Community Food Co-op

Voted Bellingham's best grocery store. Full-service deli, hot bar, salad bar featuring organic, local, and natural foods. Everyone can shop, anyone can join. Co+op, stronger together.

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      • Community Food Co-op, Downtown Store, 1220 North Forest Street at Holly StreetDowntown Store
        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
        8 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
      • Cordata Co-Op exteriorCordata Store
        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
        8 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
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Celebrate National Rosé Day

Celebrate National Rosé Day with a few of our favorite rosés. We’ve curated a list of well-priced and great drinking rosés to help you enjoy National Rosé Day.

Rosé is a versatile wine that pairs well with many foods, from charcuterie boards to chicken and fish entrees. And of course, rosé is also a wonderful complement to brunch and afternoon drinking on lovely spring and summer days.

Try a few of our featured rosés, carefully curated by our wine department.

Dyckerhoff Petit Gris Reuilly Rosé

Domaine Dyckerhoff is a winemaker from Reuilly, in the French Loire Valley. The majority of their planting is dedicated to Sauvignon, and complemented by small parcels of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. This wine is pale salmon in color, and has a fruity nose with freshness and flavors of wild strawberries, peach skin, and minerals.

2020 • $6.99

Les Quatre Tours Aix-en-Provence Rosé

Les Quatre Tours Aix-En-Provence Rosé is made with 40% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is a cooperative, with growers committed to sustainability. This rosé is dry and well-balanced, with hints of melon, vanilla bean, lemon, and thimbleberry.

2021 • $13.99

Cadence Coda Rosé 

This rosé is summer in a bottle. It features wonderful pomelo and sugar notes on the nose and strawberries on the palate. The framework is lithe, brightly acidic, low alcohol, and delicious.

2021 • $19.99

Librandi Cirò Rosato

Librandi vineyards dot the countryside of the small town of Cirò Marina, overlooking the Ionian Sea, benefitting from its cool ocean breezes. Cirò Rosato is made from 100% Gaglioppo, Calabria’s signature grape variety, selectively harvested in late September into early October. This delicious rosato is deep coral-pink in color, with delicate red berry, floral, and spicy aromas. It pairs well with cured meats, antipasti, grilled fish, white meats, and mildly spicy dishes.

2021 • $12.99

Elk Cove Estate Pinot Noir Rosé

The Elk Cove Estate Pinot Noir Rosé is pale pink in color, with peach and strawberry cream on the nose. This wine opens with juicy watermelon, garden strawberry, and mango, leading into a lime finish.

2021 • $16.99

HOLIDAY| HOT OFF THE PRESS| SALES| WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS cadence| dyckerhoff| elk cove estate| les quatre tours| librandi| rose| sale| wine

Try These Fun Summer Mocktails

Summer in Bellingham means it's finally time for Covid-safe backyard BBQs and beach days. Step one of a fun party is refreshments, but many people choose to limit or completely omit alcohol. I don't drink much myself, but I adore cocktails. Fortunately, we have a wide selection of fun alcohol-free mixers and bases to delight everyone in your crowd. Each mocktail recipe will also include a spirits option to turn these into full-fledged cocktails.

Bright & Sunny Mule

This one uses a local favorite, Bright & Sunny Ginger Beer. Very refreshing, great for kids too.

  • 7 oz Bright & Sunny Ginger Beer
  • 3 oz Sparkling Water
  • 1 oz Lime Juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 3-4 Fresh Mint Leaves, chopped or torn
  1. Combine Sparkling Water and Lime Juice in a glass or mug
  2. Add most of the mint leaves
  3. Fill cup less than half way with ice
  4. Pour ginger beer over the ice slowly while stirring gently
  5. Top with the remaining mint leaves. Garnish with a lime slice if you're using fresh lime juice

Cocktail: Add Organic Bluewater Vodka

Yakima 75

This take of the French 75 features non-alcoholic Hop Tea, made with Citra hops from Yakima. The white tea gives it a bit of a caffeine kick as well. Be picky with your Elderberry Syrup. Some options include lots of herbal additives that will alter the flavor.

  • 4 oz Hoplark Hop Tea, The Citra Bomb One
  • 0.5 oz Mickelberry Elderberry Honey Tonic or 1 oz Elderberry Syrup
  • 1 oz Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
  1. Combine Elderberry Honey Tonic and Lemon Juice in a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled
  2. Pour into champagne flute or wine glass
  3. Top with Hop Tea. Garnish with a lemon slice if you're using fresh lemon juice

Cocktail: Add Geranium London Dry Gin

Cardamom Paloma

Tepache is a probiotic beverage originating from Mexico, and lends quite a bit to this Paloma. This recipe also features Seattle-based Scrappy's Bitters.

