Community Food Co-op

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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
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        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
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You are here: Home / Archives for sustainability

Earth Day at the Co-op

At the Co-op, it's Earth Day Every Day. Sustainability is part of our quadruple bottom line and we're happy to be a model for sustainable business in our community. If you're interested in leaning in and finding ways to be easier on the Earth as a shopper, individual, and community member, check out our recommendations below.

SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING AT THE CO-OP

bulk section grocery items in glass jars

Our annual bulk sale is coming up next week and shopping in bulk is an awesome way to reduce the carbon-footprint (and the cost) of your grocery haul. Your first foray into the bulk section can be intimidating, but never fear, once you've gotten the process down you'll be coming back for bulk goods again and again. Check out this Instagram Reel we made on how to shop in bulk if you're unsure.

Remember, bulk goods aren't limited to nuts and granolas alone! The Co-op carries a huge assortment of bulk goods such as gluten-free pastas, soup mixes, candy, alternative flours for baking, dried seaweeds, teas, spices, and much more. You can also find liquid bulk goods such as cooking oils, honey, vinegars, and aminos.

Buying from the bulk department reduces the waste created by items packaged in small quantities. Without the need to manufacture packaging and send items through a packaging process, wholesalers can provide us bulk goods at a far lesser cost, and that savings is passed along to you!

You can bring your own containers to the bulk department, buy one of ours, or grab a one-time-use compostable bag.

SUSTAINABLE SWAPS AT HOME

If everybody swapped wasteful daily-use items for more sustainable alternatives, the impact would be HUGE. The Co-op's mercantile and wellness departments are chock-full of sustainable versions of items you use on the daily. Here are some of our faves!

DID YOU KNOW: Metal and glass can be recycled over and over again forever. Paper products can be recycled about seven times until they become too broken down to recycle further, but you can't really recycle plastic. In fact, only 9% of plastic ever created has been recycled. That's because plastic is incredibly complicated and expensive to recycle. Most businesses and recyclers do not consider it worth it, financially or environmentally, to attempt to recycle it. As a result, most is incinerated which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions OR it is left in landfills where it takes up to 500 years to break down and will never decompose entirely. Learn more about this by listening to How to Save a Planet podcast: Recycling! Is it BS?.

mineral sunscreen in a sustainable metal tin

Badger SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen

Badger Balm brings us a reef-friendly, water-resistant mineral sunscreen in a nifty tin! When your sunscreen is gone, you can reuse the tin or pop it into the recycling bin.

Reuse Idea: This tin is great for carrying jewelry, vitamins and supplements, or small snacks when traveling.

Island Thyme Deodorant 

Deodorant has historically been a plastic-intensive product—but no longer! Local company Island Thyme makes all-natural deodorant with ultra-gentle ingredients that come in a biodegradable paper tube.

sustainable paper tube natural deodorant
sustainable shampoo bars

Moon Valley Organics Shampoo Bars

When it comes to shampoo, it can feel like you have no choice but to buy a plastic bottle. Luckily, many brands are on a mission to change that by offering no-waste shampoo bars. We carry a few different bars at the Co-op, but we especially love these local Moon Valley Organics bars. They smell amazing and they're made with soothing herbs grown right here in Whatcom County.

Bulk Wellness Items

Bulk goes beyond food at the Co-op! Our bulk wellness section offers hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, body wash, lotion, beeswax, and more. You can find all the same brands you love, such as Dr. Bronner's, Alba, E.O., and Moon Valley Organics. Bring an empty container from home to fill up or purchase a container from us.

bulk liquid soaps

SUSTAINABILITY AROUND TOWN

Getting rid of items that have minor imperfections can encourage us to buy more—often unnecessary—things. Instead of throwing something out when there's a minor rip or tear, take a mending class at the Ragfinery to give you and your family's garments more longevity.

Bike often? Sign up for Whatcom County Smart Trips to reap rewards from your sustainable commute—including 10% off an item of your choice at the Co-op!

Shop Secondhand: Bellingham has myriad options for finding unique secondhand items! Hit up Y's Buys for secondhand fashions—all proceeds go to the YWCA! Check out Penny Lane Antique Mall for one-of-a-kind vintage and contemporary home decor, and Henderson Books downtown is an oasis of secondhand literature. You could spend endless days there and never see it all!

