2024 Annual Report
Nourishing Community Since 1973
Mission Statement
Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide good food at a fair price.
Co-op Principles
Co-ops rock! Part of what makes us different is our foundational principles. Co-ops around the world follow these internationally recognized principles:
From the General Manager
To Our Valued Owners, Shoppers, and Supporters—
Wow! Is it really 2025? How did that happen? I celebrated my fifth anniversary in January as the General Manager of our Co-op. The pandemic seems like a lifetime ago, yet we still see its ramifications in the world all around us. 2024 was a fairly “normal” year, although chock-full of polarizing issues that have also had significant impact on our communities and society. I feel so fortunate to be part of our Co-op, a place I consider to be a safe haven from the uncertainties that surround us. When at work, I am able to interact with an abundance of staff, community members, and visitors in a place that is full of care, compassion, and friendship. It’s a community that’s very special to so many!
Our 50th Anniversary is now in the rearview mirror, and our 60th will be here in a blink. I am confident we are in position, both financially and in the marketplace, to serve our community for decades to come.
We welcomed over 1,000 new owner-members to our Co-op family in 2024! Since its inception, the Co-op has welcomed and served well over 36,000 household member-owners—so many lives touched! Sales growth for 2024 was strong at 5.1% over the previous year. We even set a new daily record in sales on December 23rd with $150,000!
We also deepened our relationship with Viva Farms through another $100,000 Growing Good Fund donation! The fund is intended to bolster local and sustainable farming and food security by improving food access for Skagitonians well into the future.
In 2023, we opened the Makery, our food production facility, in what was formerly the Third Street Cafe restaurant space. It’s now a robust operation that has allowed us to expand our bakery, meat, and deli options since its completion. Our Makery staff are responsible for the vast majority of food sold in the Deli and Meat Department; and while rarely seen by our shoppers, they are key to our success.
We accomplished much else alongside Makery operations in 2024. To kick off the year, we began resurfacing the floor throughout the store. Tearing up and grinding down layers of old tile and decades-old flooring was a long, disruptive process, but well worth the effort. Our new floor is easy to clean, maintain, and will last indefinitely with minor upkeep. We installed new refrigeration units, allowing us to expand our dairy and fresh foods offerings. We also introduced fresh squeezed organic juices and switched to Equal Exchange coffee in our Deli beverage station.
All of that, and I am pleased to say the Co-op was profitable in 2024. The cost of doing business in recent years has been erratic and unpredictable, but we are navigating it more smoothly. We earned a bit over $330,000 on the year from operations, enough to allow us to pay out profit-sharing to our staff and patronage to our members. The Co-op remains committed to providing extensive, affordable health insurance and a livable wage for one hundred percent of staff. Profitability is critical, but our triple bottom line economics require investment in people and planet, too. We are doing that. Long live farming, and long live our Co-op community.
Report Contributors
Tricia Carter
Nicole Noteboom
Estrella Pineda
Leah Scates
Leigha Staffenhagen
Carol Veach
Tony White
Megan Young
Katheryn Moran Photography
Damien Vines Photograph
Cover Photo: Viva Farms
I again thank you for the privilege of leading our organization. I am so grateful to be able to finish my cooperative career here at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op as I look forward to a retirement date in the not so far off future. In this upcoming year, the Board of Trustees and I will be working on a leadership succession plan that will provide continued success of our Co-op.
Our Co-op community is awesome—a dynamic and powerful group of owners, community, and hard-working humans, and we are well-poised to continue providing good, healthy food for decades to come, and that is the legacy your Co-op will leave.
In Cooperation, Tony White General Manager
A Thriving Membership
Why join the Co-op? Our member-owners know: Skagit Valley Food Co-op is so much more than a store. It is a place of purpose and vision, where every purchase makes a difference, right here in our community and across the globe. The cooperative business model is more equitable, more diverse, and more inclusive. So, it is no surprise that more and more people continue to discover and embrace what makes our Co-op such a special place.
In 2024, over 1,000 new members joined the Co-op! Good things happen when people come together, and we are forever grateful for our resilient and thriving member-ownership.
Delicious & Decorated
The Co-op has won a lot of awards over the years, including Skagit’s Best Grocery Store. In 2024, we were again voted Skagit’s Best Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-Free Food and Best Eco-Friendly/Green Organization in the Skagit Valley Herald’s annual Best Of competition. Thank you for being a part of the very best of what Skagit has to offer. Learn more about our sustainability efforts in this report, and definitely try a Donut Muffin next time you’re in the Co-op—made without gluten, but you’d never know it!
