FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
BY RUFINA GARAY, FOOD CO-OP BOARD PRESIDENT
When I began my term in office as Board President, it was on the heels of three rapid-succession resignations by board members that followed one resignation in protest and one removal of a board member. At immediate potential risk was the ability to vote or conduct board business. With the help of a former Food Co-op board president and others, we have managed to keep up the accelerated and intensified board workload with fewer members.
As I write, we are preparing to bring on four new board members elected from a slate of eleven wonderful candidates; and sadly, though not unexpectedly, we just received the resignation notice of one more board member.
To be sure, with this exodus, it has been a hard year for the board, the GM, former board members, member-owners, staff, and community members.
Becoming Board President was not an inviting opportunity, but I held a belief that we might turn hard circumstances into an opportunity for empathetic leadership and make shifts toward our ENDS goal that defines how we treat each other:
Treat people well, increasing equity and access by providing a safe, welcoming, and educational environment.
I began to look at the heated op-eds in multiple newspapers and controversial questions about accountability, transparency, racial and gender equity, respect and safety for all identities, communication, conduct, diversity, identity, inclusion, belonging, policies, and processes, as a good place to start deeper work to cultivate greater inclusion in our Food Co-op community by:
•Engaging in important dialogues and listening sessions,
•Defining our work as a board
•Repairing and healing relationships.
Conflict often arises out of deep care, and healthy communication can be restored in the absence of shame, blame, and judgement.
Despite this challenged time, the Food Co-op has been performing above the standards of the financial performance of the majority of food cooperatives (based on comparative National Cooperative of Grocers data). Our General Manager, Director of Operations, and staff have increased the fiscal health of the Food Co-op beyond the pandemic pivot.
Considering a Triple Bottom line Framework
When we consider the triple bottom line business framework (John Elkington, 1994) of measuring our success concerning people, planet, and profit, the Food Co-op has done visibly well on the planet and profit bottom lines which directly align with two of three of our ENDS goals:
• Strengthen and advocate for our local food system, with a vibrant culture of appreciation and support for local farms and producers.
• Treat the planet well, by modeling environmental stewardship and regularly sharing our accomplishments and challenges with member-owners.
Achievements toward both these ENDS have been made possible by member-owners’ direct contributions at checkout. The Co-op’s jar saver and recycling programs, and non-toxic cash register receipts are all part of modeling environmental stewardship. We have more work to do on the bottom line of people and our related ENDS goal.
Interdependence
Member-owners’ contributions collectively demonstrate the meaningful economic support and the important role of the Food Co-op within the local food system. Milestones are highlighted on our Giving by the Numbers page later in this report. This support has become more critical in light of: national freezes on federally reimbursable grants to farmers and congressional budget planning that anticipates a $230 billion cut over ten years within the Agricultural Committee budget.
Any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP), the largest line item, directly impact vulnerable families in our community who currently receive SNAP benefits and whose children become simultaneously verified and eligible for free lunch at school.
As a community, we will need our farmers and producers to keep growing and supplying food to the food bank, schools, the Food Co-op, and at the farmers market. We are truly interdependent.
As we intentionally continue cultivating community, we welcome community support to make our food systems more secure and to foster an environment that is inviting to member-owners who may be missing the Food Co-op.
We welcome the listening sessions with local organizations and member-owners that we are planning together. We appreciate the grace given to our ever-shifting board by Well-Organized, Black Lives Matters of Jefferson County, Usawa Consulting, LLC, their respective leaders, and our memberowners.
In addition, the board has begun the intentional development of guidelines and a process to review its policies in light of recognizing where things might have gone better last year. Conflict resolution skills, trust-building, and inclusive culture-building are priorities for board training this year.
Closing 2024 with Gratitude
My personal observation is that everyone who has served on the board has done so with a spirit of service to others and deep appreciation for beloved community and quality foods. I thank each and every one of our former board members and those whose terms end this month. Thank you to member-owners for engaging in public board meetings, because you have helped us to grow as an organization.