BULK| HOT OFF THE PRESS| LOCAL| SUSTAINABILITY| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE| WELLNESS climate change| earth day| earth-friendly| natural beauty| natural products| plastic| recycling| reef-safe| sustainability| sustainable products| wellness

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

Buy Bulk, Save Money, and Reduce Waste

bulk grocery foods noodles beans popcorn pretzels cinnamon sticks pistachions pencils vegetable oil jars granola raisins

As shoppers become increasingly waste-conscious, buying from the bulk section becomes more popular every year

Welcome to the Bulk Department

The bulk department is all about saving money, reducing waste, and being better stewards of our environment.

The Co-op takes our commitment to sustainability seriously. To ensure we are upholding our commitment we publish an annual report with the Sustainable Food Trade Association. The report, which is available on our website, includes measurable results toward achieving our sustainability goals and helps us learn where we are succeeding and areas in which we can improve.

Co-op shoppers embrace sustainability through enthusiasm for purchasing bulk goods

One of the simplest ways Co-op shoppers embrace sustainability is through enthusiasm for purchasing bulk goods.

Reasons to Buy Bulk

Buying bulk saves money. Bulk foods bypass the extra expenses inherent in individually packaged products. Packaging design, manufacturing, shipping, and production costs are eliminated when foods are shipped in plain, large- quantity containers, and those savings are passed along directly to the consumer.

Buying bulk reduces packaging waste. Bulk quantities eliminate the need for individually packaged items thereby saving an immense quantity of bottles, jars, cans, and paperboard.

Buying bulk reduces food waste. Buy only as much of any product as needed, from one teaspoon of spice up to a 50-pound bag of oats.

Buying bulk increases product freshness. Co-op bulk departments are extremely popular, thereby ensuring product turnover is rapid. Bulk containers are refilled throughout the day simply to keep up with shopper demand.

Bulk Department Selection

The Co-op offers products in our bulk department that can’t be found just anywhere!

Beyond the typical dry goods—flours, rice, grains, pasta, and nuts—the Co-op bulk department also carries bulk honey, tamari, oils, vinegars, maple syrup, agave, nut butters, loose leaf teas, various dried seaweeds, soup mixes, and plenty of tasty snack items like coconut date rolls, cheddar cheese sesame sticks, and dried mango slices.

In the wellness and mercantile departments, you can find bulk cleaning products, laundry detergent, shampoos, lotions, and liquid and bar soaps.

Come explore our bulk selection—you might be pleasantly surprised! If you’re looking for a hard-to-find ingredient, need a little something extra to flavor a dish, want to try a new spice to expand your culinary repertoire, or you just need some shampoo, the bulk section will almost certainly have something for you!

If you can’t find what you’re looking for—please ask!

We love to answer questions about bulk foods and products. If we don’t know the answer to your question we’ll always go out of our way to find an answer for you.

photo of bulk grains, nuts, spices, bar soap in various jars and containers
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BULK| SUSTAINABILITY| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE bulk| earth day| reduce waste| save money| sustainability

Recycling Tips From Your Co-op

by Melissa Elkins, Sustainability Coordinator

April 2021
colorful illustration of earth that says celebrate earth day on april 22

In honor of Earth Day, we are sharing recycling tips from your co-op.

It's important to us to share the best way for you to responsibly dispose of the items you purchase at our stores, so you can reduce the waste stream at your home.

Learn more about Sanitary Service Company's curbside recycling and FoodPlus! collection.

Learn more about sustainability at the Co-op.

The Community Food Co-op is an industry leader when it comes to waste diversion. We recycle, compost, donate, or reuse over 90 percent of what the grocery industry considers waste, which qualifies us a Zero Waste business. We even started recycling old membership cards and gift cards when you turn them in!

We recycle, compost, donate, or reuse over 90 percent of what the grocery industry considers waste

We are also committed to helping you reduce, reuse, and recycle at home. To that end, we strive to offer our housemade bakery and deli items in packaging that is either recyclable or commercially compostable.

Below is a quick guide on how best to dispose of the goodies you bring home from the Co-op.

