STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop

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STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
A PUBLICATION OF WILLY STREET CO-OP, MADISON, WI
                                                                                                                                 VOLUME 46 • ISSUE 5 • MAY 2019

                                                                                                                                                STORES
                                                                                                                                               CLOSING
                                                                                                                                                 EARLY
                                                                                                                                           Memorial Day:
                                                                                                                                          Monday, May 27
                                                                                                                                              at 7:30pm
IN THIS ISSUE: 2019 Customer Survey; A Tour of a Colombian Fair Trade Banana Farm; $5 Dinner; Staff Picks; and More!
   PERMIT NO. 1723
    MADISON, WI
     U.S. POSTAGE
      PRSRT STD

          PAID
        1457 E. Washington Ave • Madison, WI • 53703

                                                       POSTMASTER: DATED MATERIAL

                                                                                    CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
READER
                                                                                                                       WILLY STREET CO-OP
                                                                                                                       MISSION STATEMENT
                                                                                                                       The Williamson Street Grocery
                                                                                                                       Co-op is an economically and
                                                                                                                       environmentally sustainable,
                                                                                                                       cooperatively owned grocery
                          PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY WILLY STREET CO-OP                                                      business that serves the needs
                                                                                                                       of its Owners and employ-
                          East: 1221 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703, 608-251-6776                                ees. We are a cornerstone
                          West: 6825 University Ave, Middleton, WI 53562, 608-284-7800                                 of a vibrant community in
                                                                                                                       south-central Wisconsin that
                          North: 2817 N. Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704, 608-471-4422
                                                                                                                       provides fairly priced goods
                          Central Office: 1457 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703, 608-251-0884                      and services while supporting
                          EDITOR & LAYOUT: Liz Wermcrantz                                                              local and organic suppliers.
                          ADVERTISING: Liz Wermcrantz
                          COVER DESIGN: Hallie Zillman
                          SALE FLYER DESIGN: Hallie Zillman
                          GRAPHICS: Hallie Zillman
                                                                                                                        WILLY STREET CO-OP
                          SALE FLYER LAYOUT: Liz Wermcrantz
                                                                                                                        BOARD OF DIRECTORS
                          PRINTING: Wingra Printing Group
                              The Willy Street Co-op Reader is the monthly communications link among the                Jeannine Bindl, President
                          Co-op Board, staff and Owners. It provides information about the Co-op’s services
                                                                                                                        Meghan Gauger,
                          and business as well as about cooking, nutrition, health, sustainable agriculture and         Vice President
                          more. Views and opinions expressed in the Reader do not necessarily represent those
                          of the Co-op’s Directors, staff or Ownership. Willy Street Co-op has not evaluated the        Patricia Butler
                          claims made by advertisers. Acceptance of advertising does not indicate endorsement           Brian Anderson
                          of the product or service offered. Articles are presented for information purposes only.
                          Before taking action, you should always consult a professional for advice. Articles           Ann Hoyt
                          may be reprinted with permission from the editor.                                             Stephanie Ricketts
                          SUBMISSIONS                                                                                   Trevor Bynoe
                              All advertising submissions must be reserved and arranged with the editor by the
                          10th of the month previous to publication. All advertisement copy must be submit-             Michael Chronister
                          ted by the 15th of the month. Submissions should be emailed to l.wermcrantz@                  Dan Ramos Haaz
                          willystreet.coop or mailed to Willy Street Co-op’s Central Office according to sub-
                          mission requirements.                                                                         BOARD CONTACT INFO:
                          CUSTOMER SERVICE: EAST: 608-251-6776 WEST: 608-284-7800 NORTH:                                board@willystreet.coop
                          608-471-4422                                                                                  all-board@willystreet.coop
                                                                                                                        (includes the GM, Executive
                          BUSINESS OFFICE: 608-251-0884                                                                 Assistant and Board Adminis-
                          FAX: 608-251-3121                                                                             trator)
                          SEAFOOD CENTER: EAST: 608-294-0116 WEST: 608-836-1450
                          GENERAL EMAIL: info@willystreet.coop                                                          BOARD MEETING
                          GENERAL MANAGER: a.firszt@willystreet.coop                                                    SCHEDULE
                          EDITOR: l.wermcrantz@willystreet.coop                                                         Tuesday, May 21
                          PREORDERS: EAST: es.preorders@willystreet.coop; WEST: ws.preorders@		                         Tuesday, June 18
                                   willystreet.coop; NORTH: ns.preorders@willystreet.coop
                                                                                                                        As always, Board meetings are held
                          WEBSITE: www.willystreet.coop                                                                 at the Central Office beginning at
                          BOARD EMAIL: board@willystreet.coop                                                           6:30pm (unless otherwise noted).
                          STORE HOURS: 7:30am-9:30pm, every day                                                         Dates are subject to change. Please
                          East Juice Bar: 7:30am-6:00pm; West Juice Bar: M-F: 7:30am-7:00pm                             see www.willystreet.coop/events/
                          & Sat-Sun: 7:30am-6:00pm; North Juice Bar: 7:30am-7:00pm                                      board-of-directors to confirm.
                          Deli: 7:30am to 9:00pm
                          Seafood Center–East and West: Monday–Saturday, 8:00am-8:00pm; Sunday,
                          8:00am- 6:00pm.

                          IN THIS ISSUE
                             3-4      Customer Comments                 9         2019 Customer Survey               18-19 Announcing the 2019
                             5        Fiscal Year; Travel               10-11 A Tour of a Colombian                        Community Reinvest-
                                      Tips; and More!                         Fair Trade Banana 		                         ment Fund Winners
                                                                              Farm                                   20-21 Fats & Fiction
                             5-6      Elections; Budgets;
                                      Committees; More!!                12        New Products                       22-23 Recipes
                             6-8      Community Room 		                 13-15 SPECIALS PAGES                         25-27 Staff Picks
                                      Calendar
                             8        $5 Dinner

    SAVE THE DATE!
    THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL MEETING & PARTY IS THURSDAY, JULY 11.

