Viroqua Food Co+op celebrated eating local with a local food celebration and an original Eat Local bingo game created by staff. Participants had a chance to win a branded a Kleen Kanteen and co-op gift card.
In the spirit of cooperation among co-ops and to acknowledge Co-op Month in October, several co-ops recently collaborated on a recipe guide featuring culinary favorites from their respective communities.
NCG’s Discussion Forums give co-op staff the opportunity to connect with peers across the country. Forums are available to several different user groups and open to everyone with access to NCG.coop.
At the conference — which coincided with the release of a national strategy to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities — co-op attendees had the opportunity to talk directly with government officials about issues affecting food co-ops and how co-ops are addressing hunger.
The cost of launching self-checkout came in significantly under budget, and the co-op is already reaping the benefits. Customers use the lanes for more than 30% of transactions, allowing the co-op to trim front-end schedules and raise staff wages while reducing overall labor costs.
GreenTree GM Sarah Christensen showed patience in her search and resiliency in execution, working closely with NCG Store Development to plan for the complexities of 10,000-square-foot store in a multiuse building.
The annual NCG trends report is a business planning tool designed to save co-op managers time and money otherwise spent on industry research.
Through a State Department program, the co-op hosted professionals from Pakistan at its Easthampton store, where the group discussed solar power, stormwater management, cooperatives building community, and local sustainable food production.
Fredericksburg Food Co-op opened its doors in April 2021. Throughout the start-up project, the co-op’s board and staff worked closely with NCG and other resource providers in the industry to open the new store, which has brought jobs, increased local food access and become a community resource to the area.
Since the co-op launched its GIVE program in 2017, customer donations have supported local and area organizations and programs that align with the co-op’s commitment to supporting a healthy and vibrant community.