Championship Chili Winner, winner, chili dinner! Your Co-op took 1st place for the second time in the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Skagit Chili & Chowder Fest at Farmstrong Brewing in April. Better yet, you can get a taste of greatness in the Deli anytime you want.
14,400+ Active Member-Owners
1024 New Members in 2024 $66k+ Member-Only Savings
Lifting Up Local
The Local Multiplier Effect
Supporting local farms, producers, and makers is our pride and joy! And like all cooperatives, we have the opportunity to play a vital role in our community through the local multiplier effect. The local multiplier effect is our favorite kind of math!
This ripple effect starts by spending our money at a not-for-profit business such as the Co-op. The Co-op’s income goes towards local farmers and producers, staff who live nearby, and neighboring community organizations. This recirculation of money strengthens our ties with the community, builds resilience for our local economy, and improves the lives of our friends and neighbors.
The best part is, shopping at the Co-op makes you part of the equation!
100 Years of Family, Stewardship & Happy Cows
Twin Brook Creamery • Lynden, WA
In 2024, we welcomed another local dairy to the store: Twin Brook Creamery! Family owned and operated since 1910, 5th generation farmers Larry and Debbie Stap are the current owners/operators.
Twin Brook prioritizes stewardship of soil and their animals. The herd is a happy bunch of registered purebred Jersey cows, a breed known to produce milk with a higher protein and butterfat content, and therefore more flavor!
All of their gals are raised without synthetic hormones and graze freely in the pasture. During the winter, the cows enjoy a solid diet of grass harvested over the summer.
Beyond delicious dairy, Twin Brook milk comes in glass containers that can be returned to the Co-op for reuse at the creamery through their bottle deposit program.
Local Sales By Department
Making Room for More Co-op Food
In 2023, we completed the transformation of the C-SQUARE space into our expanded production facility, the Makery, with the goal of handcrafting even more Co-op food—what we deem hyperlocal since it’s quite literally made just around the corner. So, in 2024 we made some significant changes throughout the store to make space for the increased production, and to make it easier for shoppers to find most Co-op items in one place. The result? A bright shiny new floor, new cases, new offerings, and happy customers. We are happy to report we sold over $4,000,000 of the Co-op’s hyperlocal, highly delicious food.
the Day! The saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! And that we did. Our Co-op is the proud new owner of a state-of-the-art juicing machine that can juice up to 40 fruits per minute. We’ve been transforming sensational citrus into liquid sunshine, so you can fill every day with that fresh-squeezed feeling. 41
Our People
Good Food, Great People
$6.9m
k
k
Gift Cards
k
k Summer Gift Cards
k
k Staff Groceries
Co-op staff continue to propel our business in a positive direction and bring life to the day-to-day interactions. Customer service is a strong focus for our team, and good customer service requires good people. Our people are great, and we work hard to navigate the ongoing obstacles of employment to compensate and acknowledge their effort and dedication. The Co-op provides competitive wages and a robust benefits package. We also updated our lunch discount in 2024 to provide better food access for all employees. The previous lunch discount was one of the most generous in the nation, but also limited in its offerings: 50% off select Deli foods. Now, employees get to use their everyday 25% discount in addition to a $3 credit to purchase any ready-to-eat food in the store, whether it be hot food, snack bar, or an apple with peanut butter. Employees now have the power to choose what suits their needs and appetite, and satisfy their own definition of healthy.
Work Perks
∙ Starting wage of $17.33/hr with regular raises
∙ 25% staff discount on almost all purchases
∙ New lunch discount: 25% off + $3 credit
∙ Paid time off
∙ Affordable, high-quality health insurance
∙ Basic life insurance with option for voluntary life insurance
∙ 401k matching retirement
∙ Opportunities for training and growth 22 Years & Double the Fun
The Co-op is proud to have a workplace with several long standing, committed employees and friends. In 2024, two of our own celebrated their 22nd year of employment, Jess and Jeremiah!
We are grateful for their hard work and dedication to the Co-op.
Staff Development & Recognition
In addition to compensation and benefits, the Co-op invests in our people through various staff trainings, conferences, food shows, and other educational opportunities. Our staff logged over 1,500 development hours in 2024, and the Co-op spent $56,000 on staff recognition, including our staff party at Christianson’s Nursery Vinery Building.
DeliOps 101 Seminar
Members of our Deli team had the opportunity to attend the DeliOps 101 Seminar in Grass Valley, California at BriarPatch Food Co-op. This dynamic 3-day educational experience highlights the essential aspects of excellent foodservice operations. Our team was able to glean information from another outstanding co-op deli and returned home inspired with fresh eyes, new ideas, and plans to build upon our excellent service and offerings.