2    Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
CUSTOMER COMMENTS
 Write Us!                               us know if you have other questions.
                                         Have a great week! -Kirsten Moore,
                                                                                   complete this step of the process.
                                                                                   This could result in less coffee being
                                                                                                                            way.
                                                                                                                                Can someone within Co-op
 We welcome your comments and
                                         Cooperative Services Director             wasted, and ultimately, it would be      management state the intended
 give each one attention and seri-
                                                                                   a cost savings for the co-op.            purpose of the e-commerce
 ous consideration. Send them to
 customer.comments@willystreet.
                                         KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON                         A: Thanks for writing us about       website? Who are the people and
                                             Q: I wonder why you keep your         this! I agree that there are probably    what are the special needs that will
 coop or fill out a Customer Com-
                                         lights on all the time. I live near       a lot of people who don't know this      be served? What localities would
 ment form in the Owner Re-
 sources area. Each month a small        by and I see them on all the time.        final step in the process, I'll surely   be included? In addition, because
 selection is printed in the Reader.     Could you turn them off and if you        pass your suggestion for signage         the Co-op would be a latecomer
 Many more can be found in the           can’t I would like to know why.           along, hopefully it helps!               to the e-commerce business in the
 commons or in the binder near               A: Thank you for your ques-               Thank you. -Liz Patterson, As-       Madison metropolitan area, what
 Customer Service. Thank you!            tion about the lights at Willy East. I    sistant Grocery Manager—East             more would the Co-op offer that
                                         checked in with our Facilities Direc-                                              is not already being offered by the
                                         tor Jim Jirous, and there are two         BAG CREDIT                               competition?
                                         areas with lights that we think you           Q: Why am I being charged 10             The e-commerce website would
CARDBOARD BOXES                          are seeing and they are on after store    cents each time I shop at the coop,      just be one wheel in a bigger
    Q: I was wondering if you            hours for different reasons.              and finding it on my receipt as a        machine if it follows a traditional
would consider making cardboard              Our parking lot lights are oper-      "contribution" to double dollars?        model. There might be a person
boxes available & highly visible         ated by a sensor that turns them on       I'm not being asked to make a            who selects ordered products from
near the registers for shoppers to       at dusk and turns them off again at       contribution. What is this charge?       store shelves and another person
use instead of grocery bags. Per-        dawn. The lights are left on over-        No involuntary charges should ever       who drives the order to the cus-
haps give folks a bag discount when      night for the security of our staff       be called a contribution. Please         tomer's home. However it is pos-
they do so. I really like the idea of    leaving after the store closes, coming    explain.                                 sible that the product picker may
not offering paper grocery bags          to the store before the sun comes up          A: Thanks for asking. You are        not choose the right item, and the
at all (like the Natural Grocers on      in the morning, and anyone else near      not being charged an additional 10¢      driver might be delayed in reaching
Tennyson St in Denver—you have           our parking lot overnight or using the    when you shop at the Co-op. The          an address. Can someone in man-
to use your own bag or take a box,       ATM machine outside. These lights         Co-op Contribution listed on your        agement comment on the organiza-
even if you're walking).                 also allow police and fire personnel      receipt is what Willy Street Co-op       tion's plans to develop a quality
    Also- is it possible to post small   to see the building clearly from the      saves for the Double Dollars Fund        assurance program that extends
signs around the produce depart-         street if there is an emergency and       each time you reuse a bag for your       beyond the e-commerce website?
ment encouraging people to use           act as a deterrent to criminal activity   shopping. We contribute 10¢ to the       If a private company were engaged
produce bags as sparingly as pos-        on the property.                          Fund for each reusable bag a cus-        to select and deliver groceries, the
sible? I understand using them for           The lights inside the store are on    tomer uses when they shop. You           Co-op might be accountable for any
things like bulk greens or mush-         a timer that leaves them on two and       save us money when we use less           customer relations problems.
rooms, but there is no reason to use     a half hours after the store closes for   paper bags, and we send that money           A: Thanks for writing. The
them for most items. Perhaps also        staff that work until midnight. This      to Community Action Coalition to         intended purpose of the e-commerce
encouraging people to reuse pro-         timer also turns the lights back on       support Double Dollars at participat-    website is to offer both delivery and
duce bags.                               two and a half hours before the store     ing farmers' markets and the Co-op.      pickup service via an online shop-
    Lastly, I've heard that you may      opens for staff that start their day      Double Dollars provides vouchers         ping interface from the Co-op. This
be getting rid of the bulk soaps, etc,   before the store opens. Please let us     for fresh foods, fruits and vegetables   offering is intended to better serve
but I would love to see you keep         know if you have other questions.         to those shopping with Wisconsin         the needs of some homebound cus-
those things!                            Have a great day! -Kirsten Moore,         FoodShare (SNAP) to stretch their        tomers we already provide delivery
    Q: Thanks for writing. When we       Cooperative Services Director             limited shopping budgets further. We     services to on a case-by-case basis,
have cardboard boxes available, they                                               track your bag reuse and our contri-     some housing co-ops and businesses
are stored near Produce, close to the    COFFEE WASTE                              bution on customer receipts due to       that order from us frequently, and
front end, because this is the area          Q: I love your selection of bulk      requests to see that we are counting     Owners and customers that enjoy the
where we have the most space to of-      coffees. I don't have a high quality      people's reused bags to support the      Co-op but may not live as conve-
fer them. Customers who reuse bags       grinder at home, so I use your burr       program, and with a limited number       niently near one of our locations.
or other containers to shop help us      grinders to get the perfect grind         of characters available on the receipt   It’s not a new program, but rather
fund Double Dollars for FoodShare/       for my Chemex. I try to buy 3 days        to describe what the line item is, I     one that we are in the process of re-
QUEST benefits participants at the       worth of coffee at a time to make         can see why this could be confusing      launching for a wider audience. We
Co-op and local farmers’ markets.        sure I'm always getting a fresh           for some customers. Rest assured,        plan to start the program out of Willy
For every reusable bag customers         brew. As you can imagine, I use           you are not being charged extra          North, due to North having the wid-
use, cashiers tally 10¢ for the Co-op    your grinders frequently.                 involuntarily to support the program!    est selection of products, the most
to save for the Double Dollars Fund          When I begin to use a grinder,        I will check in with our Logistics       space for our employees to shop
and for every reused disposable bag      I start by flicking the metal tab         and IT departments to see if there is    for customers, and the most central
the Co-op tallies 5¢ to save for the     on the spout to make sure ground          any way to make the receipts clearer,    location for access to main highways
fund. This has curbed our paper bag      coffee from the previous user isn't       though I'm not 100% sure how we          for delivery routes. The program
use by about 50%, which is in line       remaining in the machine. (I don't        will do it. Please let me know if I      would essentially service the zip
with some municipalities that have       want an unknown coffee or the             may assist you further. We appre-        codes surrounding our three retail
charged a tax for bag use. Custom-       wrong grind going in my bag.)             ciate your feedback! Have a great        locations, Lake Monona, and Lake
ers, of course, are welcome to use       Most of the time, 1 or 2 tablespoons      evening. -Kirsten Moore, Coopera-        Mendota. The e-commerce program
the boxes we have available as an        of coffee grounds come tumbling           tive Services Director                   would offer customers an option to
alternative to bags, but we simply do    out into the tray below. This feels                                                have pickup and delivery services
not have enough boxes to ensure that     like such a waste.                        E-COMMERCE                               provided by Willy Street Co-op with
all customers that do not have reus-         Having worked in a coffee shop,           Q: It is my understanding that       the products that we offer, something
able bags would be able to take their    I'm aware that flicking this tab to       the Co-op has been working to            that many Owners have been ask-
groceries away without paper bags        release all of the coffee grounds is      develop an e-commerce website            ing us to offer and implement better
available.                               routine procedure, and is the final       for some time. The website has           throughout the years. Not only will
    We do sell reusable produce bags     step in the grinding process. How-        been mentioned in the Willy Street       the website interface be our own and
in the produce department and we         ever, I believe that the majority of      Co-op Reader without necessarily         fully integrated with our existing
are currently looking at ways to pro-    customers are not aware that they         elaborating on its purpose. Here in      point of sale system, but products
mote more use of these bags. To my       should be doing this after each use       the Internet age we might assume         will also be picked and delivered
knowledge, we do not have any plans      of the grinder.                           what the website would do, but fur-      by Co-op employees rather than via
to stop selling bulk soaps, though we        I think that the co-op should         ther explanation would be helpful.       a third-party provider. We recog-
are in the process of changing some      consider placing signage near the         A vision plan must have preceded         nize some of the concerns you raise
of the selection available. Please let   grinders to advise customers to           the development stage now under-         about picking products and delivery