Plus a few recycling opportunities in our stores for household materials that aren’t collected curbside.

Fun fact: In response to a shopper’s suggestion, we recently started collecting manual toothbrushes and empty toothpaste tubes for recycling. That’s just part of The Co-op Difference!

We love how our Co-op community pushes us to continue improving the services we provide.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Co-op items recyclable in your blue curbside recycling bin:*

photo of plastic takeout deli containers that can be recycled curbside

Co-op items recyclable in blue curbside recycling bin:*

  • All two-piece plastic deli and bakery containers, rinsed
  • Clamshell containers, rinsed and lids separated from base
  • Plastic sample cups
  • Plastic cold beverage cups (in September 2019 the Co-op started offering plastic cups only by request)
  • Glass jars and lids
  • Take-and-Bake entrée packaging

*Similar items from other businesses may not be recyclable or compostable.

Co-op items compostable in your curbside FoodPlus! toter:*

  • All Co+op branded paper-based packaging,including shopping bags
  • Coffee bags (marked compostable, with tie removed)
  • Coffee and soup cup lids
  • Straws
  • To-go utensils
  • Freezer paper (for items ordered from the meat case)
  • Gift card sleeves

*Similar items from other businesses may not be recyclable or compostable.

Co-op items destined for the landfill:

photo of items from the co-op that need to be throw away as garbage
  • Foam trays from the meat department
  • To-go coffee box (the outer box can be recycled with cardboard, but the foil packet inside must go to the landfill)
  • Various foil and plastic film wrapping (mostly used for grab-and-go sandwiches)
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SUSTAINABILITY| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE compost| curbside| foodplus| recycle| sustainability

Your #PlasticFree Body Care Routine

plastic free bath and body products on a white canvas backdrop

Tis the season to say bye bye to plastic waste! Swapping a couple daily use items for plastic-free alternatives can make a big impact—just imagine what happens if millions of people opt to ditch one plastic bottle. That's millions of plastic bottles kept out of our environment.

If you're interested making the switch to plastic-free (or less plastic-full) body care, the Co-op wellness department has you covered! We're highlighting 12 products to carry you through a sustainable daily routine.

Moonflower Botanicals Bar Soap

Sam's palm-free bar soaps are handmade right here in Bellingham, Washington! Sam uses flowers from her garden to infuse herbal goodness into the soaps she makes. All bars create a rich lather and are packaging and palm-oil free!

moonflower botanicals bar soap on the shelf at the co-op
plastic free shampoo and conditioner bars for itchy scalps

HiBar Shampoo & Conditioner Bars

HiBar was born of the belief that salon-quality haircare should come without a polluting plastic bottle. Their paper packaging is compostable and the bars are made without soaps, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, or parabens. The Co-op carries HiBar's for all hair types!

Wild Carrot Herbals 

These facial cleansing bars are handmade, biodegradable, and minimally packaged in paper. They're made in Oregon using organic botanicals and high-quality essential oils. Not only that, they're affordable at just $12.99 for a bar that can last up to six months with daily use.

plastic free face wash bars from wild carrot herbals
a woman holding four wild carrot herbals facial moisturizers

Wild Carrot Herbals Saffron Seed Nutrient Cream

This facial moisturizer is a Co-op staff favorite! It's filled with ultra-nourishing botanical ingredients like sea buckthorn oil and saffron-infused olive oil. It comes in a glass jar that can be used again and again after you've finished your product.

Moon Valley Organics Lotion Bars

Ditch the pump! These lotion bars are made with fewer than 12 certified organic, herbal ingredients. They come in post-consumer recycled cardboard boxes and cute tins that are recyclable or easily reusable. We love them for carrying jewelry during travel!

Moon Valley Organics lotion bar on forest floor
plastic free blemish roll on with colloidal silver

Uncle Harry's Colloidal Silver Blemish Stick

Uncle Harry's is a local, family-owned company out of Redmond, Washington. Sustainability has always been at the core of their mission. This Colloidal Silver Blemish Stick is less drying than alcohol-based acne products and comes in a glass tube.*

* = Looking for ZERO plastic? While this product is better than most, it does have a plastic cap. 

