– 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→

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.

• The board is excited to welcome a hearty welcome to our newest members, Joy Thorson and Terry Stewart! We also extend an excited “Welcome Back!” to re-elected board member Tom Wickersham.
• With new board members comes new officers! The board has elected Tom Wickersham to serve as President, Joy Thorson to serve as Vice President, Kristel McClenahan to serve as Treasurer, and Jess Cruz to serve as Secretary.
• We had an excellent showing of Co-op board and committee members at the recent Small and Strong Conference in Bloomington, MN. Check out the article in the month’s newsletter for a full report.
• We are getting our events for next year set up, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and keep up on our monthly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss any of these fabulous events.
• We’re making great progress on our Financial Pro Forma and starting to get ready to launch our Capital Campaign in the next year.

– We visited New Pioneer in Cedar Rapids and had an excellent time. They’re a wonderful store and we can’t wait to learn from all of their Co-op experience. 

– Keep an eye out for ThanksGIVING: Co-op Style. Anyone who joins the Co-op between November 1-20th will receive a free pie AND Foster’s Mattress will donate $10 to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank for each new member. 

– We’ve agreed to pledge to become Blue Zone Certified once our store opens, meaning we’re even more dedicated to bringing you healthy, sustainably sourced food options. 

– Did you see the Rooty while trick or treating on Main Street? Share your artwork on our Facebook page for everyone to see!

– We have a great contingent of Co-op Board and Committee members who will be attending the Strong and Small conference on November 12th, and we can’t wait to share all that we learn. 

In October, the Co-op hosted its second annual Member-Owner Meeting & Social. The annual meeting, a sort of share holders’ meeting in which a “state of the Co-op” is presented, is a big deal. It’s the one event we’re required to host as per our bylaws, and it’s a signature event for food co-ops across the U.S. Our social, held at the Oster Regent, was full of conversations and good vibes (helped in part by generous donations of cookies, mini muffins, beer, cider, and mead!). Yet even with all the generosity and positive conversations, I was unprepared for the email that showed up the next day from Co-op member Randy S.:

[My wife] and I decided to donate a $40.00 gift certificate that can be used to purchase tickets at the Oster Regent Theater, so you can use as you see fit for a membership drive. The gift certificate is good until January 2018.

Thanks for all your hard work.

Continue reading→

Take a minute to see what our Board of Directors has been up to.

• We received our first report from our new Outreach Coordinator and everything has been going great! If you haven’t had a chance to hear from Melanie yet, you can be sure you’ll hear from her soon.
• We have some great event coming up, including several house parties, drinks at Miss Wonderful, and a field trip to New Pioneer! Be sure to follow us on Facebook to get the latest updates about these events.
• Our annual Member Meeting is October 18^th! This is your opportunity to get a thorough update on the state of the co-op, plus we’ll be announcing the results from our Board election and the name you chose for our Co-op Carrot!
• Speaking of Board Elections, they’re happening now! The polls will be open until 7pm on October 18^th. All members who are paid in full will have received an email with a link for you to vote. If you haven’t received this yet, be sure to contact Dan Heit, the Co-op’s Vice President, at gtthrills@mchsi.com
• We continue to participate in conference calls with other start-up co-ops so we can all share our experiences and be stronger together.
• A number of our committee and board members will be attending this year’s Strong & Small Conference in Bloomington, MN in November. These conference are a great way for us to grow our knowledge and learn from other co-ops that have been where we are now.
• We love being able to be a part of this amazing community, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without our members! If you want to know how you can help grow our co-op, you can reach us at outreach@cedarfallsfood.coop

Take a minute to see what our Board of Directors has been up to!

• We’ve been gaining a ton of new members to our newsletter, so welcome to those of you who are here for the first time!
• Board Elections are coming up soon! Application materials are due early September, so if you’re interested in serving the Co-op, check out our website for more details.
• We continue to work on our Financial Pro Forma, which is the next big task to complete in our development.
• With the completion of the Pro Forma on the horizon, we’ve begun laying the groundwork for our capital campaign. Be on the lookout for more news about this soon!
• We love our amazing business partners and appreciate everything they do to help spread the word about the Co-op. Be sure to stop by our booths when we’re out in the community to learn about all the great things they have to offer in addition to your Co-op discount!
• The Fall Food Fest is coming September 27^th, at 6:30pm. We have some fun new activities planned, so be sure to stop by.
• Planning for the Member Owner Meeting is under way, so keep an ear out for more details.
• Several members of the Board plan to attend the Strong and Small conference in Bloomington, MN in November. This conference is a one-day networking and training event aimed at small and start-up food co-ops.