Stay tuned to the Garlic Press, social media, YouTube, and the website! 2023 will be a busy year for the Co-op. We anticipate a site announcement and the launch of our second phase of the Capital Campaign. 

In addition, you will see our Membership Committee launching a HUGE membership drive! Please share the information and incentives with your friends, family, co-workers, and more! Membership is another key component of making the Co-op a reality. 

Thank you to all of our current and past volunteers! Please consider re-joining a committee or encouraging friends and family to join in the efforts. There is lots of work to be done to make the Co-op a reality. Each of our committees has lots to do from hiring a General Manager, writing grants, seeking grants, planning events and engaging old and new members. If interested in volunteering, please email info@rootedcarrot.coop or complete this volunteer form. Volunteer your Time and Talent – Rooted Carrot Co-op

EXCITING NEWS!!

The Membership/Communications Committee is kicking off a New Member/Owner Drive in January. Our goal is to add 100 new member/owners in the first 100 days of 2023. 

A strong, growing membership community is extremely important to the success of our future store, and WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE!! Watch social media for a new member incentive or theme every 10 days in January. Be prepared to help spread the word and share YOUR co-op story with others! We CAN do this, TOGETHER!

The Rooted Carrot Board would like to welcome Theresa Westbrock to the Board. The Board appointed her at the November meeting to fill a vacant position with one year left in the term. Theresa joins new board members Tom Blanford and Dave Schachterle and returning board members Christine Sexton, Kate Dunning, Gina Brown, Paige Everly, Lisa Nelson, and myself. We are excited to have a full Board! 

Potlucks have returned! Please join us TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 7th at 6 p.m. at Second State for the Rooted Carrot Member Mixer Potluck! Bring a dish to share, table service (help us reduce waste), a friend (non-members welcome too), and copies of your recipe if you made your dish and want to share. Continue reading→

The cold weather brings upon us the season for braising. The opportunity to not only put something hearty and comforting on the table, but to perfume the house with the savory aroma of the best the season has to offer. 

Using good ingredients as a foundation, we can bring the very best out of some of the less utilized cuts on the market with very impressive results.

In this instance, I have used a pork shank. My favorite pork at the moment is coming from Marks Family Purebreds. The marbling and freshness of the products is second to none. This dish can also be done with beef, or certainly some of the great Lamb from Yellow Table Farm if it is available.Continue reading→

Planning your year-end giving? What a better time than now to make a tax-deductible, year-end gift to the Rooted Carrot Co-op Market Capital Campaign! 

Why choose the co-op?  

1. It’s easy
2. It’s tax-deductible
3. It’s a long-term INVESTMENT in a healthy, sustainable future for the entire Cedar Valley.

The capital raised will fund construction, hire staff, purchase equipment, and stock the shelves. All the things we need to open OUR Rooted Carrot Co-op Market! 

We are nearly HALF WAY to our goal to raise the funds we need to open our store. Help us get past that next mark. DONATE NOW

LEARN MORE about Rooted Carrot’s Capital Campaign and other investment opportunities.

Since around 2000, a couple hundred food co-ops have opened across the U.S. This spike in new stores is the first since the 1960s and 70s when food co-ops like New Pioneer (Iowa City), Oneota (Decorah), and Wheatsfield (Ames) also opened their doors. Today, over 1.6M people are members of food co-ops in the U.S. 

How did these co-ops come to be? The answer is simple: these grocery stores started because people joined together to make it happen. Community members worked cooperatively and invested time and resources to give birth to their own food co-op. That is what’s happening now here in the greater Cedar Valley – we are working together to make our community a better place to live.Continue reading→

Please join us!

We know that December is a busy time of year with all the decorating, planning, shopping, wrapping, baking, and more.  You know…making those lists and checking them twice!  But it is also nice to slow down, take a moment to enjoy the season, and visit with friends new and old.  The bonus is you only have to make one thing for dinner that night!

Please join other Member-Owners on Wednesday, December 7th for a Member Mixer Potluck at Second State Brewing (203 State Street, Cedar Falls).  The event will run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00-ish p.m.  

Bring:

• One dish to share
• Your table service (‘tis the season to be green)
• Family and friends (non-members welcome, too!)
• The recipe (if you made your fabulous dish, people will want the recipe).

This event is family friendly.  But don’t forget that Second State Brewing offers 10% off draws for members if you would like a glass (or two) of holiday cheer! 

Hope to see you there!

Our Community Partner program offers special discounts &/or promotions from area businesses to the Co-op member-owners. We currently have 70 partners – some have multiple locations!

We have a list on our website. You can also access the list on our Web App (available for both Android and iOS devices). Please visit the web page or app often as we continue to add new partners, and update or make changes to our current partner’s discounts.

The app is also your owner Member Card. You can also access the website from within the app. 

As a member, please thank our community partners when you visit!  

Don’t forget about the Co-op as you think about gift giving this year. Order your custom made Co-op gear through The Rooted Carrot Swag Store.

In the coming days new merchandise will be added to the online store including a winter beanie and long-sleeve t-shirts made with the same soft cotton that has made Rooted Carrot Co-op t-shirts so popular. Show your support by sporting your new gear and sharing with others who support the Co-op.

Just a reminder – to guarantee items before the holidays, please be sure to order by November 30. Some items may be available after that date, but our hosts at Iowa Sports Supply, who maintain the online store, will not be able to guarantee all items after that date. 

Of course, the gift of membership to the Co-op is also a generous and appreciated gift. Visit the membership page on the website for more information on how you can give the gift of membership. Or write to membership@rootedcarrot.coop with any questions. 

Give the gift of the Co-op this year and share your support with your community!

Our volunteer team is growing!!

Several people signed up to help grow our co-op in ways both big and small.  This all adds up to added energy and shared enthusiasm, which helps keep us moving forward to our goal! Thank you!!

Here are some tasks that YOU can do to join the team!

– Deliver Yard Signs
– Create Social Media Content
– Write Press Releases
– Create Job Descriptions
– Work a Tabling Event
– Edit Policies & Procedures
– Plan & Implement a Member Mixer
– Phone for Capital Campaign

Please email info@rootedcarrot.coop or complete the form at  https://rootedcarrot.coop/volunteer/ and let us know how YOU will help make our co-op grow!!