                                                                                            Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019                              3
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
schedules, which is why we plan to        approach is not a motivator for me     from your bag reuse. Many people         as successful as other methods. It
roll out the program slowly, to test it   and, I suspect, for many Owners.       do see the Co-op using the money         reduces customer bag use by about
with existing delivery and business       It is simply the way the Coop is       we save when they reuse bags for         half, which is in line with other
customers prior to launching Co-op-       choosing to support the Double         a good cause as an incentive, and        incentives we have seen includ-
wide, and to launch with clear terms      Dollars program.                       we know this for several reasons:        ing giving customers a credit as we
of service, substitution, cancellation,       I suggest offering the same        bag reuse has not changed with any       used to, and charging a fee for bags
and return policies. Please let us        "incentive" to users of paper bags.    significance from when we switched       (which we have seen happen in other
know if you have further questions.       The Coop would raise more dol-         from giving a customer a credit to       cities where ordinances require an
-Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Ser-          lars for the program, unless the       contributing those dimes saved to        upcharge or tax for disposable bag
vices Director                            administrative costs are too high.     the fund; we have customers who          use). We are very grateful for the
                                              And that is my two cents           tend to double check to ensure that      support that our customers pro-
DOUBLE DOLLARS                            worth!                                 cashiers have tallied their bags to      vide Double Dollars through their
INCENTIVES                                    A: Thanks for writing, for reus-   support the cause; and we have had       optional cash donations using the
    Q: I read your letter in the new      ing bags for whatever reason you       customers tell us that when they         scan cards, and when they reuse
Reader about paper and reused             choose, and for supporting Double      forget their bags, they make a cash      bags. Please let me know if you have
grocery bags. It is interesting that      Dollars! We appreciate it regardless   donation to the Double Dollars fund      other questions. Thanks! -Kirsten
the Coop considers supporting             of your motivations!                   using the optional scan cards avail-     Moore, Cooperative Services Direc-
the Double Dollars program an                 Whenever a customer reuses a       able to them at the registers. Making    tor
incentive for me to reuse bags (as I      bag, we tally that bag, and keep a     the optional cash donation serves            Customer Response: Thank
always do). Isn't a contribution to       count of the number of times people    as a reminder to those customers to      you for the prompt and thorough
Double Dollars always an option           reused bags instead of taking a        bring their bags next time they shop     reply, Kirsten. Clearly much
for shoppers?                             disposable bag. Willy Street Co-op     because they know their bag reuse        thought has gone into the bag
    I don't object to supporting the      then donates 10¢ for each disposable   also supports the fund.                  reuse/Double Dollar program, and
program, but I don't view it as an        bag that was not used to the Double        We recognize that not everyone       clearly it is working well.
incentive. I reuse bags for differ-       Dollars Fund. The Co-op does not       will find this program, or any other         I concede the point that the
ent reasons. It may have been an          ask customers whether we should        incentive, as motivating, but it's the   program is an incentive for many.
incentive when the 10 cents went          tally their bags, we do this auto-     one that we are currently commit-        Bravo to them and to you! Keep
into my pocket, but the current           matically, with the money we saved     ted to, and we have found it to be       up the good work.

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           NO                   YES                                     YES
                                                     NO

                                          AMAZING!

      2019 CUSTOMER SURVEY
         Fill out the Customer Survey
             by May 31st and you’ll
         automatically be entered to
         win one of 10 $100 gift cards!
           Find it in this issue of the Reader,                                          Thursday, May 16th
                    in the stores or at
            willystreet.coop/2019-customer-survey
                                                                                                        4pm - 8pm
                                                                                                  at Willy North
             ‘                                                                             Join us for: BBQ chicken or BBQ jackfruit
                                                                        YES
           NO                   YES                  NO                                    sandwich on a bun, slaw and potato chips
                                                                                                        with a cookie.
                                          AMAZING!                                        Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

 4       Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
BOARD AND GM TABLING                      time don’t work for you, you can
 GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT                                                                  Our next scheduled time is            reach the Board at board@willystreet.
                                                                                       at Willy East on May 19th, from           coop or me at a.firszt@willystreet.
Fiscal Year; Travel Tips; and More!                                                    11:00am –1:00pm. If those dates and       coop or 608-237-1210.

                                                                                        BOARD REPORT

                   A
                                pril        Kitchen walk-in freezer project should
                                showers     be past the planning stages and onto       Elections; Budgets; Committees;
                                bring       the physical work of removing the old
                                May         unit and constructing the new one. A       and More!
                    flowers! All three      second phase of this project will hap-