As our newly elected board members take their elected board seats, I congratulate and thank them for their courage and commitment to lead.
CELEBRATING OUR COMMUNITY
BY KENNA S. EATON, GENERAL MANAGER
In 2024 we had our fair share of challenges, yet we were also successful at fulfilling a long-held vision—making it simple for members to donate to help strengthen our community.
And as with most change, it was memorable for how surprisingly difficult it was to achieve but also for the wonderfully successful result. That accomplishment, our well-funded Farmers Fund, took seven long years to bring to full fruition. The idea was simple—we’d all seen it at the other grocery stores—an option to round up at the register for a cause. What made it difficult for us is that our point-of-sales system didn’t have a simple way for us to ask the question on the pin pad at checkout. So, we implemented a round-up program that required you to know it existed and ask your cashier to round up for you. As the funds at the time went to Jefferson Land Trust (JLT), pretty much the only folks who were aware of it were JLT members. We did raise some money, but frankly, not that much.
Each year we’d work with our IT people to try to make the dream a reality, although for some years, other more pressing projects took priority, like surviving Covid! But finally in the fall of 2023, thanks to our creative IT and Marketing teams, an easy way to give at the register became a reality. The first month the program went into effect we raised something like $9,000, compared to $250 the month before. WOW were we ever impressed! Impressed by how simple it was to donate to a great cause and impressed how generous our shoppers were—and continue to be.
As the program matured, we were able to add other recipients. The first nine months of the year, donations go directly to the Farmers Fund; in October they go to our Co-operative Development Fund (which funds our GROW grants); and in November and December, they go to the Jefferson County Food Bank Association.
While we celebrate the teamwork that made this happen and the generosity of our shoppers, I also want to celebrate the incredible community impact of raising over $100,000 in 2024. Those funds go directly toward our mission of nourishing our community in multiple ways. Ways that celebrate our land and our people, not just this year but for the future.
In 2024 we put over $9,000 into the Twin Pines Co-op Development Fund, which gives low interest loans for cooperative development, which in turn strengthen the economic resilience of communities like and including ours. Plus, through the JCFBA we gave over $20,000 to use in buying local produce & food for those who suffer from food insecurity. And lastly, we gave over $79,000 in grants to local farmers and producers for investing in strengthening the local foodshed. Taken all together that is really something worth celebrating!
KINDESS IS A VALUE
BY THE FOOD CO-OP HR DEPARTMENT
Building, and perhaps rebuilding, community begins with mutual respect and trust. It’s no secret that our Food Co-op has had a tumultuous year, both with the Board of Directors as well as at the store. Coming back to our Cooperative Values has really brought grounding and guidance through some very challenging times. The two that have really stood out in our efforts at rebuilding trust and working together have been Inclusion and Respect.
Inclusion: We work to welcome and include our whole community.
Respect: We respect our community as individuals and treat each other with civility and grace.
Both of these values list “community” as their subjects, but what, or who rather, is this community? For the sake of our word-count here, let’s look at our Co-op employees and our shoppers. In a recent employee engagement survey, we learned that our staff really values the cooperative business-model and they’re proud to work here. They’re also hungry for more professional opportunities and want to have more of a voice in the offerings and policies here, which is a beautiful thing. We also learned in a community survey that people love the products we sell and how well-represented local farmers and makers are. There is a lot of pride for this place – how special that is! It seems, however, that we can all apply a bit more grace and respect to our community at the Food Co-op.
