the record as supporters of the cooperative movement,
and we are asking our membership to do the same, again. My family and I will be investing in this campaign. I feel strongly that we have to distinguish ourselves as a premier grocery store for local and organic foods in our area. To highlight our alternative economy of keeping dollars circulating in the community through our wages, benefits, local suppliers, vendors, community partnerships, and investing any profits back into our Co-op. We must show off how great of a place we can be to buy groceries, have a meal, and participate in governance. I am so excited to see what is possible when we collectively invest again, and use those resources to make our Co-op the destination I know, and so many thousands of memberowners know it can be.
Make Your Own Raw Sauerkraut
By Meryem Mammedova
Ingredients
1 head of green cabbage
2 carrots
1 tablespoon of sea salt
Directions
• Slice the cabbage and shred the carrots.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Knead the mixture well with your hands until a lot of juice comes out.
Award Winning Local Cheese
Earlier this year, the American Cheese Society held their 2025 Judging & Competition for 1,592 cheeses and cultured dairy product entries. At the Annual Conference this year in Sacramento, California, they awarded 407 medals to winners in 123 different categories. We asked our cheese buyer, Eileen, to tell us about some of the winners on our shelves.
From southeast Pennsylvania, Farm at Doe Run came away with 11 medals! “So many of their cheeses are praise worthy,” Eileen told us. Among their winners was Black Swallowtail. “The main flavor profile has a well-rounded grassiness with sweet cream, and finishes with a little spice.” Farm at Doe Run’s commitment to sustainable farming is impressive. Their herd of cows, goats, and sheep are grassfed year-round with hay harvested on the property.
Pleasant Lane Farms, of Latrobe, is another repeat award-winner. Their Red Rooibos Gouda is as described - a creamy gouda with rooibos tea extract in the center that lends notes of vanilla, orange, and clove. “Its bold looking rind comes from the cheese being rubbed with rooibos leaves,” Eileen explains. Founded in 1976, Pleasant Lane Farms is family-owned and operated, and tours are available year-round.
Hootenanny cheese is a gouda style, all goat milk, aged for a minimum of three months. This supple champion contains notes of hickory nuts and wildflowers. In addition to the ACS, Hootenanny has won awards at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, World Cheese Awards, and the US Championship Cheese Contest.
• Pack it into enameled bowl, pressing it firmly so there is no air trapped and the cabbage is drowned in its own juice.
• Place a plate on top of the cabbage and put something heavy on top of the plate. (we use bricks in a stainless-steel bowl)
• Cover the whole thing with cheesecloth.
• Place the bowl in a dark place and let it sit for 7-10 days (depending on temperature)
Meryem Mammedova is an author and the founder of Prescription Foods. Learn more about gut health and the excellent local fermented products they offer at www.prescriptionfoods.org
Right here in Allegheny County, Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy walked away with multiple medals. According to Eileen, they’re our most local cheesemaker. Their
We’re grateful to partner with these and other local farms who continue to bring us the highest quality cheeses. We encourage our members and customers to be adventurous when shopping our offerings. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions! We love talking about cheese. Who doesn’t?