                                                                                                         H
                    stores will have a      pen in the next fiscal year, avoiding
                    full supply of plant    the general work and chaos leading                                    appy           comprised of a mix of Co-op staff,
                    starts for you by       up to the Annual Meeting & Party                                      May,           two Board members and community
                    Mother’s Day from       (AMP).                                                                Willy          members. This group is charged with
by Anya                                                                                                           Street         making a recommendation to the
                    West Star Farms
Firszt,                                                                                                  Co-op community!        Board on which applications should
General
                    and Voss Organics.      TRAVEL TIPS
                    These young plants          Willy West shoppers: if you visit                                                receive funding. This year I had the
Manager             are locally sourced     our store from the west via University                       BOARD                   honor of serving on this committee,
                    and organically         Avenue, road reconstruction work will      by                ELECTIONS               and reviewing the record number
grown. And, we have literally tons of       be happening between Park St. and          Stephanie               First and fore-   of proposals for funds. It was hum-
Purple Cow Organic compost growing          Cayuga St. through mid-June, so you        Ricketts,           most, I want to       bling and exciting to see the array of
mixes and soil-enhancing products to        may have to find alternate routes in       Board               remind you all that   excellent projects taking place in our
help your garden grow even better!          the next few months. For details, see      Member              Board elections are   community and difficult to narrow it
     The Better Business Bureau Torch       visit.news/middleton.                                          coming up. Can-       down to the final selection. The Com-
Award for Ethics has been awarded                                                                          didate application    mittee passed its recommendations on
to Willy Street Co-op. Willy Street         BOARD OF DIRECTORS                         materials are due by June 3, 2019. We     for Board approval at the April meet-
Co-op submitted an application after        ELECTIONS COMING UP                        are filling three seats this year, each   ing, and you can see which projects
being nominated for the award. In the           You still have time to meet the        for a three-year term of service. If      received grants on page 18.
application, we explained how ethics        requirements to run for the Board. A       you are an Owner in good standing,
is a core part of how it treats employ-     few important points and dates for you     passionate about the Co-op, and have      BUDGETING FOR FY20
ees, how we work with vendors and           to know about:                             10–15 hours per month to devote to            Did you know the Co-op’s Fiscal
community partners, and how we              • Candidates are required to attend at     the governance of this organization,      Year runs from July–June, not ac-
interact with more than 35,000 Co-op          least one Board meeting to be eli-       consider running in the 2019 election!    cordingly to the calendar year? We
Owners. The Co-op shared many ex-             gible to run for the Board; the Board    All of the information can be found       are currently in the thick of budget-
amples of our ethical practices, from         meets next on May 21 beginning           online at: www.willystreet.coop/          planning for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.
quarterly all-worker meetings and a           at 6:30pm at the Co-op’s admin-          pages/run-for-the-willy-street-co-op-     From the Board’s perspective, this
digital intranet forum, to transparency       istrative offices located at 1457 E.     board                                     means setting the Governance Budget
in its annual report and customer com-        Washington Ave.                              One more (important) thing!           for 2020 (including items like Board
ment responses, to offering Double          • Candidates are required to attend a      All candidates must attend a Board        Education Sessions, the annual Board
Dollars vouchers and helping out              Candidate Orientation Session prior      Candidate Information Session to be       elections, and the Annual Meeting &
other cooperatives.                           to the election; there are two more      eligible to run. There are two more       Party (AMP), and reviewing the com-
                                              sessions scheduled for Willy North       schedule, both this month:                plete budget for the organization. The
FISCAL YEAR-END IN                            (Lakeview Library) at 2:00pm on          • Lakeview Library: May 4, 2019:          final FY20 Co-op Budget will come
SIGHT                                         May 4, and Willy West at 6:00pm            2:00pm–3:00pm                           before the Board for final approval in
     We are hoping to wrap up a few           on May 9.                                • Willy West: May 9, 2019, 6:00pm–        June after a thorough vetting by the
planned projects before the fiscal year     • Candidate statements are due June 3        7:00pm                                  Finance Committee.
end, which comes at the end of June.          at noon.                                     Want to run for the Board, but
     Willy East Commons is getting a        • Candidates are invited to address        can’t attend either of these sessions?    WHAT’S WITH ALL THE
new floor treatment, which is planned         Owners at the Annual Meeting &           Email the Board Development Com-          COMMITTEES?
to happen over a few nights the first         Party on July 11, as part of the busi-   mittee at bdc@willystreet.coop and            I’ve mentioned a couple of differ-
week of June, June 2–7 to be exact.           ness meeting.                            we will figure out an alternative.        ent committees in this report. Since
The East Community Room will be             • Candidate statements will be includ-         In addition to planning the 2019      the Co-op is a big organization with
used as customer seating while the            ed in the July Reader publication        elections, the Board has been up to a     lots of different moving parts, the
Commons area is under construction            or on our website www.willystreet.       variety of activities.                    Board uses committees to help it do
and unavailable. The liquid bulk sec-         coop.                                                                              its work. Committees have specific
tion at East is getting a facelift, which       You can vote online (if we have        COMMUNITY                                 purviews, and serve the Board by dig-
will result in a shift and relocation of    your current email address), or cast       REINVESTMENT FUND                         ging deeper into complicated topics.
a few other subdepartments into the         your ballot at any of our retails, or      DETERMINATIONS                            Some committees are Board-only,
bulk aisle. Stay tuned.                     mail your ballot to 1457 E. Washing-           The Co-op’s 2019 Community            some have a mix of staff and Board
     Willy North is adding new office       ton Ave, Madison, WI 53703. I, for         Reinvestment Fund cycle is drawing        members serving on them, and others
and meeting space, with the renova-         one, am looking forward to meeting         to a close. All grant applications are    have a mix of Board members, staff
tion work beginning mid-May lasting         the final slate of Board candidates,       reviewed by the Community Rein-           and Owners-at-large. The Board will
through mid-June. There will be little      and hearing them all speak at the Co-      vestment Fund committee, a group          recruit members with various skill
or no disruption on the retail floor ini-   op’s Annual Meeting on July 11.
tially, however some disruption will
occur the second week of June when          $5 DINNER: DINNER
a hole is cut for a doorway to join the     MADE FOR YOU!                                  WANT TO HELP LEAD THE CO-OP?
retail and the new space.                       The $5 Dinner is again happening           The election of new Board members will happen in July, and
     Willy West is getting the finishing    on the third Thursday of the month.            there will be three seats open. Do you know someone who
touches from the expansion projects:        Mark your calendar for May 16 to be            loves the Co-op, works well in a group, and will do their best
a few new refrigerated cases and new        at Willy North from 4:00pm–8:00pm              to represent the needs of all Owners? Consider running for the
shelving units. Plus a few improve-                                                        Board!
                                            for some good eats! The featured main
ments at the rear of the building with      course this month is BBQ chicken               The Board candidate applications are due June 3, 2019. Note:
new fencing, a better means to house        or BBQ jackfruit, fresh coleslaw,              attending a Board meeting and Candidate Orientation Session
seasonal equipment, and screening to        potato chips, and a cookie. We are             beforehand is a requirement of running. The Board candidate
                                                                                           applications and available meeting/orientation session dates
better contain our pallets and various      able to satisfy vegetarian, vegan and          are posted at willystreet.coop/run-for-board, and at the Owner
boxes from view.                            gluten-free diets! Eat in or carry out.        Resources Area in the stores.
     And, finally, the Production           Yummy!

                                                                                                Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019                               5
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
sets to serve on these committees,             motions of the Board are binding on
like Owners with financial acumen to
serve on the Finance Committee, or
                                               the GM.                                      Community Room Class Calendar
                                               Policy C10: Policy Development                  Please see class descriptions for fees. Owners enrolled in the Access Discount Program receive a
folks experienced with policy gover-               Policy C10 ensures that the Board            10% discount. Payment is required at registration; please register by stopping at the Customer
nance to serve on the Policy Commit-           is diligent in its review of and updates        Service desk or by calling Willy West at (608) 284-7800 or Willy East at (608) 251-6776. For more
tee. The Board currently has three ac-         to the Co-op’s policies, and that it                   information about individual activities and classes, see willystreet.coop/calendar.
tive committees: Finance, Policy and           follows proscribed channels for doing
Board Development. Board members                                                             Refund Policy: Unless otherwise specified in the description of the event, registration for events that
                                               so.                                            Willy Street Co-op cancels will be refunded in full. Individuals who wish to cancel their registration
also serve on a few other Co-op com-
                                               Policy C3: Relationship to Owners             must contact Customer Service with 72 hours notice to receive a full refund or transfer their registra-
mittees, including the Community                                                             tion to another class . No refunds or transfers will be granted for cancellations within 72 hours of an
Reinvestment Fund and the Invest-                  This policy states that the Board            event. In order to cover costs incurred, there are absolutely no exceptions to the Refund Policy.
ment Committee.                                derives its authority from and rep-
                                               resents the Owners of the Co-op,
WIL-MAR CAPITAL                                and includes some specific language
CAMPAIGN SUPPORT                               about how the Board must commu-
                                                                                          WINE AND CHEESE TASTING
    I am so pleased to share that the          nicate with Owners (including an
                                                                                          Location: Willy West Community Room
Board has approved a $50,000 dona-             Annual Report).
                                                                                          Thursday, June 13, 6:30pm–7:30pm
tion to the Wil-Mar Neighborhood               Policy B5: Treatment of                    Ages: 21 and older
Center’s capital campaign. These               Customers                                  Instructor: Micca Hutchins
funds will be drawn from abandoned                 This policy requires the General       Fee: Free; registration required
equity. Our partner in the William-            Manager (GM) to be responsive to               Enjoy tasting the delicious wines of spring including some fantastic rosé!
son Street neighborhood for over 40            Owners’ needs, and sets forth some         Micca Hutchins is the woman behind French Farm-To-Table Wines and will co-
years, the Wil-Mar neighborhood                requirements including things like         ordinate this sampling of some of her pure and natural wines from France. The
center just celebrated its 50-year an-         “Provide a safe, accessible shopping       top four cheeses from our own Cheese Challenge 2019 will make for excellent
niversary with a big announcement…             environment,” and “implement a             pairings and will also be offered. Sign up while there are seats!
they are the recipients of the 2019            system for soliciting and consider-
Design for a Difference! Design for            ing customer opinion,” among other                               VEGAN BAKING SECRETS:
a Difference is a national program             items.                                                           RAW VEGAN DESSERTS
that partners with local designers and                                                                       Location: Willy East Community Room
                                               Policy B4: Ownership Rights
organizations that donate their time,          Policy                                                        Tuesday, June 18, 6:00pm–8:00pm
talents, and goods to transform local              Policy B4 details how the GM             BAKING Ages: 13 and older; adult supervision not required
non-profits so the organization can            achieves the following: “The Gen-                             Instructor: Cara Moseley
better serve their communities. The            eral Manager (GM) shall not fail to                           Fee: $20 for Owners; $30 for non-owners
Co-op’s donation will support the              establish a process for becoming an            Pastry Chef Cara Moseley will teach basic raw vegan food preparation to
much-needed infrastructure improve-            Owner, maintaining Ownership, and          create raw desserts. She will guide the class through a discussion on various
ments to the Center (think heating             for Owners to understand their rights      critical raw food ingredients from the store and discuss their uses, and the dos
and cooling systems, plumbing, etc),           and responsibilities.”                     and don'ts of raw dessert-making. She will demonstrate how to make a couple
while the Design for a Difference is                                                      different styles of desserts. Students will leave class with several ideas and reci-
focused on the more visible updates            COME SAY HELLO!                            pes. Vegan, gluten-free and grain-free.
to the center. This is a big deal for the          The Board will be tabling with
Willy Street community, and we hope            the General Manager at Willy East on                                 COOKING WITH CHEF PAUL:
will help Wil-Mar remain a force of            May 19 from 12:00–2:00pm! Come                                       WEEKNIGHT DINNERS WITH FIVE
good for (at least) 50 more years.             swing by and try a tasty Co-op good,                                 INGREDIENTS OR FEWER
                                               and ask any questions you have about                             Location: Willy East Community Room
MORE POLICIES!                                 the Board, Co-op policy, or store                                Thursday, June 13, 6:00pm–8:00pm
    Of course, this policy governance-                                                       COOKING Ages: 13 and older; adult supervision required
                                               operations.
driven Board has also been reviewing               Other ways to learn more about                               Your Co-op’s Own Instructor: Paul Tseng
some policies! In April we reviewed            the Board of Directors, our Co-op’s        Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners
reports on:                                    policies, or other governance topics:          When it comes to dinner, we can save time in the kitchen and also eat well.
Policy D1: Unity of Control                    attend a Board meeting or email us at      Why bother with so many unwanted attachments and gadgets? Most of our
    This policy, at its essence, limits        board@willystreet.coop. Thanks for         meals can be made deliciously with five ingredients or fewer, assuming we have
the power of individual Directors              reading, and for being a part of the       salt and pepper on hand. Join Chef Paul to explore creative ways to reduce the
by stating that only officially passed         Willy Street Co-op!                        clutter in the kitchen and enjoy the meals we make.