The Food Co-op is committed to improve workplace culture with supportive and thoughtful actions, from forming affinity groups and trainings internally as well as bringing in local professionals to assist us in these efforts. How our staff and shoppers interact with one another has a huge impact on everyone, as well. In a world that is changing so rapidly, and becoming in many ways, more fragmented, the coming together and acknowledging that we are all part of one human community deserving of respect and kindness is exactly the reason Cooperatives were founded in the first place. To quote bell hooks, “love is really more of an interactive process. It’s about what we do, not just what we feel.” It seems so simple, really, to show respect and kindness to one another. A smile and a “hello” can go such a long way. Appreciation for all the hard work our staff does to keep the store safe, clean, and well-stocked (particularly amid times of shortages) gives everyone a little pep in their step. On that same idea, appreciation for our shoppers for choosing our store and values as the place they come to spend time and resources to support local businesses means so much, too. Acknowledging others and that they are deserving of respect as a being in this human community is a right and a value to everyone.
We have so much to learn in how we improve upon and continue to live by these values of respect and inclusion in our community. We certainly believe in the value of understanding one another and how we can serve each other with kindness. This Co-op is going to continue to do great things – we are so fortunate to have the support of our community at large.
Get to know our staff and the foods they love.
Matthew
Maintenance Team - 2 years
Kale!
How do you feel connected in community through your work at The Food Co-op?
I feel connected to the community through the farmer's I interact with.
FAVORITE FOOD TO SHARE:
The free recipes we give out using all the fresh and local ingredients from the Co-op.
How do you feel connected in community through your work at The Food Co-op?
Talking with our members and meeting our suppliers makes me feel a strong connection to the community.
If you had one wish for our community what would it be?
I would wish that our community would continue to grow closer and more prosperous and that love and respect for each other would be the corner stone of it all.
If you had one wish for our community
Sebastian
Produce Team - 2.5 years
FAVORITE FOOD TO SHARE:
I am a berry freak! Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries etc.
How do you feel connected in community through your work at The Food Co-op?
Communicating with the Beans 4 Bags recipients, I have become familiar with our local non-profits and their work.
If you had one wish for our community what would it be?
That people focus on their own self-healing. If we can't do our own work, how can we respond to community challenges?
Marketing Team - 2.5 years
FAVORITE FOOD TO SHARE:
Mango Salsa
How do you feel connected in community through your work at The Food Co-op?
Working in the frontend as a cashier, I am constantly engaging with customers, and I feel very connected to them and the community. I am involved in a few groups outside of work that our customers take part in as well so seeing them in the store, they feel more connected to me as a part of the community.
If you had one wish for our community what would it be?
If everyone could just get along - to understand that we all have different opinions and outlooks, but that's ok and just embrace those differences.
Front End Team - 4.5years
Amber
FAVORITE FOOD TO SHARE:
Store Manager - 1 month
Charcuterie board AKA Charty, with lots of olives, pickles, grapes, cocktail onions, and of course cheese (the funkier the better) and meats!
How do you feel connected in community through your work at The Food Co-op?
The co-op is the community! With half of our shoppers and staff making up this lovely little town on the water it's difficult not to feel connected to the community. Everyday interactions and collaborations with local vendors and members all supporting the same mission.
If you had one wish for our community what would it be?
That we continue to work together towards shared vision and values. Everyone is Welcome!
CHANGES & MOVING FORWARD
BY KENNA S. EATON, GENERAL MANAGER
There is a quote attributed to author and speaker Jack Canfield: “Change is inevitable in life. You can either resist it and potentially get run over by it, or you can choose to cooperate with it, adapt to it, and learn how to benefit from it.”
2024 did bring about a few changes at your co-op, and 2025 is heralding even more. I’m thinking of this as a time when we lean into change, and when we invest in our operations—our people and our systems—to ensure both financial and operational resiliency. We’ve also been thinking a lot about how we do our work, how we utilize technology, and how we can invest in our staff to create a more thriving workplace.
Physical changes in 2024 included re-opening our in-door seating area and re-painting our building. After 25 years, the paint had gotten shabby looking, it didn’t match the new addition, and the trellis around the store looked the worse for wear. Painting the building was a big undertaking, but I think it was well worth the effort, another investment for the store. Now I am just waiting for the Virginia Creeper to grow back over our walls to soften us up a bit.
