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.

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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:

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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.

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From the Board President: Looking Ahead to 2017

Happy New Year! I’m very excited as to what 2017 will bring for the Co-op. This year will mark some major milestones in our development. I’m so proud of our committees and the board and all the groundwork they’ve done in the last two years to help prepare for some exciting steps in 2017. As a result, we’re poised to accomplish the following this year:

Fully Elected Board

This year marks the end of the transition from a steering committee to a fully elected Board of Directors. Over the summer, the final three seats on the Board will be up for interested candidates, and once the final votes are tabulated, each of the nine-member Board will have been elected by the Co-op’s membership. This is important to us, as we value the second of the 7 Cooperative Principles: Democratic Governance.

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Welcome Renewed Health in the New Year

For many of us, the New Year is a time of reflection, hope, and renewal. Last year’s resolutions might have fizzled out a long time ago, but it’s never too late to recommit to better health and fuller living for the coming year. The Cedar Falls Food Co-op Business Partner program has much to offer member owners ready to make 2017 their best year yet! Many of our business partners focus on healthy lifestyles through the products and services they offer, all while saving you money! Don’t forget to take advantage of these incredible deals that are only offered to Co-op member owners!Continue reading→

Member Spotlight: Tara Sundt

This month’s Cedar Falls Food Co-op Member spotlight is Tara Sundt.

Tara Sundt grew up in Washburn with her parents and brother, attending elementary school in Washburn and then high school in Waterloo.  After graduation, she went into the Army where she was stationed in various places such as Fort Meade, Camp Jackson, Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA as well as in Hungary.  After eight years of service, Tara attended the University of Northern Iowa and received her degree in Computer Science.  She went to work at DISTek Integration, Inc. and then on to the Electronics Enterprise group at John Deere where she is currently employed, working on the software for tractors. 

Tara loves the feeling of belonging and familiarity of the Cedar Valley community where she’s grown up.  She enjoys activities such as Movies under the Moon and Live to 9 in Cedar Falls.  Some of her favorite places to frequent are Cup of Joe, Sidecar Coffee, SingleSpeed Brewing, Montage and Whiskey Road – she adds, “anyplace on Main Street in Cedar Falls”. Continue reading→