GM Update - January 2025
Happy New Year!
I want to start by wishing all of our members, shoppers, staff, and community partners a Happy New Year! We are an important part of our community, but only because all of you embrace us and participate in our mission.
2025 – Wow! It always catches me by surprise just how fast time moves along. This month I am celebrating my fifth anniversary as the General Manager of our Co-op. I think, to many, I am still considered the new GM. I understand that notion, especially after forty years of leadership under Todd Wood, but after a solid five years, I don’t think I can be considered the new guy either. It has been a great five years, at that. I’m grateful I was provided the opportunity to lead this organization. My time here started off with the pandemic, clearly the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced in my career. The pandemic reshaped our world, and we are still dealing with many of its repercussions. Challenges that were unique to the pandemic have now become the norm. Things like supply chain availability, increased labor cost, and increased food costs were all exaggerated during the pandemic and have become the new space we work within. That said, the sailing is somewhat smoother now, and I look forward to what the future holds for our Co-op.
2025 will bring some changes to our store, more in terms of programs and offerings than the shifts in physical store layout in recent years. Here are a few things you can expect to see in 2025:
We’re working to improve the Co-op Building’s exterior, which will likely entail cleaning our old bricks (not an easy task), refreshing the awnings, and reviewing our signage.
Hot sandwiches! Our Deli will be offering a new lineup of hot sandwiches, made with fresh ingredients by our team at the Makery.
The Deli will also be refining our product mix to give you even more of the foods you’ve been asking for.
Produce will start offering organic, hand cut fruit to provide easy access to the amazing flavors of cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, varietal melons, pineapples, berries, and more.
WIC – late in 2024 we became an approved WIC grocery store. WIC (Women Infants Children) Program falls under the guidance of the USDA and the Washington State Department of Health. WIC provides food benefits, nutritional education support, counseling and programs for pregnant Washingtonians, new breast-feeding moms, parents, and caregivers of children under the age of five. I am proud that our Co-op is now participating in this important program to better serve a vulnerable population of our communities.
WIC participants are able to purchase foods through the program that are deemed beneficial by WIC guidelines. It should be noted that some of the products we are required to carry for WIC certification may not adhere with our product guidelines, and some WIC guidelines may restrict eligibility of some organic brands. So, you might see some products on our shelves that are conventional and unfamiliar to our store, but we believe making this exception improves food access for those in need. Another really cool part about being WIC certified is that we have the opportunity to educate and build awareness around organics and other healthy options to a new group of shoppers.
I want to thank all of the staff involved with making this happen, you took the charge and you delivered!
More amazing news! The United Nation’s General Assembly has proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives. They last did this in 2012 (I was in my last year of my Masters in Cooperative Management at that time) and saw great success in raising awareness of the importance of cooperatives in our world. We look forward to sharing with you throughout the year how co-ops here, there, and everywhere create such a positive impact.
Thanks for being part of our Co-op and for all the support and love you send our way.
Cheers,
Tony
Written by Tony White for the January 2025 edition of the Natural Enquirer.