Booda Butter Eco Balm

Another locally owned company with sustainability in mind! Booda Butter Eco Balms come in biodegradable paper tubes (yes, the label is biodegradable too!). Balms are certified organic and Booda stuffs 2x more product into a tube than typical plastic-packaged lip balm.

lip balm in a plastic free tube on green moss
plastic free deodorant spruce and fir scent

Island Thyme Natural Deodorant 

Nearby on Orcas Island our friends from Island Thyme make effective baking soda-free natural deodorant that comes in a paper tube! These low-waste deodorants have tons of 5-star reviews. Choose from multiple scents available in the Co-op wellness department!

Plus Ultra Bamboo Toothbrush 

Plus Ultra is committed to sustainable practices. Their toothbrushes are made with 100% compostable bamboo materials.* Did you know bamboo has natural antibacterial properties? It's consider a "green solution" to wood for its short growth cycle and great carbon capture potential.

* = Looking for ZERO plastic? While this product is better than most, it does have plastic bristles. 

woman just out of the shower holding a bamboo toothbrush
glass jar of toothpaste

Uncle Harry's Mild Mint Toothpaste

This locally made, natural toothpaste comes in a glass jar* that can be used again and again once you've finished your product! It's completely free of fluoride, carrageenan, triclosan, artificial sweeteners, and SLS.

* = Looking for ZERO plastic? While this product is better than most, it does have a plastic lid. 

Radius Floss with Coconut Oil

RADIUS offers an alternative to floss with all that plastic packaging! Radius peppermint sponge floss comes in 100% plastic free packaging* and is a great alternative to silk floss for vegans.

* = Looking for ZERO plastic? While this product is better than most, the floss itself is nylon. 

vegan floss in plastic-free packaging

HOT OFF THE PRESS| SALES| SUSTAINABILITY| WELLNESS acne| beauty| body care| conditioner| deodorant| environmentally friendly| face wash| floss| herbal body care| lip balm| lotion| natural body care| plastic free| sale| shampoo| sustainability| toothbrush| toothpaste| wellness

Sustainability Snapshot

At the Community Food Co-op we recognize that our responsibilities go beyond the products on our shelves.

We are committed to transparency in annually auditing our sustainability efforts with support from the Sustainable Food Trade Association.

photo of sustainability snapshots

The 2019 Sustainability Snapshot highlights just a few of our achievements from the most recent calendar year.

This year's full report to the Sustainable Food Trade Association will be available on our website soon.

Sustainability reporting is an important tool used by the Co-op’s member-owners, staff, management, and Board of Directors to reflect on the ecological, economic, and social impacts of our business, and to set informed goals and correct course as we enact the changes that will lead us toward a more sustainable future.

Sharing results from our sustainability tracking informs Co-op staff and shoppers on ways we can work even harder to improve our already strong environmental business practices.

Following are just a few highlights. See the entire snapshot online.

graphic of alternative energy savings 96 percent renewable energy certificates solar power generation and epa green power ranking
graphic showing sales of washington state products $9.43 million in 2018 and local reinvestment of salary, wages, donations and sponsorships $8.22 million in 2018
graphic of seed fund donations to local organizations $24824 and farm fund donations $61670

Learn more about sustainability at the Co-op and see the entire snapshot online.

HOT OFF THE PRESS| SUSTAINABILITY| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE snapshot| sustainability

Buy Bulk! Save Money and Reduce Food and Packaging Waste

bulk beans and grains in scoops

As Earth Day 2019 approaches, here's one simple way to celebrate: buy bulk and help reduce unnecessary packaging waste.

The Founding of Earth Day

U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. As our beautiful planet takes another trip around the sun, our thoughts turn once again toward learning more ways to be good stewards of our homes, our community, and our planet.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

The Co-op takes its commitment to sustainability seriously and to ensure we are upholding our commitment we publish an annual report with the Sustainable Food Trade Association. The report, which is available on our website, includes measurable results toward achieving our sustainability goals and helps us learn where we are succeeding and areas in which we can improve.

Your Commitment to Sustainability

Co-op shoppers have also demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability. You are motivated to bring your own reusable shopping, bulk, and produce bags; you are avid users of public transportation (we are happy to be located adjacent to Bellingham’s two bus depots); you commute by bike; and you embrace purchasing local goods to reduce the negative effects of long-distance transportation and to support our local economy.