Each year, National Co+op Grocers (NCG) hosts several conferences for its member food co-ops to help build skills and connect co-ops around the country to each other. In 2024, we were able to send six of our employees to two NCG conferences for a chance to travel, grow, and collaborate with our fellow cooperators.
Focus on Fresh
Focus on Fresh is an annual conference for fresh department staff. The conference provides information on key trends and current practices, a vendor showcase, and is designed to stimulate networking and collaboration between produce, food service, deli, and meat + seafood departments.
Co+nvergence
Co+nvergence is an opportunity for co-ops from all over the United States to come together to make informed decisions on co-op offerings and products based on trends, market analysis, and customer sentiment. It’s intended for staff in charge of promotions, grocery, and wellness, and it’s the source of many of the great products and savings we’re able to pass along to you.
Community Giving
Concern for Community
Local Groups Supported
$175.5k
Total Donations
$38.5k
Community is the heart of our Co-op. It’s why we exist: to nourish, serve, and give back to our friends and neighbors in Skagit Valley and beyond. In fact, Concern for Community is a founding principle of all cooperatives. The Co-op is committed to giving back and protecting this beautiful place we call home through a number of community giving efforts, and we are always exploring ways to increase our impact.
20 Years of 4% Friday
2024 marked the 20th Anniversary of the Co-op’s 4% Friday Shopping Day, a single Friday each month where we donate 4% of sales to a local community group!
20 years is 240 Fridays, over $500,000 donated, and thousands of lives impacted. We owe it to our members and shoppers for marking your calendars, showing up, and giving back to our friends and neighbors for the last 20 years.
Growing Good: Co-op Again Gifts $100,000 to Viva Farms in 2024
The Co-op introduced the Growing Good Fund in 2023—a fund established by the Board to further cement the Co-op’s legacy in the Valley, with a strong focus on the cooperative principle “Concern for Community.” With the fund’s introduction, the Co-op donated $100,000 to Viva Farms, the single largest donation Viva had ever received! And in 2024? The good keeps growing!
The Co-op continued our impactful partnership with Viva Farms by donating another $100,000 through the Growing Good Fund.
If you don’t already know, Viva is a non-profit Skagit Valley organic farm and beginning farmer support organization with a mission to preserve sustainable farming and create a resilient and just local food system.
Viva continues to train the next generation of farmers to care for our land, grow our food, and nourish our communities, and we are proud to be a part of those efforts.
WIC Approved Grocery Store
As part of the Co-op’s ongoing efforts to increase food access, late in 2024 we became an approved WIC grocery store.
The WIC (Women Infants Children) Program falls under the guidance of the USDA and the Washington State Department of Health. WIC provides food benefits, nutritional education support, counseling and programs for pregnant Washingtonians, new breast-feeding moms, parents, and caregivers of children under the age of five. We are proud that our Co-op is now participating in this important program to better serve a vulnerable population in our communities.
A Promotion + Partnership for Native Foodways
Last fall, your Co-op, along with food co-ops across the country participated in a National Co-op Grocer cause promotion—bringing shoppers lower prices on all Field Day items, the Co-op’s value brand. NCG donated 5 cents for every Field Day product purchased by shoppers from Oct. 30–Dec. 3 at co-ops nationwide to North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing Indigenous food systems and promoting cultural preservation within Native American communities. Your Co-op wanted to create more impact locally.
Through your Field Day purchases, we raised $930 for NATIFS, and we pledged early on to match that donation to a local group, 13 Moons at Work, a community environmental health initiative of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. With the help of NCG and Organically Grown Company (OGC), we increased our donation total to $6,020 for 13 Moons!
Here’s the math: we matched the initial Field Day contribution, added on 5% of sales of Native Northwest products from the month of October, successfully applied for OGC’s Mission Fund Grant and received $2,500 to donate, and were then awarded $2,500 more through NCG’s NATIFS marketing campaign contest.
$25.3k
Total Co-op Donations to Local Hunger Relief
22k
Pounds of Food Donated to Local Hunger Relief
$8k+ Banana Card Fruit
$432k Co-op EBT Sales
$7.5k SNAP Produce Match $140k Total Donated to NATIFS
$6k Donated to 13 Moons at Work
Sustainability
Sustainability at the Co-op exists in three facets: economic, social, and environmental. 2024 was a financially successful year; we paid out nearly $7,000,000 million in employee wages; and we continued to seek out ways to lighten our footprint.