  • 6 oz De La Calle Grapefruit Lime Tepache
  • 2 oz Sparkling Water
  • 1-2 dashes Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters (dash to taste)
  • Coarse Sea Salt
  1. Moisten, then salt the rim of a glass, then add ice
  2. Carefully pour Tepache and Sparkling Water into the glass
  3. Dash in Cardamom Bitters, stirring very gently to mix flavors
  4. Garnish with a lime slice or two, if desired

Cocktail: Add La Gritona Tequila Reposado

(Vir)gin and Tonic

This fairly simple recipe produces some incredible flavors, and all the ingredients originate from Whatcom and Skagit county.

  • 1 oz Neverclear Tonic Concentrate (adjust to taste)
  • 1 oz Lime Juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 8 oz Sparkling Water
  • 1-2 dashes Woodcutters Douglas Fir Bitters (dash to taste)
  1. Combine Neverclear Tonic, Lime Juice, and Douglas Fir Bitters in a shaker, and shake with ice
  2. Pour into a glass, and top with Sparkling Water
  3. Garnish with a lime slice if you're using fresh lime juice

Cocktail: Add OOLA Gin

Do It Yourself

Get creative and make your own mocktail using some of these delicious mixers, or mix and match with the above recipes for your own twist

Apple State Vinegar Shrub

Almost a mocktail all its own. This apple cider vinegar-based concentrate just needs a little soda water for a delicious fizzy tonic. You don't need much, it packs a punch! Made locally right here in Bellingham.

Tres Agaves Organic Mixes

The award-winning Tres Agaves Margarita Mix and Bloody Mary Mix are perfectly balanced and can be enjoyed on their own, but a little Tepache added in can go a long way.

De La Calle Tepache

Tepache is a non-alcoholic beverage made from fermented pineapple rind, then sweetened. We carry a wide variety of styles from Mexico-based De La Calle, and we can't get enough of them. Try the OG Pineapple Spice to start, or toss in some of the Chamoy for a spice kick.

HOT OFF THE PRESS| LOCAL| RECIPES| SPECIALITY DIET| WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS catnip| chamomile| dandelion| gardener| gardening| herbal wellness| herbs| homeopathic medicine| naturopathic medicine| plantain| yarrow

Year-End Note From the Board Chair

happy-new-year

Dear Members,

As we say goodbye to 2021, I want to extend the Board’s appreciation to all Co-op members and shoppers for your ongoing support. This year proved as challenging as 2020. Our Co-op’s leadership demonstrated incredible flexibility to ensure our operational success and serve the community. Our members continued to shop in stores and utilized our touchless curbside pickup. Your presence continues to inspire us to be innovative, provide great customer service, and source healthy, organic products. Our cooperative values would fall short without strong community members like you. As the threats of the pandemic ebb and flow and the whole world adjusts to new dynamics, we celebrate the end of another year with our eyes on the opportunities the new year may bring us. 

Thank you to the Co-op employees who continue to work relentlessly during unprecedented circumstances. They kept the Co-op vibrant, friendly, and safe. We appreciate each and every team member. Thank you for your empathy, patience, and dedication. You have put a smile on my face when I needed it the most.  

This year's end is especially sad as we say goodbye to Adrienne Renz as our General Manager.  Adrienne was the first woman General Manager in our Co-op’s history and her leadership style brought needed creativity to the Co-op at a time of great transition. Under Adrienne’s leadership, the Co-op experienced a positive balance sheet despite a global pandemic, kept employees’ and customers’ health at the forefront of decision-making, and promptly engaged with community organizations to pivot and address changing needs in the community. We want to thank Adrienne for sharing with us her business acumen, deep understanding of the cooperative model, and her passion for the community. 

With Adrienne’s departure, the Board has begun the search process to hire a new General Manager. As we develop and implement the plan for her replacement, we will keep staff and members informed of our process and progress. We also want to thank Jon Edholm who is serving as our interim General Manager and helping us navigate this change.  

Finally, a reminder that we are looking for candidates to join our Board of Directors. If you are interested, or know someone who may, please request a Board packet at either store’s service desk or by emailing the Board Administrator. Applications are due before January 10, 2022.  

Wishing you all the best holiday celebrations,

Ceci Lopez, Board Chair 

SALES| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE Adrienne Renz| board of directors| coop staff| members| New Year| thank you

Celebrating 50 Years of Good. Local. Food.

A version of this article appears in the 2021 issue of the Whatcom County Historical Society journal. Look for the journal at Village Books.

Black and white photo of earlier co-op members sitting in windows of Harris Ave building during fundraiser

Advertising a 1970s fundraising event for the Co-op

Small, Countercultural Beginnings

The Community Food Co-op has its origins in that season of love and change, summer of 1969. Don Alford offered up his tiny little garage and a local food-buying club was born.

This first iteration of the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham only had 10 members, but they worked hard and volunteered their time to source and share a variety of products that were not available in conventional grocery stores of the era: organic raisins, rennetless cheese, and brown rice to name a few.