     STORES CLOSING EARLY                                                                   LEARN ABOUT AND REGISTER FOR FOODSHARE
                                                                                            LOCATION: LAKEVIEW LIBRARY
     Memorial Day: Monday, May 27 at                                                        Location: Willy North
     7:30pm                                                                                 Thursday, May 2, 10:00am–2:00pm
                                                                                            Thursday, June 6, 10:00am–2:00pm
                                                                                            Location: East Community Room
                                                                                            Thursday, May 16, 9:00am–1:00pm
                                                                                            Thursday, June 20, 9:00am–1:00pm
                                                                                            Location: Willy West Community Room
                             A Different Approach To Real Estate                             Friday, May 10, 9:00am–12:00pm
                                                                                            Friday, June 14, 9:00am–12:00pm
                             If you are thinking of moving, our team can help                   Is money tight? You may be eligible for FoodShare benefits on a
                             with every step of the process: from prepping                  QUEST Card! FoodShare is a federal benefit, like social security, that
                             your home, pricing, strategic negotiation &                    provides extra money for groceries to low-income individuals and families.
                             coordination.                                                  The benefits comes on an easy-to-use debit-like card that can be used at the
                             As your neighborhood Realtors, we are committed                Willy Street Co-op, many farmers’ markets, and most major grocery stores.
                             to a diverse, vibrant & sustainable community.                 The income guidelines are higher than you might think: individuals earning
                                                                                            $11+ per hour and working 40 hours per week may qualify. To find out if
                                                                                            you may be eligible, please call 1-877-366-3635 for a confidential screen-
   Carlos & Sara Alvarado
                                 Contact us:                                                ing and to schedule an appointment to apply at Willy Street Co-op. During
                                 251.6600 | Info@TheAlvaradoGroup.com                       your appointment, a FoodShare Outreach specialist will assist you with an
                                 TheAlvaradoGroup.com | 1914 Monroe St.                     application, answer questions, and connect you with other great community
                                     Independent and family owned since 2006                resources. Walk-ins welcome. Se habla Español.

 6        Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
LEARNING WITH CHEF PAUL:                                             Fee: $20 for Owners; $30 for non-owners
                  KNIFE SKILLS AND SAFETY                                                  There is much confusion about Lyme disease and how to prevent as well as
                  Location: Willy West Community Room                                  treat it naturally. Join veteran herbalist Linda Conroy for this overview of how
                  Thursday, June 6, 6:00pm–8:00pm                                      to play in the woods mindfully as well as how to respond when you have been
                  Ages: 18 and older                                                   exposed to the various infections that are related to tick bites. Everyone will
                  Your Co-op’s Own Instructor: Paul Tseng                              leave with resources and information on how to access resources for further
                  Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners                              support. This class is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, pro-
    Join Chef Paul as he guides participants through hands-on knife skills,            fessional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services. Classes provided by Willy
including the major cuts, slices and dices. Chef Paul will discuss kitchen knife       Street Co-op are for informational and educational purposes only and are not
essentials, including how to sharpen and maintain a knife. Participants should         meant to replace medical consultation with your physician.
bring their favorite kitchen knife from home to practice with. Vegan.
                                                                                       SPRING HERBAL MEDICINE/WILD EDIBLE WALK
VEGAN CHEESE-MAKING                                                                    Location: Willy East Community Room and Jenifer Street
Location: Willy West Community Room                                                    Sunday, June 9, 10:00am–12:30pm
Tuesday, May 21, 6:00pm–8:00pm                                                         Ages: 8 and older; adult supervision required
Ages: 13 and older; adult supervision not required                                     Instructor: Linda Conroy
Instructor: Cara Moseley                                                               Fee: $20 for Owners; $30 for non-owners
Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners                                                    Join herbalist and forager Linda Conroy to explore the wild plants that grow
    Join Vegan Chef Cara Moseley to learn her basic vegan cheese recipe, varia-        around us. We will learn about common and uncommon wild plants that can be
tions to make different styles of vegan cheeses, and several ways to achieve the       used for food and medicine. Identification techniques, as well as ways to prepare
perfect texture and flavor using unique ingredients. She will also share infor-        plants for optimal nutrition and healing, will be discussed. Dress appropriately
mation about how to use the vegan cheeses in place of dairy in many culinary           for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Meet in the Community
applications. Many samples will be provided. Vegan, gluten-free and grain-free.        Room; the tour leaves promptly at 10:00am.

                    COOKING TOGETHER: FLAVORS OF THE                                   SPRING HERBAL MEDICINE/WILD EDIBLE WALK
                    MIDDLE EAST                                                        Location: 4864 Pheasant Branch Conservancy Springs, Middleton
                     Location: Willy West Community Room                               Saturday, June 29, 10:00am–12:30pm
                     Friday, May 17, 5:30pm–6:45pm                                     Ages: 8 and older; adult supervision required
                     Ages: 5 and older; registration for adults and kids required      Instructor: Linda Conroy
     FAMILY                                                                            Fee: $20 for Owners; $30 for non-Owners
                     Instructor: Lily Kilfoy
                     Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners                               Join herbalist and forager Linda Conroy to explore the wild plants that grow
    Join Chef Lily Kilfoy in this hands-on cooking class for families. Learn           around us. We will learn about common and uncommon wild plants that can be
about different foods and where they come from, how to follow recipes and how          used for food and medicine. Identification techniques, as well as ways to prepare
to use a variety of tools. In this class, participants will prepare Chef Lily’s take   plants for optimal nutrition and healing, will be discussed. Dress appropriately
on a marvelous meal inspired by the flavors of the Middle East—olives, pita,           for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. This class will take place
spices, garbanzo beans, basmati rice, kabobs, dates and honey will be explored.        at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, 4864 Pheasant Branch Road, Middleton. Meet
Vegetarian and nut-free.                                                               in the Conservancy parking lot; the tour leaves promptly at 10:00am.

