Rooted Carrot Co-op Market is making strides to becoming a member of the National Co-op Grocers (NCG), and we couldn’t be more thrilled! NCG is a national cooperative that supports approximately 147 local co-ops with vision, leadership and proven systems while supporting the autonomy of local, community-owned co-ops. Every year NCG publishes a Food Co-op Impact Report that details how NCG and local food co-ops are making a difference in their communities. Here are some of the highlights from their most recent report in 2020. Continue reading→

It’s hard to believe spring is right around the corner!  The Membership Committee is working hard to develop ideas focused on increased member engagement and to welcome our newest members!  Volunteer orientations continue to occur, with sessions held by board member Paige Everly on a monthly basis. Continue reading→

The volunteer members of the Capital Campaign Committee have been taking the opportunity during this winter to gear up for our next campaign drive. It’s a lot of “behind the scenes” work, but necessary for a successful campaign. Still, we have some initial reports of this work. During the last month, we have:

• Added new members to the committee
• Created a new incentive program for major gifts to the campaign
• Secured an additional $25,000 donation!

Continue reading→

The Local Food & Film Festival returns in 2022! It will be held Saturday, March 5th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls. It is free admission and fun for the entire family! Masks encouraged. More information will be on the Cedar Valley Regional Food & Farm Network Facebook (@cedarvalleyrffn) and Instagram (cv_rffn). Continue reading→

2022 is off to a great start for your Rooted Carrot Co-op! We’ve already had six new member-owners join our community from Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Grundy Center and Waverly bringing our total membership to 1189! Continue reading→

We lucked out with snowfall just before our January Member Mixer at Hartman Reserve Nature Center last month. This ensured that those who wanted could use snowshoes for the guided hike. More than a dozen people braved cold temperatures and enjoyed the warmth of conversation and a campfire after the hike. They roasted marshmallows for s’mores while sipping on hot chocolate.

Thanks to the staff at Hartman Reserve for hosting our group. Stay tuned for more outdoor gatherings in our future. And we hope someday soon to  be able to gather safely indoors as well.

As many of you hopefully read in the email sent to all members on January 25th, your board continues to be in close contact with all involved parties to resolve a specific zoning issue and get final building approval for the proposed store site on 7th and Main in Cedar Falls. The Communications Committee is always looking for ways for the board to share information with membership and we recognize that many of you have questions about the building project.  To keep you informed, please join us for a Q & A zoom session on February 7th (the meeting link is provided in the email referenced above).  We welcome all questions and look forward to a lively discussion!Continue reading→

Tell us – What’s important to you in your new Co-op?

The old building is now torn down at 7th and Washington Streets in Cedar Falls, completing another step toward our goal of opening our grocery store. 

As we continue to move forward, the next year will involve a lot of decision-making, prioritizing, and focus. It is important to all of our board members and committee members to keep the values, wants, and needs of our members (and future members) front of mind, as those decisions are being made. Tell us what you think and what you hope to see in your new grocery store by taking the Rooted Carrot Co-op Market Survey 

The survey will close on January 28, so don’t wait to share your thoughts and priorities. We can’t wait to hear from you! 

What’s better comfort food this time of year than a piping hot homemade biscuit?

Cynthia’s Recipe Swap* continues this month with another story from the family of Cynthia Foster. This story is courtesy of her daughter-in-law, Sarah Foster:

Grandma Helen, Cynthia’s mom, was an amazing human in more ways than one. In her family she was famous for her incredible cooking and baking. If her grandson asked for a roast beef sandwich she’d make the roast to slice for roast beef. She was known for wearing out wooden spoons because she baked so much. My husband Charles has been making biscuits with our kids since they were little. We use a different, but similar recipe, but we’d never confess that to Grandma Helen’s crew as we’d be in hot water for that. 🙂

Continue reading→

Did you know that your Rooted Carrot Co-op member-owner total is now 1183? 

In December, we had several individuals purchase member shares in our Co-op. We extend a warm welcome to Kara Larson, Karin Bloomquist and the rest of the new member-owners who joined us last month.Continue reading→