On the occasion of the co-op’s 25th anniversary, Alford, an active early volunteer, recounted how each week he would drive down to Seattle to pick up a load from wholesalers or Puget Consumers Co-op (now PCC) and drive it back. He explained that the co-op got its produce from California, and reminisced about driving to Oregon to meet the distributor at a truck stop, transferring the goods, and driving home.

For the better part of a year, the club steadily grew as news spread and the demand for natural foods increased membership. During this time, the club hopped between garages, basements, and even a beloved Fairhaven diner, Toad Hall. When the co-op finally opened its doors in the Morgan Block in the heart of Fairhaven in March 1970, membership had grown to 40 strong. That inaugural co-op operated with an all-volunteer staff and boasted just eight items for purchase: cornmeal, bread, honey, flour, rice, rolled wheat, wheat germ, and, of course, granola.

Like many of the co-ops that began in the '70s and gave birth and succor to the natural foods market, the Community Food Co-op owed its auspicious debut and continued success to the boundless energy of those involved. Dedicated volunteer staff kept overhead low and allowed the Co-op to grow its membership alongside its offerings for many years. But twelve long years later, the Co-op outgrew its 900-square-foot home.

Moving from Fairhaven on Harris Ave to downtown on State St in October 1982

Growing Up Without Growing Old

In October 1982, the Co-op moved to a new 5,000-square-foot store located at 1059 N State St. The move ushered in a period of radical growth and change for the Co-op. The very intimate space in Fairhaven, the modest selection of products, and the small but devoted membership there allowed the Co-op to flourish under collective management and with very little in the way of formal structure. By contrast, the larger State St store meant more space to offer a wider array of products and services but demanded full-time attention to run smoothly.

The natural foods industry skyrocketed in the '80s—new products entered the market and found their way to the Co-op’s shelves and new shoppers joined the Co-op membership. The Co-op was able to begin making the pivot from a natural and organic specialty store to a full-service natural food grocery store. During the twelve years the Co-op remained on State St, membership rose from 200 to 3,200. All of this prosperity meant that the Co-op had to professionalize its operations to keep pace, without sacrificing the values and charm that made it unique.

As part of the transition to State St, the Co-op bought its first computer, an Apple IIc, and set up its first official membership system. In 1983, Co-op members elected the first nine-member Board of Directors to give the growing membership a new voice and ensure democratic leadership. That same year, the Co-op adopted its official by-laws, which transparently lay out how the Co-op will govern and conduct itself while serving its membership. The volunteer discount program came to an end in July 1984 as the Co-op made the leap from a volunteer workforce to an entirely paid staff.

A year later, in July 1985, the Co-op Board hired their first General Manager, Jim Ashby. Ashby oversaw the creation of the Co-op deli in 1988 and the first sales of beer, wine, and seafood. In May of 1989, the Co-op’s annual sales reached a new highwater mark of $1.5 million, and the Co-op management recognized that the State St store was growing cramped.

When the Co-op celebrated its 20th anniversary in November 1990, annual sales crested $2.2 million. The Co-op needed another new home. The Co-op leadership decided to buy the 15,000-square-foot Swan Building on N Forest St, home to Swan’s Moving & Storage, in December 1990. In the previous hundred years, the building had housed a car dealership, a city bus depot, and an auto mechanic's shop. The Co-op would try to create the first homey space within its walls.

By all of the conventional metrics, the Co-op was a successful business doing millions of dollars in sales each year. But to local banks, the Co-op was an experimental organization and a dangerous investment. Or so the leadership learned, when they tried to place an offer on the new would-be store. In 1992, a local partnership finally agreed to purchase the building, remodel it, and lease it back to the Co-op for 15 years with the option of extending the lease for an additional 15 years. Co-op members came together and contributed more than $100,000 in loans toward the remodeling project.

Two years later, in May 1994, Karl Meyer—a longtime Co-op member, ardent juggler, and now the Co-op's Community Affairs Coordinator—led a joyous parade of shoppers from the Co-op’s previous location on State St to the opening-day party at the new store at 1220 N Forest St.

illustrate parade to new co-op location

Karl Meyer leading the parade to our current location on N Forest St in May 1994

With a footprint two-thirds larger than that of the State St store, the new store allowed Co-op staff to enlarge the produce department, introduce hundreds of new grocery items, install a meat department, and expand deli offerings. The Co-op was able to serve espresso for the first time. The first full year in the store, sales increased by 60 percent.

new co-op exterior

The Downtown store’s exterior viewed from the South in August 1994

While preparing for the move the year prior, in the spring of '93, the Co-op had legally cemented its status as a Washington not-for-profit. While the Co-op had always been community focused—it is in the name—the Co-op leadership had never enshrined its not-for-profit mission in law.

With a newly clarified vision, the leadership redoubled the Co-op’s commitment to community education. A couple years after the launch of the Forest Street store, the business acquired the small optometry office with which it shared the parking lot, converted the space into the Co-op Connections building, and began the Healthy Connections class series. Over the years, the Connections building has been a widely used resource for members and community groups in need of a free or low-cost meeting space.