We tackled a few other maintenance jobs as well, but the biggest changes have been focused internally, specifically on how we do our work. We’re looking at the “how” from our use of technology (it could be better) to how we receive product in the back door. Most every system is under scrutiny. Coming up this year, we’ll also be working with staff (through our Employee Working Group) to help us address internal issues that were raised in the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, with a strong focus on improving communications, training, accountability, and consistency. We are excited to see our staff working together to help generate positive solutions.
So far in 2025 we have already installed a new deli case as well as new recipe software to help our kitchen staff negotiate operational changes. There is a center-of-the-store re-set (i.e., Grocery and Wellness) planned for later this spring (date still to be decided) to help improve flow and shopabilty. And at the end of March, we welcomed our new store manager, Amber Q, who was previously the general manager at the Co-op Market Grocery & Deli in Fairbanks, Alaska, before becoming Store Manager at Central Co-op in Tacoma, Washington. Amber is already helping us strengthen many of our systems so we can better meet your needs as members and shoppers.
While this year is a year of investments into systems and people, it is also a year of adaptation, working with the culture of our co-op to keep it vibrant and strong as that quote cited above, which ends by saying, “When you embrace change you will begin to see it as an opportunity for growth”— and that is just what we are doing.
FROM THE BOARD TREASURER
BY MONICA LE ROUX, BOARD TREASURER
As treasurer, it is my job to monitor the board’s expenditures as we work to reach out to our member-owners and as we seek to educate ourselves as board members for the tasks we have taken on. This means assisting with the creation of budgets for committees and the board as a whole, and partnering with the finance department as needed for each project the board commits to. It also means when the board makes important annual financial decisions regarding the Coop’s financial review or audit, as well as the patronage dividend proposal, it is the job of the treasurer to make a recommendation and prepare to answer both the board’s and our memberowners’ questions as to our course of action.
Following up on this last topic, I am pleased to be able to state that in 2025, the Food Co-op will again be issuing a patronage dividend. The dividend is always split, with a portion being retained as member equity to help fund the Co-op’s capital needs, and a portion issued as funds directly to our member-owners. You may use these funds in the store, request them in the form of a check, or donate them to enable our co-op to support other co-ops and nonprofits. You will be receiving notice of your exact dividend in June, but I can tell you that the split will be 70/30, the same as last year.
As board members, we have a fiduciary duty to hold this organization in trust for you, its memberowners. Amongst other things, that means that we have what is called a “duty of care.” For example, (and speaking as the treasurer) it is our job to take care to properly inform ourselves of the financial state of the Food Co-op. This duty involves reading the relevant reports, budgets, and business plans, asking questions of the general manager, and requesting more data as needed. The goal is to understand trends in the store and in the grocery industry in both the short and long term, and to account for the reasons behind differences between the budget and the actual as the year goes on. Furthermore, it is our job to make sure the financial choices being made are also taking us at an appropriate speed in the direction of the Ends named in our policies.
Those member-owners attending our annual meeting on June 25th will have a chance to ask clarifying questions of the general manager and the board, who will do their best to answer, or find and convey the information to you shortly thereafter. Additionally, if you’ve read over the Profit and Loss statement, the Balance Sheet, and the Cash Flow Statement here in this annual report, and you’d like to ask about something that you’ve found confusing, the annual meeting will be your chance!
We truly appreciate your willingness to fully participate in the Food Coop’s shared ownership and representative democracy.
Thank you for reading.
BEANS FOR BAGS
$22,569
We reward people for their sustainability efforts by giving 8 cents back for each reusable bag used. You can then either keep the bag credit, OR get at bean. Get a bean, you ask? If you choose a bean (= $.08), you can choose where that money goes by dropping that bean into a jar, which represents 1 of 3 non-profits in the Jefferson County Community. Non-profits are nominated by member/owners and chosen by a committee. Two jars are rotated out bi-monthly, the third jar represents the Jefferson County Food Bank, which is supported year round. Each year 13 non-profits benefit from this program.