Our building may be old, but both the Co-op building and the Makery run on 100% Green Power, which helps fund renewable projects in the area. We installed new coolers in the Deli and deliberately decided to add doors for increased efficiency. And you, our customers, helped us eliminate waste by shopping in bulk and also bringing your own cups and containers. Check out our other sustainability efforts from 2024:
$14k Donated
176k Paper Bags Saved
~270 Trees Saved
Tokens for Tomorrow
Tokens for Tomorrow is our longstanding Bring-Your-Own-Bag program. Implemented long before the Washington State plastic bag ban, we encourage shoppers to bring their own bags by rewarding their commitment to reducing waste with a token worth 8¢ to give back to local organizations.
Our waste-conscious shoppers diverted over 176,000 bags from the landfill, and we donated $14,000 to groups throughout Skagit!
During Earth Month, we recycled over 140 pounds of socks and 200 pounds of denim through Smartwool’s Second Cut Project and Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ Recycling. Both programs collect used material, so it can be recycled back to its original fiber state and transformed into something new—like dog beds, insulation, or new socks! Better yet, some of the jeans collected were still wearable, so we donated them for someone else to wear. A few pairs did not contain enough cotton to be sent back, so we recycled them through Goodwill.
By recycling old clothing and diverting textile waste away from landfills, we’re doing good for our community and the earth. Thank you for preventing almost 350 pounds of textiles from ending up at the dump.
Upper Skagit Library Freedge Sound Water Stewards Cascadia Clubhouse
Organics: Good for People, Good for Planet
The Co-op has always placed an emphasis on organics, and you’ll find thousands of organic items throughout the store. As the first produce department in Skagit County to be Certified Organic, we’ve been leading the charge in organics since 1973 because we believe healthy food matters, and so does the way it’s grown. Choosing organic protects people, pollinators, and this beautiful place we call home.
Why Organic?
It’s good for people and for the planet! No toxic pesticides or fertilizers, no GMOs, no antibiotics, no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
Organic food is safe, and you can trust that the people producing it aren’t being exposed to harmful substances either. Organic food is sustainably produced, utilizing practices that promote biodiversity, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and protect food, farming, and the future.
$4.4m
$4m
$644
More Sustainable Stats
3,037
Pigging Out on Pumpkin
Pig’s Peace Sanctuary • Stanwood, WA
Our Produce Department often gives away free composting materials to local farmers on a first-come first-served basis, and every year the Co-op decorates the store with jack-o-lantern pumpkins in the fall. And this year, we arranged to give all of our pumpkins to the pigs at Pigs Peace Sanctuary, a place of tranquility and happiness for unwanted or abused pigs. Happiness is plenty of pigs pigging out on pumpkins!
2024 Board of Trustees
From the Co-op Board
While 2024 brought no change of faces on the Board of Trustees, the Board voted to shift the roles and responsibilities of its current members. The biggest change being that, after 18 years, Tom Theisen passed the torch to Brad Claypool as Board President. We can’t thank Tom enough for his many years of dedication in an important and often time-consuming role. Two factors that helped ease the transition: Tom remains a valuable member of the Board, and longtime Co-op board member Brad Claypool is more than capable. As Board President, Brad also became chair of the Executive Committee which acts as the Board’s oversight body in matters relating to the General Manager.
Laura Bady took over the role of Board Treasurer. As treasurer, Laura chairs the Finance Committee, which oversees the economic resilience of the Co-op with a focus on prudent long-term financial management.
Casey Schoenberger stepped into a new role as Board Secretary and chair of the Board Development Committee, which oversees the fundamental systems and activities necessary for governance.
Kristen Ekstran continues as Board Vice President and chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, which drives the visioning process and coordinates and maintains the strategic planning process. This helps to ensure that the Co-op’s long-term trajectory meets the goals expressed in the vision.
Income Statement
2024 was a solid year financially for our Co-op. Our net income for the year was $333,450, just below our budget of $346,436—a very solid year and a vast improvement from 2023. We saw strong sales growth while controlling our expenses. Our positive net earnings allowed us to pay out profit sharing to our staff and patronage to our members, which is very exciting!
Our Co-op business model is committed to success through embracing a Triple Bottom Line approach. We strive for success in Social, Environmental and Financial metrics. In 2024, we were successful on all fronts.
Gross Sales
Cost of Sales
Gross Profit
Employee Expenses
Occupancy Expenses
Total Operating Expenses
Total Expenses
Operating Income
Total Other Income
Total Other Expenses
Net Income
$26,095,462
$14,707,558
$11,387,903
$8,585,111
$1,007,165
$1,387,613
$11,254,400
$133,504
$249,518
$50,681
$332,335
($589,842) $266,183
Board Members Tom, Kristen, and Brad