COOKING TOGETHER: FLAVORS OF JAPAN                                                                      KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: FINGER FOODS!
Location: Willy East Community Room                                                                      Location: Willy West Community Room
Friday, June 7, 5:30pm–6:45pm                                                                            Friday, May 10, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Ages: 5 and older; registration for adults and kids required                                             Ages: 9–12 years old; adult supervision not required
Instructor: Lily Kilfoy                                                                                  Location: Willy East Community Room
Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners                                                                  Friday, May 24, 4:30pm–5:30pm
    Join Chef Lily in this hands-on cooking class for families. Learn about dif-       Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
ferent foods and where they come from, how to follow recipes and how to use            Instructor: Lily Kilfoy
a variety of tools. In this class, participants will prepare Chef Lily’s take on       Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners
a homemade meal inspired by flavors from Japan. Sushi rolls, noodles, miso                 Join The Kids Chef Lily Kilfoy in this exciting hands-on cooking class for
soup, tea, citrus, soy and edamame are just a few of the tasty things that will be     kids. Whether you're making a memorable meal, planning the perfect party or
explored. Vegetarian.                                                                  doing some serious snacking, finger foods are flavorful and fun! In this class
                                                                                       participants will prepare an assortment of fantastic recipes for finger foods.
                   HERBAL APPROACHES TO LYME DISEASE                                   Vegetarian.
                   AND PREVENTION
                   Location: Willy East Community Room                                 KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: BETTER BRUNCH!
                   Thursday, May 2, 6:00pm–8:00pm                                      Location: Willy West Community Room
                   Ages: 13 and older; adult supervision required                      Tuesday, May 14, 4:30pm–5:30pm
     HERBS         Instructor: Linda Conroy                                            Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
                                                                                       Location: Willy East Community Room
                                                                                       Tuesday, May 21, 4:30pm–5:30pm
                                                                                       Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
                                                                                       Instructor: Lily Kilfoy
    INDIVIDUAL NUTRITION CONSULTATIONS                                                 Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners
    Location: Willy East Community Room                                                    Join Chef Lily Kilfoy in this exciting cooking class for kids. You can't beat
    Wednesday, May 8, 2:15pm–5:30pm                                                    brunch—the cool combination of breakfast and lunch. In this class, participants
    Wednesday, June 12, 2:15pm–5:30pm                                                  will cook up some of Lily's favorite recipes—pancakes and french toast, muf-
    Location: Willy West Community Room                                                fins, eggs, smoothies, fruits and more! Vegetarian.
    Tuesday, May 7, 2:15pm–5:30pm
    Wednesday, June 5, 2:15pm–5:30pm                                                   KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: FANTASTIC FRUITS
        An individual nutrition consultation is your opportunity to learn how          Location: Willy East Community Room
    the correct food choices for your body can enhance your well-being.                Tuesday, June 11, 4:30pm–5:30pm
    A one-on-one session with Katy Wallace of Human Nature includes a                  Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
    consultation regarding your health goals, as well as lifestyle and food            Location: Willy West Community Room
    choice suggestions geared toward addressing health goals and developing            Tuesday, June 18, 4:30pm–5:30pm
    sustainable change.                                                                Ages: 9–12 years old; adult supervision not required
        Appointments are confirmed upon payment. Payment is due at the                 Instructor: Lily Kilfoy
    time of scheduling; otherwise, the appointment will be released to other           Fee: $10 for Owners; $20 for non-owners
    interested parties. Payment is non-refundable and non-transferable unless              Join The Kids Chef Lily Kilfoy in this hands-on cooking class for kids. In
    notice of cancellation or rescheduling is provided seven (7) or more days          this class, we'll use fantastic fresh fruits as we follow recipes that highlight these
    prior. To register for the next available opening, email info@humanna-             nutritious ingredients. Tropical fruit smoothies, melon salads, berries and cream,
    turellc.com or call 608-301-9961.                                                  banana bread, pineapple cake, and plum crisp are some of Lily's favorites. Veg-
                                                                                       etarian and nut-free.

                                                                                                Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019                                     7
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: FOOD ART
Location: Willy West Community Room                                                 PRODUCTION KITCHEN NEWS
Friday, June 14, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
Location: Willy East Community Room
Friday, June 21, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Ages: 5–8 years old; adult supervision not required
    Join The Kids Chef Lily Kilfoy in this hands-on cooking class for kids.
Funny faces made from funky veggies? An owl made from bread and berries?
How about sunflower seed raindrops or a 3-D car driven by an animal cracker?
Chef Lily can't wait to see what the kids will come up with! Participants in this
class will create edible and artful images using a variety of foods. Vegetarian.

                    LEARNING WITH CHEF PAUL:
                    KNIFE SKILLS AND SAFETY                                                                                     your choice, a side dish or two, and
     EDUCATION      Location: Lakeview Library
                                                                                                                                a cookie, and you’re set for supper.
                    Thursday, May 9, 6:00pm–7:00pm
                                                                                                                                You can take it home to enjoy, or
     FREE           Ages: 18 and older

