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.

Welcome! Everyone can shop the Community Food Co-op!
360-734-8158|
  • menu bar three linesMENU
    • Shop Online
    • Hours & Locations
      • Community Food Co-op, Downtown Store, 1220 North Forest Street at Holly StreetDowntown Store
        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
      • Cordata Co-Op exteriorCordata Store
        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
    • In Our Stores
      • Celebrating Our Co-op’s 50th Anniversary
      • Community Rooms
      • Customer Input
      • How to Shop
      • Dirty Dozen / Clean 15
      • Service Desk
      • What’s on Sale?
      • Contact Us
    • Departments
      • Bakery
      • Bulk
      • The Co-op Bakery Cafe
      • Dairy & Refrigerated
      • Deli & Deli To Go
      • Floral & Garden
      • Grocery
      • Meat & Seafood
      • Mercantile
      • Produce
      • Specialty Cheese
      • Wellness
      • Wine, Beer, & Spirits
    • About Us
      • Awards
      • Co-op Blog
      • Magazine & E-news
      • Our History
      • Strategic Plan
      • Sustainability at the Co-op
      • Vision, Mission, and Values
      • Contact Us
    • Community Giving
      • Community Shopping Days
      • Donations & Sponsorships
      • Donate at our Registers
      • Farm Fund
      • The Real Food Show
    • Join Us
      • Become a Co-op Member • Join Today!
      • Board of Directors
      • Employment
      • Local Business Partners
      • Sell to the Co-op
    • Recipes
      • Recipes
      • Cooking Videos
  • What’s on Sale?
  • Bakery Online Orders
  • Shop Online
  • Careers
  • Join Today!
  • Cooking Classes
  • Hours and Locations
You are here: Home / THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE / Local Vendor Profile: Salsa Mama

Local Vendor Profile: Salsa Mama

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

July 2019
photo of nola ovenell the owner of salsa mama next to a mosaic of her company logo

Nola Ovenell may be a familiar face to some Co-op shoppers as she has often sampled her delicious Salsa Mama salsa in our stores. She is proud of her small-batch and preservative-free salsa made with care in her commercial kitchen on her wooded property in Sedro-Woolley.

Nola's son, Ian designed the logo for this family business.

Photo at left courtesy of Salsa Mama, remaining photos by Habiba Sial.

By popular demand:
Salsa from Nola’s family to your family table

It’s funny how seemingly unrelated circumstances can converge to forge a new path in a person’s life. The convergence for Nola Ovenell involved her recovery from cancer and installing a pool at her house.

After getting a clean bill of health 15 years ago, Nola was so thankful that she determined to find work that was purposeful and fun. And, after Nola installed a pool at her house and it quickly became the neighborhood kid hangout, she needed a quick and healthy way to feed a lot of hungry kids.

The answer: salsa. Nola started making big batches of homemade salsa to feed the kids. They loved it and always asked for salsa every time they visited. Eventually, the parents started asking if they could buy her salsa. Soon Nola and her husband, Mike, got busy building a commercial kitchen on their property and Salsa Mama was born.

the business has always been a family project

Nola loves spending her days in her commercial kitchen in the woods, surrounded by the beautiful trees she loves and making healthful preservative-free salsa.

container of medium salsa from salsa mama made in sedro woolley washington

The business has always been a family project. As well as holding down their own outside jobs, Salsa Mama is a steady side gig for Nola’s family.

Husband, Mike, aka “the can man,” handles all of the recycling. Son, Ian, designed the labels when he was in high school and now he runs the website. Daughter, Caitlin, is in charge of labeling with sister-in-law, Debbie Zimmermann, also pitching in. Even Nola’s mother helps in the summer months, when she is visiting from Arizona.

we strive for the best quality we can make and use absolutely no preservatives

Nola said, “I never wanted to be a big conglomerate. I have 14 stores and that’s all I need. We make small-batch salsa. We strive for the best quality we can make and use absolutely no preservatives.”

Nola’s Recipe Tips

For a super simple guacamole-style dip, just mash avocados and mix in a container of salsa—done!

People have also told Nola that her salsa is great for making a flavorful, savory chili. Simply add a container of salsa to your favorite chili ingredients: beans, meat or vegan protein, tomato sauce, veggies, or grains.

Funny Memory

Nola shared this memory from the very early days of her business.

“My first farmers market was a little tiny market at the hospital in Mount Vernon. I got there early and discovered that everyone needed a tent. I ran to the store but realized that the tent I got wasn’t a popup. It had 50 poles! I had poles everywhere! Finally, people must have felt sorry for me. Everyone pitched in and helped. I bought a popup tent before the next market.”

Tweet

GROCERY| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE local| salsa| salsa mama

Categories

  • BAKERY
  • BULK
  • DELI & CATERING
  • EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
  • FARM FUND
  • FLORAL & GARDEN
  • GROCERY
  • HOLIDAY
  • HOT OFF THE PRESS
  • LOCAL
  • MEAT & SEAFOOD
  • NUTRITION
  • PRODUCE
  • RECIPES
  • SALES
  • SPECIALITY DIET
  • SPECIALTY CHEESE
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE
  • UNCATEGORIZED
  • WELLNESS
  • WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS
A Co-op employee decorated Mom cakes.

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Delight the mom in your life with a few of our favorite products for Mother’s Day.  Mother’s Day Bouquets   Fresh flowers brighten Mother’s Day and indicate that spring is here. Our tulips and field daffodils are grown locally in Mount Vernon. We have tulips in a variety of lovely colored [...]

Shop in Bulk and Save

Shopping in bulk is a great way to reduce the carbon-footprint (and the cost) of your grocery haul, but your first foray into the bulk section can be intimidating. We want everyone to feel comfortable and capable in all parts of our store, so we've developed a handy guide to [...]
An easter basket filled with eggs, chocolate, and a stuffed animal.

The Perfect Easter Basket

With Easter just around the corner, many of us are preparing baskets for our loved ones or enjoying a chocolate bunny of our own. Curate a basket by choosing one or two items from each section of this list for a well-rounded Easter gift. The Basket We are proud to [...]

enews-sign-up-image

get connected and save - click here to sign up for our e-news

DOWNTOWN STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 6 pm

CORDATA STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 7 pm

Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok

Machine Readable Files

Copyright © 2023 Community Food Co-op