The Co-op continued to grow throughout the rest of the 90s—often challenging the confines of the small, southwest-facing parking lot—but that in no way meant that the Co-op lost touch with its funky and rebellious roots. Over a single night in 1996, Bellingham was blanketed in three feet of snow. In a testament to the temerity of Co-op employees and members, the Co-op kept its doors open the following day. Customers snowshoed and cross-country skied to the store to do their shopping. If ever the newest embodiment of the Co-op needed a litmus test of its spiritual connection to its crunchy origins, it would certainly have passed.

Entering a New Age

The Co-op entered the new millennium in style with an expansive remodel. The small awning that had graced the front of the store since 1994 was replaced by the larger entryway shoppers use today, a massive mural depicting the natural splendor of Bellingham went up on the same face of the building, and many more quality of life improvements were made inside. The bulk section upgraded to gravity feeders that allowed stock to be replenished from the top—it was big news. 2000 also saw the formation of the Co-op Farm Fund, which uses donations from the Co-op, the Whatcom Community Foundation, and community members to increase the supply of local, sustainable, and organic food by supporting and establishing projects that strengthen the local farming community.

Downtown Co-op Interior After Summer 2000 Redesign

A peek inside the Downtown store after the June 2000 remodel

By the end of the year 2000, the Co-op had 120 staff members on the payroll and served almost 9,000 members. The number of staff and members had grown threefold over the past decade, with no signs the Co-op was slowing down. By the mid-2000s, the Forest St store was taxed to its limits. There was never enough parking to accommodate the daily flow of members, now totaling 12,000, and the aisles were packed.

Co-op leaders began collecting member input on constructing a second location to ease the strain on the Downtown store and to offer a more convenient place to shop for members from neighboring towns. After copious debate and thoughtful preparation, the Co-op purchased land in the up-and-coming Cordata neighborhood on the north side of Bellingham. The new building would have dozens of solar panels on the roof to sell green energy back to the grid and offset the cost of powering the stores. Co-op leaders broke ground for the new Cordata location in December 2007—just in time for the Great Recession.

groundbreaking for new cordata store

Co-op leaders breaking ground for the new Cordata location in December 2007

In January 2009, the Co-op opened its second location at 315 Westerly Rd. The 17,000-square-foot, LEED certified building would play host to numerous events for the staff and members to get to know their new neighbors. There were summer barbecues on the patio, art shows in the cafe, and live music events in the aisles. By the end of the year, total sales were up 20 percent over the previous year and almost 200 people were employed by the Co-op. Despite the financial hardship many in the country were facing, the first year at Cordata felt promising.

Unfortunately, excitement alone could not sustain sales throughout the rest of the recession. Sales began to slump as the impacts of the recession rippled through the local economy, and the Co-op leadership faced many hard decisions. Despite the adversity of the era, membership continued to steadily grow. When the Co-op celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010, it did so with 17,000 members and a gradually improving financial forecast.

As the economy recovered, certain challenges appeared to be here to stay. Once alone in the natural foods marketing channel, co-ops across the country found themselves the victims of their own success. Co-ops popularized natural foods only to find that conventional grocery retailers were beginning to adopt healthier, local, and organic products and fill their shelves with brands that once set co-ops apart. Competing with bigger stores for fewer shopping dollars, the Co-op needed to redifferentiate itself in the market and return even more value to the community.

The Co-op leadership pooled resources from those lean recession years and expanded once more. In the summer of 2015, the Co-op opened the Holly St building across the street from the Downtown Store. Management intended this newest addition to the Co-op family to be a mixed-use building. 405 E Holly St, once an auto parts outlet, became home to a full production bakery that supplies fresh baked goods to both the Downtown and the Cordata store. Alongside the bakery, the Co-op debuted the Bakery Cafe, which offered a cozy space for customers to meet to enjoy espresso drinks, smoothies, or baked goods while sitting inside or out on the patio. The Healthy Connections building found a larger, more beautiful space next to the bakery with a full kitchen to make hosting cooking classes easier. Clearing its former home made room for a much-needed expansion of the Downtown store parking lot. To this day, the Holly St building also houses the Co-op’s administrative offices, which frees up precious space in the stores.

A Hopeful Future

Like many businesses in Bellingham, the Co-op was beginning to flourish again just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. While the pandemic has transformed the day-to-day at the Co-op quite dramatically in the last couple of years, we are proud of how members and staff have come together to meet the moment in which we find ourselves. Swift action by management stabilized sales after a meteoric rise and steep decline in the early days of the outbreak, and staff have taken on new roles to ensure the safety of everyone in the stores. Despite all that is unprecedented in our time, the Co-op finished out the year of its 50th anniversary pretty strong and with almost 30,000 members.

