|  Looking for fair trade made toys? How about organic cotton clothing? Wholesome children’s books? Or BPA-free bottles and nursing accessories?
Find all these and more in the Co-op’s Mercantile loft,where the perfect gift for the little ones on your list is just a shopping visit away!  Visit today and browse our selection of cool,safe and healthy children’s gifts,including:
Yellow Label Fair Trade Knit Toys –fun and functional fair trade toys for babies and young children made by Yellow Label Kids,a member of the Fair Trade Association to ensure a living wage for artisan workers abroad. Under the Nile Organic Cotton –clothing,bibs and accessories made with 100% organic Egyptian cotton. Super soft,stylish and safe!  New yumminess from Theo:Salted Toffee Milk Chocolate Theo Chocolate is a rare breed of American chocolate factory. The company creates certified organic,fair trade,gluten free chocolate nearly from scratch:roasting,milling and conching cacao beans into yummy chocolate at their headquarters in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Look for an extraordinary range of flavors,including Salted Almond,Coconut Curry and Spicy Chile. Be sure to check out their holiday line and seasonal flavors such as Salted Toffee Milk Chocolate,Gingerbread Spice and Peppermint Stick. Stock up on local Theo chocolate –an incredible variety of bars and their ridiculously tasty organic Sipping Chocolate are now on sale! And why not kick start your day with chocolate…for breakfast. Here’s a quick and easy recipe for a breakfast that’s packed with naturally occuring potassium,iron, fiber and caffeine. I like to use the newest holiday flavor:Salted Toffee Milk Chocolate –it’s a dark 62% cocoa bar. Chocolate Banana Breakfast Sandwich Read more Organic Local Chocolate On Sale and for Breakfast …  All hail chocolate! For those of us who missed celebrating the actual Chocolate Day this past Sunday,October 28th –today is a great opportunity to do so! Indulge your love for chocolate with elegant and nutritious bars and nearly endless flavor combinations. With so many wonderful chocolates on sale here at the Co-op,there’s bound to be something for every mood and personality. Our vast and thoughtful chocolate selection includes many wonderful organic and fair trade options. A few recommendations to stoke the fire of your love for chocolate:Read more Happy Belated Chocolate Day! …  Tuesdays in October are movie nights on the 3rd floor. October is “Everything Month”–the month when we talk Ethics and Politics in our food and shopping choices. We’ve lined up the Globalization Trilogy from Teddy Bear Films to help highlight WHY we need to keep talking about the consequences of globalization.
12 years in the making,the Globalization Trilogy features memorable characters,compelling stories and stunning cinematography. The films have enjoyed wide distribution in the U.S. and abroad, both on television and theatrically, winning 18 international awards,airing on over 30 channels and screening in more than 100 film festivals. They are often used in schools, and by NGOs and community groups. Each film explores a deeper layer of the production-consumption chain. Store Wars:When Wal-Mart Comes to Town focuses on consumption in the U.S. China Blue investigates the manufacturing of the clothes we all consume. Bitter Seeds looks at the raw materials;it goes to India and follows the farmers growing the cotton exported to China’s garment factories to be used for the clothes sold in the West. We’ll finish up Co-op month with a look at another way of doing business:the brand new documentary Shift Change,which looks at employee-owned cooperatives around the world. The film’co-producer,Tony Harrah,will join us for some discussion after the film. October movies (and popcorn!) are free and there will be time for Q&A after each film.  Where did your banana come from? The Co-op offers G.R.O.W. bananas from Organics Unlimited,a company founded in 2000 with a commitment to providing quality,organically grown tropical fruit from Mexico and South America.
Founders Mayra and Manuel Velazquez de Leon come from a family of four generations of banana cultivators. Their company closely controls the entire growing,harvesting and distribution process to ensure the bananas meet organic certification requirements at all stages. Organics Unlimited G.R.O.W. bananas meet a number of quality standards including:USDA Organic,BioAgricert/JAS Certification,GlobalGAP Certification,Fair Trade Certified and the G.R.O.W. certification that adds funds to directly improve the lives of local workers. Read more G.R.O.W. Organic Bananas …  The first day of May,also known as May Day,can be a time of multiple meanings. Ancient seasonal festivals such as Celtic Beltane are held in early May to celebrate fertility and the arrival of spring. May Day is also observed by working people throughout the globe as International Workers Day,a perfect time to be mindful of what and how we eat.
This May Day be supportive of the work of passionate farmers and food workers across the world. In keeping with the U.N. International Year of Co-operatives do your part to choose products that are made by worker owned co-ops. A few examples are:bread and bagels from Alvarado Street Bakery,Bob’s Red Mill grains and  baking flours,Equal Exchange organic coffee,tea and chocolates and Once Again Nut Butters. Whenever you buy look for worker supportive labeling,such as “Fair Trade Certified” and “Fair for Life”on raw and processed foods. Read more May Day:Eaters of the World Unite! … 
A documentary on the Dark Side of Chocolate and why Fair Trade matters,plus new threats to the integrity of Fair Trade standards. Please sign the public statement and show your support to re-claim Fair Trade. I have curly hair. We are talking Good Ship Lollipop,Shirley Temple curly hair. My whole life has been spent searching for products that will keep my curls together and the frizz away. Sure I can gloop on some gel,but then it is stiff and hard. I want soft,luxurious  curls. The kind you see in commercials. Well… I have found it. Recently in the HABA Department (Health and Beauty) we received a new product from the Alaffia Company. They have come out with a line of Curly hair products called Beautiful Curls. I took home a sample and watched the package sit there on my bathroom counter. I am often disbelieving in products that say they can tame my mane,as I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars trying not to look like a Cocker Spaniel,but this morning I thought sure what’s one more bad hair day? AMAZING!!! I have soft velvety curls. They are uniformed,and might I say quite pretty. The line is made for curls that run the spectrum from Wavy to Kinky. There are no hard sulfates,mineral oils,synthetic fragrances,no parabens,no animal testing. Alaffia combines Fair trade Shea Butter,Virgin Coconut Oil,Choline (Vit. B) Aloe Vera and Herbal Extracts to make these wondrous products. The line includes Shampoo,Conditioning Treatments and Styling Products. Beautiful Curls can be yours…. AND MINE!!! October is Fair Trade Month and your Co-op has many Fair Trade products on sale. Treat yourself with Organic Fair Trade Coffee,Chocolate,Tea and more.  Fair Trade Products on Sale in October! Look for the Fair Trade label or,to learn more visit these websites: http://www.transfairusa.org/ http://www.fairtradefederation.org/ The purchases we make for everyday products like coffee,chocolate,sugar,fruit,or flowers can have a significant impact on the people who produce them. Too often,these products are grown in ways that are devastating to the environment,and engage in business practices that don’t benefit the communities they employ. When you buy Fair Trade Certified products,you are supporting socially responsible business and environmental practices that can change the lives of thousands of farmers and workers,while helping preserve the land that provides their livelihood. Money spent on Fair Trade products actually gets back to the people who produced them,because at Fair Trade farms the workers receive fair wages,as well as an additional payment or “premium”,which they can invest in projects of their choosing. This premium is used to create real benefits for communities all over the world –things like health care,scholarships,land stewardship programs,and even computer classes. Look for the Fair Trade label or,to learn more visit these websites: http://www.transfairusa.org/ http://www.fairtradefederation.org/  Look for the Fair Trade Certified label on Chocolate,Coffee,Tea,Sugar,and Grains |
Need help finding Gluten-free options? Look for this label in the Store  |