One of the simplest ways Co-op shoppers embrace sustainability is through your enthusiasm for purchasing bulk goods.

saving money, reducing waste, and being better stewards of our environment

The bulk department is all about saving money, reducing waste, and being better stewards of our environment.

Reasons to Buy Bulk

Buying bulk saves money. Bulk foods bypass the extra expenses inherent in individually packaged products. Packaging design, manufacturing, shipping, and production costs are eliminated when foods are shipped in plain, large- quantity containers, and those savings are passed along directly to the consumer.

Buying bulk reduces packaging waste. Bulk quantities eliminate the need for individually packaged items thereby saving an immense quantity of bottles, jars, cans, and paperboard.

Buying bulk reduces food waste. Buy only as much of any product as needed, from one teaspoon of spice up to a 50-pound bag of oats.

Buying bulk increases product freshness. Co-op bulk departments are extremely popular, thereby ensuring product turnover is rapid. Bulk containers are refilled throughout the day simply to keep up with shopper demand.

Buying bulk is simple. Purchase a reusable container in the store or bring in your own clean container to refill. Simply remember to weigh your empty container (don't forget to include the lid), record the tare weight, write the 4-digit PLU number on the container, and fill with as little or as much product as you choose.

how to buy bulk soap at grocery store scale label

The Bulk Department Selection (and Beyond)

The Co-op offers products in its bulk department that can’t be found elsewhere.

Beyond the typical dry goods—flours, rice, grains, pasta, and nuts—the Co-op bulk department also carries bulk honey, tamari, oils, vinegars, maple syrup, agave, nut butters, loose leaf teas, various dried seaweeds, an wide array of spices, and plenty of tasty sweets and snack items.

In the household goods and personal care departments, you can find bulk cleaning products, laundry detergent, shampoos, lotions, and liquid and bar soaps.

Visit soon to explore our extensive bulk selection—you might be surprised. If you’re looking for a hard-to-find ingredient for a recipe, need a little something extra to flavor a dish, just want to try a new spice to expand your culinary repertoire, or maybe you just need some shampoo, it’s likely you’ll find what you need at the Co-op.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for—please ask!

We love to answer questions about bulk foods and products. If we don’t know the answer to your question we’ll go out of our way to find an answer for you. Co-op staff are happy to help and love to talk about food, cooking techniques, and favorite flavors.

Bulk Purchases in 2018

How popular is our bulk department? Turnover is rapid, because Co-op shoppers love to buy bulk! That rapid turnover ensures that the bulk products you purchase are fresh.

photo of bulk grains, nuts, spices, bar soap in various jars and containers
  • Oats: 45,039 pounds
  • Coffee: 46,613 pounds
  • Thompson Raisins: 7,591 pounds
  • Almonds (only almonds, including candy covered): 14,083 pounds
  • Anything containing almonds: 23,543 pounds
  • Quinoa: 4,613 pounds
  • Organic Black Peppercorns: 255 pounds
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BULK| HOT OFF THE PRESS| THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE bulk| earth day| reduce waste| save money| sustainability

We Won a Climate Award!

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

April 2018
climate collaborative

Melissa Elkins (center), Co-op Sustainability Coordinator, accepted the Outstanding Company award at the 2018 Climate Collaborative Awards. Also pictured (from left) is Lara Dickinson, Climate Collaborative Co-Founder, and Robynn Shrader, National Co+op Grocers CEO. Photo courtesy of New Hope Network.

We’re all familiar with the tried-and-true award season saying—it’s an honor just to be nominated. Well, sure, that’s true. But it’s even better to have your work recognized by winning!

Melissa is steering the Co-op toward increasingly impressive accomplishments in its sustainability programs

In that spirit, we want to share appreciation for the hard work of Melissa Elkins, the Co-op’s Sustainability Coordinator. Melissa is steering the Co-op toward increasingly impressive accomplishments in its sustainability programs and this award is just the most recent acknowledgement of that work.

The Co-op was awarded “Outstanding Company" for improving energy efficiency in a retail grocery setting and fostering resilient, regenerative farming communities at the inaugural National Co+op Grocers (NCG) Climate Collaborative Awards.