While it is impossible to foretell what the future holds—in 2022, as much as in 2007—we are hopeful. The Co-op and the world have both changed a lot since 1970, but what made the Co-op successful in the first place has not gone anywhere. We still believe in cooperation, mutual respect, honest information, good food, and running a business that places people over profits. Now financial success allows us to realize our commitments to our community—it is that simple—and we hope to still be serving the community and our members in another 50 years.

GROCERY| SALES| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE 50th anniversary| co-op history| whatcom historical society

What Do These Buzzwords Reveal About My Coffee?

Co-op coffee spread

A lot of words may jump out at you when you walk down the coffee aisle at the Co-op—shade-grown, fair trade, organic, local, and more. But what do they mean in this context? What makes shade-grown coffee desirable? What exactly does “fair trade” require of companies? These are exactly the kinds of questions we want to answer, so you can shop with more confidence.

Shade-grown

To understand why shade-grown coffee is so important, we have to remember that coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Its history spans centuries, continents, and cultures. As Businesswire explains, the global coffee industry was valued at USD 102.15 billion in 2019 and is set to grow a record 6.2% in the next six years. Ensuring that there are 75 million cups of coffee to be consumed around the world each day is a big business and it has dramatic effects on the developing and emerging countries where coffee grows most abundantly.

There are two kinds of coffee beans, robusta and arabica, and two main coffee cultivation systems, sun-grown and shade-grown. Arabica loves the shade and robusta needs the sun. That means that if you are drinking coffee made from arabica beans, you are most likely drinking shade-grown coffee—whether it is advertised that way or not. 

Coffee plants naturally grow under the shade of a full forest canopy. Until the 1970s, cultivators largely let coffee grow as part of this larger ecosystem. 

Shade-grown coffee plants

Coffee plants in Colombia growing under the shade of banana trees.

Out of the desire to decrease growing times and increase yields and profits, coffee producers began clearcutting for coffee plantations and growing coffee plants in neat rows in direct sun. In this quest, the sun-grown coffee industry deforested 2.5 million acres in Central America. Many organisms experience habitat loss due to widespread deforestation (especially migratory birds), but deforestation also contaminates waterways and expedites natural soil erosion.

sun-grown coffee plantation

A sun-grown coffee plantation

Absent the natural protection of the canopy and the diversity of life teeming underneath, farmers must introduce chemical pesticides and fertilizers to ward off plant disease and create growing conditions. Relying on these chemicals damages the soil, contaminates the groundwater, and causes illness in exposed humans and animals. The robusta beans that are cultivated in this way are also lower quality than their shade-grown, arabica counterparts. Exposure to full sun stresses these already vulnerable monocrops, and the faster growing times that makes robusta beans easier to produce is a double-edged sword. Because the beans grow faster in the sun, they also don’t develop the density and complexity that characterize arabica beans, which grow more slowly at higher elevations and in cooler temperatures. 

Increasingly farmers are returning to traditional, shade-grown farming methods, because beans cultivated in that manner can be sold for higher prices to more discerning buyers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that coffee plantations are a thing of the past. Of the coffee sold in stores in the US, 75% is still made from sun-grown beans, and the US leads the world in global coffee consumption. 

One of the most important choices you can make as a conscious consumer in the coffee aisle is to select brands that only roast shade-grown beans. By doing so, you are protecting the people and the planet that make your coffee possible and you’re getting a tastier cup of coffee along the way. 

Fair trade

In addition to looking for signs that your coffee is shade-grown, you should also scope out fair trade certified products when you shop. Corporate greenwashing trends have made it really hard for consumers to trust “fair trade” labels. At the Co-op, we take out the guesswork. You can expect to see this logo on coffee packaging: 

fair trade certified seal

The fair trade certified seal means that the coffee producer was held to the most rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards. The coffee you are about to drink was cultivated under safe working conditions that protected the environment and the beans were sold for a fair price that allows their farmer to sustain a livelihood.

Organic

Not all fair trade certified products are organic and neither are all shade-grown beans. To ensure that the coffee you drink is the best possible for your body, the environment, and the workers who cultivated the beans, you should choose a coffee that is organic as well as shade-grown and fair trade certified. 

At the Co-op, you can expect to see the USDA Organic seal all around our store, including on our coffee. The United States Department of Agriculture sets the national standard for organics and conducts thorough inspections of all the products it certifies. USDA certified organic coffee beans cannot be grown with the aid of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetic engineering or in soil that has been contaminated by chemicals in the last three years. USDA Organic is the gold standard certification, in part, because the USDA has strict regulations that govern the whole life cycle of the bean. There are rules for how beans must be transported, roasted, and packaged to prevent contamination from certain cleaners and conventional products.

USDA certified organic seal

Local

Want to go the extra mile for sustainability? Choose coffee from a local roaster. Buying locally means that you can support your neighbors, keep more of your shopping dollars in the local economy, and reduce the carbon footprint of the products you buy. What’s not to love?

Ready to shop? Browse our selection of shade-grown, fair trade, organic, and local coffees online here.