                                                                                                       I
                                                                                                                                have a seat in the Commons and eat
  LECTURES Fee: Free; registration required                                                                    t’s a Tuesday    right at the store. Past offerings have
                       Once your knife skills have improved, your cooking will
                                                                                                               afternoon,       included pasta fagioli, tamales, a
                    be more efficient and more delicious. Join Chef Paul for a
                                                                                                               and I am         baked potato bar, tacos, pizza, and of
demonstration on how to dice, julienne, and chiffonade vegetables and fruits.
                                                                                                               witnessing a     course mac and cheese.
Chef Paul will also discuss how to choose, care for and sharpen knives.
                                                                                                         very earnest and,
FAIR TRADE BANANAS                                                                                       at times, rather       BEGINNINGS
                                                                                                         intense conversa-          So what is the origin of this new
Location: Willy East Community Room                                                 by                   tion about hot dogs:   tradition? I checked in with General
Tuesday, May 14, 6:00pm–7:30pm                                                      Michael              coins or slices?       Manager Anya Firszt who initially
Location: Willy West Community Room                                                 Tomaloff,            How thin? How          heard about the Durham (North
Wednesday, May 22, 6:00pm–7:30pm
                                                                                    Kitchen              many? What does        Carolina) Co-op Market’s Three Dol-
Ages: Any; adult supervision required
                                                                                    Supervisor           a spoonful weigh?      lar Dinner, which they serve every
Your Co-op's Own Instructor: Megan Minnick
                                                                                                         This can mean only     Thursday, and thought that would be
Fee: Free; walk-ins welcome
                                                                                                         one thing: we’re on    just the thing for Willy North. Every
    Have you ever wondered what's behind the Fairtrade sticker on the organic
                                                                                                         the cusp of another    week is pretty ambitious, and three
Fairtrade certified bananas you buy at the Co-op? Megan Minnick, our Director
                                                                                                         Willy Street Co-       bucks isn’t a lot to work with, so we
of Purchasing recently went on a week long expedition to Colombia to find out,
                                                                                    op’s $5 Dinners. This happens to be         tweaked it and do it our own way.
and she is eager to share her experience! In this class you will learn about the
                                                                                    late February, and on the menu is a         We grew the menu a bit, and thus was
Fairtrade International standards, and how your purchase of Fairtrade bananas
                                                                                    repeat of the popular mac and cheese        born our monthly $5 version. Our
here in Wisconsin positively affects banana growers, workers, their families,
                                                                                    bar, with or without hot dogs (and          menu and method may differ from
and their communities halfway around the world.
                                                                                    mushrooms, and bacon, and broc-             Durham’s, but the goal is the same:
                                                                                    coli...), and thus the team knows the       building and growing community
MERITS OF A KETOGENIC (FAT-BASED) DIET                                              ins and outs of this one, and now is        while providing a healthy and afford-
Location: Willy East Community Room
                                                                                    an opportunity to refine and revisit        able meal. The added traffic in the
Thursday, May 30, 6:00pm–7:00pm
                                                                                    the decisions made before the first go      stores and growing ranks of Owners
Ages: Any; adult supervision required
                                                                                    ‘round of mac back two months ago.          is certainly a welcome benefit, but
Fee: Free; registration required
                                                                                                                                the good of our community is most
    Until recently, the benefits of a fat-based diet were poorly understood by
most. Katy Wallace, Traditional Naturopath of Human Nature, LLC will pres-
                                                                                    PLANNING                                    certainly the goal.
                                                                                        We make meals for up to 500                 It has been quite a while since I
ent how a fat-based diet may be key to resolving issues such as weight-loss
                                                                                    people, so it comes as no surprise that     had the opportunity to pitch in on the
resistance, cognitive decline, insomnia, and blood sugar swings. Learn what to
                                                                                    a lot of planning goes into these din-      line at the $5 Dinner, but that doesn’t
expect, how to balance a meal, and how to track your progress. Gluten-free and
                                                                                    ners, and deciding on the menu is just      mean I have missed out on those
grain-free.
                                                                                    the tip of the iceberg. Raw ingredients     positive cooperative community-
                                                                                    must be ordered; production needs           building vibes. In fact, you don’t
MERITS OF A KETOGENIC (FAT-BASED) DIET                                              to be planned; equipment must be            have to punch a clock at the Co-op
Location: Lakeview Library
                                                                                    secured, transported, and set up; and       to get a taste of that; all you need to
Tuesday, June 4, 6:00pm–7:00pm
                                                                                    the event must be staffed. Of course,       do is get your $5 Dinner box filled,
Ages: Any; adult supervision required
                                                                                    the staffing might be the easy part,        and rather than walking out the door
Fee: Free; registration required
                                                                                    because so many people who work             with it, park yourself at a table in the
    Until recently, the benefits of a fat-based diet were poorly understood by
                                                                                    here want in. If you were in line last      Commons (or in the warmer months,
most. Katy Wallace, Traditional Naturopath of Human Nature, LLC will pres-
                                                                                    month you may have been served by           the patio) and soak up that energy
ent how a fat-based diet may be key to resolving issues such as weight-loss
                                                                                    the General Manager, the head of Hu-        right then and there. It may get a little
resistance, cognitive decline, insomnia, and blood sugar swings. Learn what to
                                                                                    man Resources, our Finance Director,        crowded, someone’s kid may drive a
expect, how to balance a meal, and how to track your progress. Gluten-free and
                                                                                    the Production Kitchen’s rockstar           fire truck over your foot, and it might
grain-free.
                                                                                    cooks (literally, they’re all in touring    get a little noisy, but that crowd is
                                                                                    metal bands), or any number of other        your neighbors, those children are the
                                                                                    Willy Street Co-op characters who           future of the Co-op community, and
                                                                                    were eager to help out. You see, the        that noise is the music that is made
                                                                                    $5 Dinner is near to the very heart of      when people of good will and warm
                                                                                    what the cooperative movement is all        hearts get together to share a meal
                                                                                    about, and that is something you feel       and conversation.
                                                                                    when you’re on the serving line. It’s a
                                                                                    great feeling.                              JOIN US
                                                                                                                                    If you’ve not been to Willy North
                                                                                    THE NITTY GRITTY                            for the $5 Dinner, I hope you join us
                                                                                        In case you’re not familiar with        for one soon. Community, nutrition,
                                                                                    the $5 Dinner, I’ll fill you in. Every      quality, value, inclusivity, and fel-
                                                                                    third Thursday Willy North hosts            lowship are among the core values of
                                                                                    a special dinner open to all. Follow        the Co-op, and the wider cooperative
                                                                                    the signs in the store to the cashier       movement. Those things don’t hap-
                                                                                    that’s set up just for the event, pay $5,   pen without you, and no matter who
                                                                                    receive a to-go box and join the line.      you are, there will always be a seat
                                                                                    Our staff fills it up with the entree of    for you at Willy Street Co-op’s table.

 8         Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
2019 WILLY STREET CO-OP CUSTOMER SURVEY
We would greatly appreciate it if you would answer the following questions. Every comment is carefully considered and will be used to make your Co-op
even better. The privacy of our Owners is extremely important to us; names and Owner numbers are removed before any examination and analysis of the
results. Please drop your completed survey at the kiosk in any store (near the exit) or mail to Customer Survey, Willy Street Co-op, 1457 E. Washington
Ave., Madison, WI 53703. Please use a ballpoint pen to avoid ink leakage. You can also fill out this survey at willystreet.coop/2019-customer-survey.

Name: ________________________________________________ Owner #: ________________
Phone number*: ________________________________ Email address*: ____________________________
[ ] Check box if you are interested in receiving information from the Co-op about committee openings, focus groups, and other Owner engagement opportunities.
* We will call/email if you win a gift card.
1. How likely are you to promote Willy Street Co-op to your friends, family, or colleagues on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 is most likely and 0 is least likely?

            0                   1                 2               3              4               5                   6             7                8                9               10

2. At which Willy Street Co-op store do you shop most often?                              a. Willy East                  b. Willy West                    c. Willy North

3. What does the term “quality” mean to you? (Please place a checkmark by your top three.)
a. ___ Artisan-made                      d. ___ Flavor                   g. ___ Local                                                      j. ___ Product appearance
b. ___ Expensive                         e. ___ Fresh                    h. ___ Organic                                                    k. ___ Wholesome
c. ___ Fair Trade                        f. ___ A good value             i. ___ Packaging appearance                                       l. Other: ________________

4. On a scale of 0 to 10, please rate Willy Street Co-op’s effectiveness in living up to the qualities mentioned in our Global Ends Policy, where 10 is complete and 0 is none.
a. Cooperative                               0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
b. Just                                      0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
c. Supports a robust local economy           0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
d. Equitable                                 0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
e. Nourishes and enriches our community 0                 1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
f. Nourishes and enriches our environment 0              1             2             3            4           5           6           7            8           9            10
g. Has a culture of respect                  0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
h. Has a culture of generosity               0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10
i. Has a culture of authenticity             0            1            2             3            4           5            6          7            8           9            10

5. What do you think of Co-op prices on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 is extremely affordable and 0 is extremely unaffordable?