In partnership with Jefferson Healthcare and the Jefferson County Farmers Markets, children/youth 18 and younger who receive Apple Health and are patients at Jefferson Healthcare qualify for $20 of fresh fruit and vegetables (VegRx) monthly, January-March at the Food Co-op. June-December at the Jeffco Markets.
$16,272
Change for Change is a program that gives our customers the opportunity to donate at checkout to support non-profits, farms, and co-ops that fit into our areas of community sharing. TOTAL COMMUNITY
This is for your bake sale, your favorite NP Auction, Community Meetings, and so much more… TOTAL
$15,275
This is for your community, regional, cooperative event sponsorships. Creating community.
$79,276.67 THE FARMER FUND
These funds were distributed to 12 local farms for various projects intended to increase food resiliency in Jefferson County. Grants are decided by the Community Engagement Committee
$20,416
JEFFERSON COUNTY FOODBANK FOOD FUND
JCFBA funds were used to purchase food for those who need it and distributed throughout East Jefferson County.
$8,972
An Endowment Fund used to help start up co-ops get capital. Interest generated from our fund is returned to our community via the Grow Fund Grant and available for local nonprofits and co-ops.
TWIN PINES COOPERATIVE FUND
OVER 600 BARS OF GOODNESS CHOCOLATE
3,600 LBS OF CAPE CLEARE COHO SALMON AND 650 CANS OF
OVER 5,000 POUNDS
FRESH CAPE CLEARE COHO & KING SALMON
FAMOUS SALSA
COOKIES: SHORTBREAD: 9,800 TIRAMISU: 8,400
1,250 CEARRAS CINNAMON ROLLS
4,000 POUNDS OF BULK FLOUR FROM THE GRAINERY
200 LBS OF BULK PASTA FROM THE GRAINERY
600 POUNDS OF MIRACLE MORSELS TRAIL MIX
OVER 1,000 PANE D'AMORE PIZZA BALLS
OVER 750 JARS OF HAMA HAMA OYSTERS
OVER 10,800 BOB'S BAGELS
1,250 CEARRAS CINNAMON ROLLS
OVER 1,000 POUNDS OF BULK DADDY'S MUESLI
200 LBS OF
OVER 2,000 QUARTS OF ELEVATED ICE CREAM
220 MOUNTAIN SPIRIT KICK ASS TINCTURES
500 POUNDS OF ONE MILK SOAP FROM KODAMA FARM
PANE D'AMORE PIZZA DOUGH BALLS
OVER 3,000 PACKAGES OF MICRO GREENS FROM HOPE RISING
OVER 10,000 POUNDS OF BULK PEANUT BUTTER FROM CB'S NUTS
220 MOUNTAIN SPIRIT KICK ASS TINCTURES
Over 11,000 dozen chicken, duck, & quail eggs, including Chicken & Egg, One Straw, Solstice Farm, SpringRain Farm and Twin Cedars Farm
WHERE DOES YOUR DOLLAR GO AT THE CO-OP??
Wages + Benefits
Cost of Goods
Ever wonder how your co-op spends each dollar you spend? This visual breaks it down clearly using a familiar container—because transparency is just as important as quality!
For every dollar spent at the Co-op:
• 62% goes toward the Cost of Goods — that’s the food and products you love.
• 26% supports Wages & Benefits for our hardworking staff.
• 10% covers Operations, keeping the lights on and doors open.
• 1% is spent on Marketing, and Community Giving Programs.
• The remaining 1% is our Profit, which is shared via Member Dividends
That tiny 1% profit reflects our commitment to community over corporation. Every penny is thoughtfully reinvested or shared to keep our co-op thriving and values-driven.
Thanks for supporting a business model that puts people and planet first!
DECEMBER 2024
Wednesday, June 25
5:30 PM via Zoom You're