BULK| GROCERY| SUSTAINABILITY coffee| fair trade| organic| shade-grown| sustainability

Vendor Profile: Wild Carrot Herbals

Northeast-Oregon-Landscape

A view of the natural diversity and abundance the Northeast Oregon landscape has to offer

Founded in 2000, Wild Carrot Herbals is a Northeast Oregon-based, woman-owned skincare company nestled in the heart of historic downtown Enterprise. Owner and formulator Jody Berry takes place seriously. She began her career as an organic farmer and fell in love with medicinal herbs in college. As a fifth generation Oregonian, she wanted to create a plant-based skincare line that made use of all of the magical abundance Oregon has to offer. Twenty-one years later, the team at Wild Carrot handcrafts over fifty different botanical skincare products and bottles, boxes, and ships them all onsite.

Wild-Carrot-Bottling-Operation

A member of the team bottles Sore Muscle Salvation.

Wildcrafted and locally-sourced yarrow, calendula, lavender, rose, and St. John’s wort brings Berry’s creams, salves, oils, and mists to life—and are what sets them apart from the competition. She works with organic farmers in her own community to gather the plants she needs for her creations. Then she uses whole plants, not just isolates or active ingredients, to produce a natural skincare line that is entirely free of gluten, GMOs, parabens, or phthalates to ensure your body is nourished by all of the good stuff with none of the waste.

Harvested-Lavender-From-Ruby-Peak-Farms

Jody helps harvest her own lavender along with her friends at Ruby Peak Farms.

For Berry, it isn’t enough to just ethically and sustainably source her ingredients. She is also committed to using the best materials to package and ship her products. The team at Wild Carrot packages every skincare item in recyclable glass supplied by a family-owned business. Each of their jar lids is made from 100% recyclable metal manufactured in the USA. Their product labels are made from ground stone and require no water to manufacture or plastic coating to protect them from oil. Berry boxes her products in FSC-certified paper produced at the mill up the road from her business, so she can support a small family timber operation that uses sustainable logging methods. She even ships her wares in paper packaging to avoid ever using plastic or styrofoam.

Wild-Rose-Hydrating-Eye-Cream-pictured-with-wild-roses

Sustainably packaged Wild Rose Hydrating Eye Cream pictured with the wild roses that make its creation possible.

Wild Carrot’s local ingredients and sustainable practices are certainly wild, but it’s a safe bet to trust them with the health of your skin. Find all of the Wild Carrot products we love on our shelves or online.

Wild-Carrot-Team-Photo

Jody (second from left) and her team at Wild Carrot.

SUSTAINABILITY| WELLNESS oregon| skincare| sustainability| vendor

Roasted Chicken on Baked Rice With Tomato, Cumin, and Bay Leaves

This flavorful recipe from goodfood serves 4–6 and is delicious even if you skip the brine when you are short on time. 

Ingredients: 

  • 3 tbsp fine salt
  • 2½–3 lb whole roasting chicken
  • 1½ cups basmati rice
  • 10½ tbsp salted butter (about 1¼ sticks)
  • 1 large white onion, sliced into half moons
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • Salt flakes, as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • ½ lemon

Method: 

  1. Combine the salt with 5–6 cups of cold water until the salt dissolves, and submerge the chicken in it. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, then remove the bird, drain, and dry with paper towel.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the rice in a deep-sided enamel baking tray or ovenproof ceramic dish about 8 x 12 inches.
  3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, breast-side down, and sear for about 5 minutes to brown, then rotate the bird to sear it on all sides.
  4. Add the onion, garlic, and cumin to the pan and cook until softened and lightly colored, about 6 minutes. Don't allow the pan to get too hot—you don't want to burn the butter.
  5. Once the onion and garlic are a little golden, position the bird in the rice, breast-side up. Season the onion generously with salt and pepper, then spread out on top of the rice, spooning any remaining butter over the chicken. Season the bird well with pepper.
  6. Return the pan to the heat and add the stock. Bring to a simmer and swirl to deglaze, then pour over the rice and add the cherry tomatoes. Push two bay leaves into the rice and stuff the third into the cavity of the chicken. Squeeze the lemon's juice into the rice, then add the squeezed lemon to the cavity. Cover with baking paper, then foil, and roast for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 25 minutes, until golden.
  7. Rest the chicken for 5–10 minutes before carving it in the dish so that the rice catches all the chicken juices. Serve with a leafy salad and either yogurt flavored with mint and garlic or your favorite spicy sauce.

GROCERY| MEAT & SEAFOOD| PRODUCE| RECIPES fresh deals| recipe| whole fryer

Our Guide to Holiday Turkeys Available at the Co-op

Tukey is the centerpiece and superstar of your Thanksgiving, and choosing the right turkey is important for your meal’s success. With so many types of turkey to choose from, determining the right one can be stressful and confusing. Let the Co-op help with our easy guide to the types of Thanksgiving turkeys we have available for sale. 