            0                   1                 2               3              4               5                   6             7                8                9               10

6. What percent of your total household grocery budget do you spend at Willy Street Co-op?
             a. less than 20%              b. 21–40%              c. 41–60%              d. 61–80%                                       e. more than 80%

7. How often do you shop at Willy Street Co-op?
                a. once a day             b. 2-3 times a week            c. once a week           d. 2-3 times a month              e. once a month             f. a few times a year

8. At what other stores do you shop? (Please place a checkmark by your top two.)
a. ___ Aldi                               g. ___ Fresh Madison Market                                m. ___ Pick n' Save                                s. ___ Walmart
b. ___ Amazon.com                         h. ___ Hy-Vee                                              n. ___ Piggly Wiggly                               t. ___ Whole Foods Market
c. ___ Asian Midway Foods                 i. ___ Jenifer Street Market                               o. ___ Regent Market Co-op                         u. ___ Woodman’s
d. ___ Capitol Centre Market              j. ___ Metcalfe's Market                                   p. ___ Target                                      v. ___ Yue-Wah Oriental Foods
e. ___ Costco                             k. ___ Metro Market                                        q. ___ Trader Joe's                                w. Other: _______________________
f. ___ Festival Foods                     l. ___ Miller & Sons Supermarket                           r. ___ Viet Hoa Market

9. If you could change just one thing about your Co-op, what would it be? ________________________________________________________________________________

10. What else would you like us to know? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And now for some questions about you.
11. How long have you been an Owner of the Co-op?                     a. not an Owner          b. less than a year           c. over one year           d. over five years        e. over 10 years

12. What is your age?               a. Under 18          b.18 to 24      c. 25 to 34        d. 35 to 49        e. 50 to 64         f. 65 and over          h. Prefer not to answer

13. What is your zip code? ______________

14. Including yourself, how many adults live in your household? ______________

15. How many children live in your household? ______________

16. Your ethnicity origin (or Race):
a. American Indian or Alaska Native                   c. Black or African American                   e. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander g. Other
b. Asian                                              d. Hispanic or Latinx                          f. White or Caucasian                        h. Prefer not to answer

17. In 2018, what was your annual household income before taxes?
a. Less than $20,000                      c. $50,000–$79,999                                         e. $100,000–$119,999                               h. $140,000 or more
b. $20,000 to $50,000                     d. $80,000–$99,999                                         f. $120,000–$139,999                               i. Prefer not to answer

        Fill out this survey by May 31st and you could win one of 10 $100 Co-op gift cards!

                                                                                                                 Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019                                             9
STORES CLOSING EARLY - Willy Street Coop
on-the-ground experience would be.
 PRODUCE NEWS                                                                        Many times during the trip, I found
                                                                                     myself wishing that I could somehow
A Tour of a Colombian Fair Trade                                                     have taken all of you, our 35,000
                                                                                     Owners, with me so that we could
Banana Farm                                                                          experience together the importance of
                                                                                     our decisions to purchase Fair Trade
                                                                                     products. By choosing Fair Trade ba-
                                                                                     nanas (and other Fair Trade products),
                                                                                     we are having a real world impact and
                                                                                     empowering farmers and laborers to
                                                                                     lift up themselves, their communi-
                                                                                     ties, and (most powerfully for me as a      Margenis Leon, an employ-
                                                                                     mother of two small kids) the children      ee at La Frontera Farm in
                                                                                     in those communities.                       Apartado, Colombia wash-
                                                                                                                                 ing and sorting bananas for
                                                                                     WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?                         export to the United States.
                                                                                         Fair Trade certifications allow
                                                                                     consumers like you and me to know
                                                                                     that the farmers and workers who             50% of Fairtrade International’s sys-
                                                                                     grow our food are getting a fair deal,       tem and play a strong role in deciding
                                                                                     are treated in a dignified way, and          what the standards will be. Fairtrade
                                                                                     that they are farming in a way that is       International has chapters in countries
                                                                                     not detrimental to natural ecosystems.       around the world—Fairtrade America
                                                                                     In addition, it empowers them to             is the U.S. chapter. It should be noted
                                                                                     improve the quality of life and future       that there are other Fair Trade labels
 With kids at an elementary school near Apartado,                                    prospects for not only themselves, but       that are not associated with Fairtrade
                                                                                     their entire communities.                    International, such as Fair Trade
 Colombia. This school was built with funds from the                                                                              USA, which is a separate entity and
                                                                                         The detailed standards (pages and
 Fairtrade premium in an area that has a high amount of                              pages of them!) for the International        does not follow the international
 poverty and a history of violence.                                                  Fairtrade system are carefully re-           standards.
                                                                                     searched and developed by Fairtrade

                  I
                                                                                     International, headquartered in Bonn,        FAIRTRADE PREMIUM
                        n late March, I     producer co-ops, as well as commu-
                                                                                     Germany. Producers and farm work-               In addition to the minimum price
                        had the op-         nity and infrastructure projects that
                                                                                     ers from around the globe represent          requirement, each box of Fairtrade
                        portunity of a      the workers and producers were able
                        lifetime to be      to fund using the Fairtrade America
                  part of an expedi-        premium (more on that later).
                  tion to Colombia              The organic bananas you will find
                  to tour Fair Trade        at all three of our stores are nearly
                  banana farms, and to      always Fairtrade America-certified.
by                view first-hand the           Though I have been oversee-
Megan             impact that the Fair      ing our produce program for quite
Minnick,          Trade model has on        some time, and I had some idea of
                  banana-producing          the importance of Fair Trade, I was
Purchasing
                  communities. The          not prepared for how powerful this
Director          trip was led by
                  staff from Fairtrade
                  America, and I was
                  joined by produce
managers from two other grocery
co-ops as well as a few staff from the
national organization for grocery co-
ops, National Co-op Grocers (NCG).
    The intent of this trip was to learn
first-hand how Fair Trade works
and the impact it has on farming           Learning about Fairtrade
communities. We visited multiple           banana processing and                      Learning about Fairtrade banana production at Banafru-
Fairtrade America-certified banana         packing at La Frontera Farm                coop near Santa Marta, Colombia. This farm produced the
farms, including plantations and small     in Apartado, Colombia.                     most pounds of bananas per hectare in the world in 2017.

  WHAT ARE THE FAIRTRADE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS?
       The standards laid out by Fairtrade International are specific to each com-     the importance that the farms we visited place on soil health for the long
   modity and growing method (coffee vs bananas - plantations vs small produc-         term sustainability of their farms and also the quality of their bananas. This
   ers), and they are incredibly well researched and documented with the help of       goes beyond the baseline USDA Organic standard, and leaves me wonder-
   various stakeholders, most importantly, producers. You can find all of them at      ing if this care on the part of Fair Trade farmers is what leads to the com-
   the Fairtrade America website www.fairtradeamerica.org. They include:               mon customer comment I hear that our Fair Trade organic bananas taste
   • Minimum Price. For each commodity (including bananas), Fairtrade Inter-           better than other organic bananas. Healthy soil means healthy plants, which
     national publishes a minimum price that must be paid to the producer. This        means better-tasting bananas! When I mentioned to several banana farmers
     price varies by country, and is essentially meant as a safety net to ensure       that our customers believe that Fair Trade tastes better, they didn’t seem
     that the producer is not paid less than their cost of production.                 surprised at all—this is their experience as well and they are proud of the
   • Environmental Standards. There is a rigorous environmental / sustain-             quality of the fruit they grow!
     ability component to the Fairtrade International certification. This includes   • Working Conditions. Another important part of the Fairtrade International
     mandating that farmers preserve and nurture their soils and natural ecosys-       standards regards working conditions. This includes a prohibition on child
     tems, that they reduce their use of greenhouse gases, and that they refrain       labor and forced labor, an emphasis on gender equality, the right of work-
     from using certain toxic chemicals.                                               ers to associate, and occupational health and safety requirements such as
          Because our Fair Trade bananas are also USDA Certified Organic,              adequate toilet facilities, access to clean drinking water, and protective gear
     some of these standards are somewhat redundant; however, I was struck by          for staff doing hazardous work.

 10      Willy Street Co-op Reader, MAY 2019
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