NCG noted the following factors in the Co-op’s award:

  • "offsetting 102% of their electricity use with their own 126 solar panel array and renewable energy certificates
  • diverting 90% of their waste from the landfill
  • investing in efficient lighting and refrigeration systems has earned their co-op the only 2017 EPA EnergyStar Certificate issued to a grocery store west of the Rockies and puts them among the top 30 retailers in the country in utilization of renewable energy.

"If that weren’t enough, they also invest profits back into their community in many ways, including an innovative Farm Fund supporting local sustainable farming projects.”

Congratulations to Melissa and to the entire Co-op staff who work daily to implement innovative sustainability strategies in our co-op. Make every day Earth Day!

Our 2018 Sustainability Snapshot is available online or in print at the service desk. Following are a few highlights!

2018 sustainability snapshot

Waste Reduction Highlights

supermarket energy star certification

Energy Efficiency Highlights

energy efficient grocery store

Keeping it Local

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Vendor Profile: Lundberg Family Farms

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

October 2017
lunberg family farms field

Though the Olympic Peninsula seems to have little in common with the Andes, it is where quinoa destined for Lundberg Family Farms is being grown in our state. Additional farms are in California, Oregon, and Idaho. Many sites are still experimental, as are growing methods. Most of the quinoa grown for Lundberg uses a low-impact dryland farming technique, relying on the moisture provided directly by rainfall and humidity. Aha! Maybe that’s why it makes sense to grow quinoa on the Olympic Peninsula. Photos courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms.

We were already big fans of Lundberg Family Farms and its delicious sustainably farmed rice and whole grain products, but now we have yet another reason to love Lundberg Family Farms—QUINOA! To be precise, quinoa grown in the U.S. and even in Washington state.

T his ancient grain was domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago in Peru and Bolivia where it has long been a staple in peoples’ diets. Yet, a mere 10 years ago had you asked someone in the U.S. about quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) they would have likely answered you with a blank stare. Since then, the appetite for quinoa has exploded in the U.S., and for good reason, as explained in the below photo caption.

antique white quinoa

Not only is quinoa a complete source of protein that contains all nine essential amino acids—making it a favorite among vegans and vegetarians—it is also delicious and cooks up fluffy and soft in 15 minutes, making it super convenient and a favorite among almost everyone who eats food—vegans and omnivores alike!

In 2013, recognizing that importing quinoa from the southern hemisphere to feed the growing U.S. demand was not the most ecologically sustainable situation, Lundberg started growing trial crops in the U.S. By 2016, Lundberg’s quinoa production topped 1.5 million pounds, harvested by 15 farmers on 800 acres.

Our love for quinoa aside, why else do we love Lundberg Family Farms?

It is currently run by the third and fourth generations of the Lundberg family and, since the farm was established in 1937, the family has always been committed to improving and protecting the environment.

Lundberg treats the soil, air, and water as important resources, respecting the delicate balance of nature.

In its rice fields, Lundberg pursues a program of ecological stewardship that includes: returning rice straw to the soil after harvest (instead of burning) to enrich the soil and protect the air and the environment, providing habitat for animals including migrating waterfowl that rest in flooded fields during the winter, practicing water-conserving irrigation, never growing genetically engineered rice varieties, using only natural pest control systems and generating and purchasing green power for its handling and processing facilities.

What’s not to love?

Look for Lundberg Family Farms products in our grocery and bulk departments and include more organic whole grains in your diet—for your good health and the health of the planet.

LEARN MORE

Like the Co-op, Lundberg Family Farms is committed to transparency in its sustainability practices and is a member of the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA). It reports annually on the same 11 action categories that we report on and sets goals for continual improvement in each area. You can read the SFTA reports for Lundberg and
the Co-op on our respective websites.

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Bulk Foods—Variety, Affordability, Quality

Buying bulk can help you save money and reduce food and package waste. Another benefit of shopping bulk is product freshness. Bulk containers are refilled throughout the day just to keep up with demand.

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Chia—Tiny but Mighty

Chia has the ideal balance of fatty acids we need for healthy joints, digestion, and brain function.

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The Spice Hut

Variety is the spice of life.

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