All the turkeys available for purchase at the Co-op are from Mary’s Turkeys. Mary’s Turkeys is a third-generation family owned and operated farm focused on the animal husbandry and welfare of birds raised for consumption. We have three fresh, never-frozen turkeys to choose from for your Thanksgiving dinner: natural, organic, and heritage.   

What is the difference between natural, organic, and heritage turkeys from Mary’s available at the Co-op? 

Mary’s Non-GMO Natural Turkey 

Mary's Non-GMO Natural Turkeys are raised on healthful grains and allowed to free range on the farm. Their high-protein diet provides the optimal amount of nutrients for the turkey to grow.  Mary’s Non-GMO Natural Turkeys are free of antibiotics, animal byproducts, hormones, preservatives, and additives. These fresh, never-frozen turkeys are a flavorful and beautiful centerpiece for your holiday table.   

Mary’s Organic Turkey 

Mary’s Organic Turkeys are fed a premium diet of USDA certified organic ingredients and are free of antibiotics, animal byproducts, hormones, preservatives, and additives. Certified organic turkeys easily roast for delectable moist dark and light meat. Organic turkeys are always delicious and cook lovely mild meat.  

Mary’s Heritage Turkey

Mary's Heritage turkeys resemble the first breed of turkeys that existed in the United States.  They breed naturally as they run and fly on the farm. Their increased level of activity results in larger thigh meat and slightly less breast meat than is found on a typical turkey. All of these traits, along with an air chilling packing process, result in a superior tasting turkey that cooks faster than other birds. Heritage turkeys are free of antibiotics, animal byproducts, hormones, preservatives, and additives. Heritage turkeys have a rich, satisfying taste, and tender, moist meat. If you prefer dark meat, you will love the flavor of a heritage turkey.

SALES free range| Heritage| holiday| Mary's Turkey| non-gmo| organic| thanksgiving| turkey

A Guide to Fall Apples

baking-with-apples-scene

A guide to fall apples will help you navigate the colorful and delicious assortment of apples we have to choose from.

Baking is just one way to make use of the bounty of fall apples we enjoy.

Selecting the right apples for your needs can be overwhelming; the produce department is practically overflowing with intriguing, new apples this time of year. Use this helpful guide to fall apples to learn about some of the common varieties you’ll love, so you can bake, snack, and sauce with confidence.

Looking for more apples to taste test? The Co-op also stocks a wide array of heirloom apples, apples that can be traced back decades to varieties grown before World War II, the advent of large commercial farming, and the introduction of pesticides.

Ready to dive in? Check out numerous creative apple recipes from our Co-op friends.

Braeburn

Everything in perfect balance: Sweet, not sugary. Crisp, never hard. Stays firm when baking. Just a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon, like an impeccably spiced cider. For the best Braeburn, look for a yellow base, a pink to red blush, and red stripes.

Best uses: baking, snacking, salads, and sauces

Fuji

Ultra sweet. Flavor forward. Refreshingly juicy. The Fuji, named for its hometown of Fujisaki, Japan, is world famous for its sweetness. A lovely light rose or a rich crimson, Fujis always have a pretty pink flush.

Best uses: baking, snacking, freezing, salads, sauces, and beverages

Gala

Wildly popular? Yes. Easy to love? Absolutely. Bite into mildly sweet flavors with a hint of vanilla. For a mellow, easy-eating apple, you’re in the right spot. Look for pink-orange stripes atop a yellow glow for a reliable, easy-going apple.

Best uses: baking, snacking, salads, sauces, and beverages

Granny Smith

Pucker up, tart apple lovers. Beyond the iconic light-green skin of this apple awaits a lemon-like acidity with just enough sweetness. Discovered by none other than Granny Smith on her farm in Australia.

Best uses: baking, snacking, freezing, salads, sauces, and beverages

Honeycrisp

Crisp and distinctly sweet—the name really says it all. This popular, versatile apple can truly do no wrong. The best Honeycrisp apples are yellow with a red blush covering the whole fruit.

Best uses: baking, snacking, freezing, salads, sauces, and beverages

Jonagold

Big size, giant taste. This tangy-sweet cruncher has a honey-like scent, starts sweet and ends tangy. Behind the red-flushed yellow skin, it’s light, crisp, and extremely juicy.

Best uses: baking, snacking, salads, sauces, and beverages

Mountain Rose

Yellow to green, covered with a pink blush, and speckled with faint white lenticels, the Mountain Rose's easy-bruising exterior hints at the colorful surprise stored inside. Bright pink to red flesh remains vivid even when cooked and balances acidity and sweetness while displaying notes of strawberry, citrus, and cotton candy.

Best uses: baking, snacking, salads, and sauces

Opal

No tan lines here—this sunny, bright gold apple naturally never browns. Cut into slices, Opals stay crisp and white for hours, as appealingly juicy and crisp when you cut them as in the lunchbox hours later. Famously the first apple to verified by the Non-GMO Project.

