- The Cedar Falls Food Co-op is officially a partner organization as a part of Future Forward, Cedar Falls latest strategic plan.
- Melanie Drake, Outreach Coordinator extraordinaire, will be conducting regular member orientations. Be sure to check the newsletter and follow us on Facebook to see when the next one will be.
- The Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center is partnering with us for an awesome incentive this month. Check out the article in this month’s newsletter to find out more!
Special Member Offer: Cuisine & Confessions at Gallagher
The Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center and The Cedar Falls Food Co-op are teaming up to give our members a chance to see Cuisine & Confessions on Thursday, March 9th at 7pm. Cuisine & Confessions is a unique show that combines cirque, live cooking, and deep communal connections. This exciting show is the perfect evening out for the whole family.
Gallagher Bluedorn has not one but TWO generous offers for co-op members. Existing members are eligible to get 50% off their tickets using a special code. Postcards were mailed out to all our members containing your discount code. Please email us at info@cedarfallsfood.coop if you did not receive the mailing, and we can get the code to you.
If you haven’t joined yet, now would be the perfect time as we’ll be giving away tickets to new members! Be one of the first five people to join between now and March 8th to win a pair of tickets. If you are one of the winners you will be notified and your tickets will be available to be picked up at the Co-op’s booth during the pre-show event, starting at 5:30pm.
http://www.gbpac.com/upcoming-events/e-721/cuisine–confessions.aspx
Vicky’s Favorite Granola
Vicky’s Favorite Granola
4C rolled oats
1 1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cup pecans
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 T cinnamon
1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (honey or agave may also be used)
1 t almond extract (vanilla extract may also be used)
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 glass dish with non-stick vegetable spray.
In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, syrup and extract. Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and stir to evenly coat. Transfer the mixture to the glass casserole dish. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes (mixture should be golden in color and dry). Turn off the oven, and leave the granola in the oven to cool for 3-4 hours.
Break up the granola, and store in an airtight container.
Adapted from the cookbook “Eat Clean Live Well” by Terry Walters
From the Board President: We Will Survive
Shortly after the new year began, the Co-op board received some sad news: The Dubuque Food Co-op, after almost 3 years of being open, was closing. (They officially closed on Jan. 22.) I will admit that this news took a bit of the wind out of our sail. When other co-ops struggle, or fold, it is natural to wonder about the likelihood of being successful here.
It’s important to note, however, that most co-ops that have opened within the last 10 years are still open. In fact, many are thriving. In addition, the board of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op is learning some important lessons from Dubuque, lessons, (including the importance of following the advice of your market survey!), that will help us ensure being successful for years to come.
Let’s be inspired by some other food co-op’s successes!Continue reading
New Business Partners: February 2017
What’s better than one new business partner? FOUR new business partners! That’s right, four generous, community minded local businesses have offered Cedar Falls Food Co-op member-owners exclusive deals! Meet local businesses Gravy’s Diner, Maid-Rite, Pink Peony Studio, and The Sheep Baatique.
Member Spotlight: Elizabeth Hackbarth
Elizabeth Hackbarth grew up in Cedar Rapids and has been back living and working in the Cedar Valley for the last three years. She currently serves as the Director of Development for the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. What Elizabeth likes most about our community are the people! She loves supporting local businesses and her favorite places to frequent are the Vintage Iron, Cottonwood Canyon and Mulligans. She enjoys being active and cheering for the Panthers and has served on the Cedar Falls Food Co-op Operations Committee for a couple of years now. Elizabeth says her favorite season is “summer, hands-down”. Her favorite foods are sweet potato fries and anything associated with Brunch as well as great wine.Continue reading
February is Love Your Co-op Month!
How much do you love your Cedar Falls Food Co-op? Enough to talk with others who would benefit from owning a member share? Enough to share our Facebook posts? Enough to host a co-op event such as a house party? The more new member-owners who join, the sooner we will have our brick and mortar store. And member-owners have a say in what our Co-op will look like, so why wait? Join today. Thanks to all of you for helping bring this community-grown grocery store to the Cedar Valley!
February is a great month to participate in Co-op activities to show your love for the Co-op while also beating those winter blues.
Here’s how:
Board Happenings: January 2017
– We’ve hit 500 members! This is a huge milestone and we have some great momentum going. Keep up the good work and we’ll be at 1000 in no time!Continue reading
Board Happenings: December 2016
Take a minute and see what your Board has been working on!
- If you missed the Annual Member Meeting, don’t despair! We’ll be posting our notes and updates to the website soon.
- Board and Committee members will once again attending the annual Up and Coming Conference in Milwaukee this year. If you haven’t heard of this conference, it’s an annual conference put together by the Indiana Cooperative Development Center and the Food Co-op Initiative to provide resources and networking for start up food co-ops. The Cedar Falls Food Co-op has been in attendance the past 3 years and we’re happy to keep expanding our knowledge to best serve our members.
- Our Annual Member Mixer will be held on January 29th at Bryan’s on 4th, in Waterloo. Stop by and bring a friend for what’s sure to be a fun evening of food and co-op camaraderie.
Everybody Gets One and We Get. This. Done.
As I write this, your co-op is less than ten members away from reaching a huge milestone: 500 member-owners. Each of those member-owners is the result of grassroots communication, continued education, and the genuine commitment of member-owners sharing your co-op stories with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors.
2017 will be a huge year for our co-op. We’ll embark on our capital campaign. We’ll continue to grow our presence in community organizations. And if we all commit to it, we can reach our 1,000 member mark this year.