Best uses: baking, snacking, freezing, salads, sauces, and beverages

Information courtesy of the Washington Apple Commission.

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HOT OFF THE PRESS| PRODUCE| RECIPES apples| braeburn| fall| fuji| gala| granny smith| honeycrisp| jonagold| mountain rose| opal| recipes

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

wine bottle and present wrapped in red satin ribbon

Here are a few of our favorite Valentine's Day products for the sweet people in your life.

red-heart-pillar-geranium-votive-in-glass-yellow-carved-pillar

Beeswax Candles

Give the gift of the warmth and health of the hive with this great selection of natural beeswax candles made especially for Valentine’s Day from Big Dipper Wax Works. Choose from aromatherapy sprays and a wide selection of candles shaped and scented for Valentine’s Day.   

Tulip Bouquets

Tulips brighten your Valentine’s Day and indicate that spring is near. Our tulips are grown locally in Mount Vernon and are available in a variety of lovely colored 5-stem bouquets.

valentine's day tulips in stone vase with wrapped present and wooden sign
foam bath packs on tub tray with lavender sprig and bubbles

Foaming Baths

Calm the senses, leave your skin silky smooth, and balance your spirit with Aura Cacia aromatherapy foaming bath products in fragrances such as relaxing lavender, sweet orange, or meditating cedarwood. Aura Cacia products feature nourishing jojoba oil, soothing coconut oil, and essential oils.

Delicious Co-op Valentine’s Day Treats 

Finish your Valentine’s Day meal with our housemade bakery items. These specialty items are only available for a limited time around Valentine’s Day and frequently sell out. 

Bleeding Heart

The Bleeding Heart is a moist chocolate cake with a tart raspberry filling covered in a dark chocolate ganache. This vegan cake is sold in a serving for two to end your Valentine’s Day meal on a sweet note.

Vegan Bleeding Heart Valentine's Day Dessert
gluten-free storm cloud cake from the coop bakery is layers of chocolate cake layered with raspberry filling and vanilla whipped creama

Storm Cloud Cake

Our favorite gluten-free chocolate cake gets some raspberry love for Valentine’s Day. The gluten-free chocolate cake is filled and topped with raspberry and finished with a creamy mascarpone frosting.

Raspberry Cream Roll

This light, airy cake is rolled with a fresh raspberry filling and frosted with a sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting. And, it’s gluten free! This popular dessert is a delicious way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

gluten-free-raspberry-cream-roll
conventional-heart-shaped-chocolate-cake

I Heart Chocolate Cake & You

For the chocolate lover in your life, we have a heart-shaped chocolate cake. Our dark chocolate cake is frosted with dark chocolate ganache and decorated for Valentine’s Day with buttercream accents.

The Co-op’s wine manager has selected some special bottles of bubbly to cheer your Valentine. If sparkling wine isn’t for you, we are featuring the Floating Rock Zinfandel from Washington and locally crafted Honey Moon’s Raspberry Mead. Honey Moon’s Raspberry Mead is a blend of mead from blackberry honey and raspberry wine both produced in Whatcom County. It has distinct berry aromas and a tart finish and is especially good paired with cheeses and desserts.

Valdo Prosecco Brut Rosé

The Valdo rosé is a perfect combination of barely off-dry and creamy in the mouth with enticing suggestions of Pink Lady apple, rose hip, salmonberry, Rainier cherry, and kiwi.

rose in champagne flutes with pink roses and wrapped present
sparkling wine table setting, with candles, raspberries, and chocolate cake

Canals & Nubiola Brut Cava

This succulent sparkler is medium-bodied, crisp, and clean. If you are looking for a fun Valentine's Day cocktail try this Cava in a French 75.

French 75 Cocktail Recipe

French 75 Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Aloo Gin
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice  
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
    • In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves.
  • Ice
  • 4 ounces chilled Canals & Nubiola Brut Cava 

In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled flute and top with the cava.

BAKERY| FLORAL & GARDEN| HOLIDAY| RECIPES| WELLNESS| WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS cocktail| dessert| recipe| valentine's day| wine

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Online Bakery Ordering, click here to order

Online Bakery Ordering

Order cakes, cupcakes, and more online from the Co-op bakery and choose to pick up your order at either of our stores.

chocolate and raspberry bleeding hearts dessert

Made with Love in the Co-op Bakery

The bakery team makes every recipe by hand—cracking every egg and decorating every item to make each treat as beautiful as it is delicious. Our selection of Valentine’s Day treats has something for everyone.

valentines day cupcakes raspberry pastry pink heart cake chocolate cupcakes bakery

Baked from Scratch with a Dash of Whimsy

The Co-op Bakery is ready to delight with traditional bakery treats, beautiful custom creations, and heavenly tasting allergen-free sweets and savories. Our talented bakers love a challenge, so dream big!

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