Symbiotic Sustenance - BriarPatch Co-op

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18 February/March 2011 The Vine, BriarPatch’s Community Newsletter On b eha l f of Bria rPatch ’s managers and staff, I would like to thank each and every one of you for continued support of our local community co-op. 2010 was a banner year of unprecedented growth in sales and improvement in services. Through the year, we took a good hard look at product offerings and at the store’s setup, aesthetics, and functionality. We implemented many changes and improvements. Sales for 2010 were $16,649,000, growth of approximately 20% over 2009. Our major expenses, for personnel and the goods sold, remained stable. A full financial report will appear in our next newsletter, after the taxes are submitted and books are closed. What is wonderful about working at BriarPatch is that we are not motivated by growth for the sake of growth. Our true measure of success comes from a “triple bottom line.” In addition to sales and profit, we are concerned with how we Co-op Store Report 2010 a banner year for sales, services, and support serve our environmental and social missions. I am pleased to say that in 2010 we accomplished a commensurate increase in our community support and involvement. Community outreach in 2010 included serving as food and drink concessionaire at the SYRCL Wild and Scenic Film Festival. At the time of this writing, we are getting ready for the 2011 festival, marking our third year in a row as partners in this important local event. We also sponsored the children’s area at the KVMR Celtic Festival and the Day of the Young Child event. Young families are a continually growing segment of the environmentally and health conscious communities, and we recognize the importance of reaching out to support them in our community giving. Our Cooperative Community Fund awards this year highlighted our increased commitment to our local food system, with a special focus on providing local, organic, healthful foods to the youngest members of our community. This year’s recipients were Living Lands Agrarian Network, the Colfax Community Garden, and the Hennessy School By Chris Maher, General Manager In 2010 BriarPatch gave out $89,704 in discounts through our volunteer program, and $44,934 in owner discounts through our periodic discount coupons. Children’s Garden. We also provided support to Hennessy throughout the year as they planted and tended a very successful school garden. Inside the store we completed a major reset of our produce department, improving the appearance of our displays, facilitating better flow of customers throughout the department, and increasing the focus on local and regional foods. We stocked fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables from over twenty-five farms in our surrounding area. We also expanded our floral and gardening departments, responding to the keen interest customers have shown in these goods. Many shoppers expressed their excitement this past spring and summer when our front patio was brimming with locally produced garden starts and houseplants, and again this fall and winter with the many seasonal decorative displays. Look for the patio-area displays to grow in 2011, starting with the introduction of Fair Trade-certified roses and other flowers for Valentine’s Day. Owner Activity One of the highlights of 2010 for the Co-op was the overwhelming turnout at our annual owner meeting held it at St. Joseph’s Cultural Center in October. Owners enjoyed an Oktoberfest theme with our homemade bratwurst and beer. We closed 2010 with 4,890 current and active owners, an increase of over 800 owners — or 20% growth — from 2009. In 2010, BriarPatch gave out $89,704 in discounts through our volunteer program, and $44,934 in owner discounts through our periodic discount coupons. It is great to see a strong and growing interest in our store within the community! We are extremely grateful for the compliments, suggestions, and general support given by BriarPatch owners. If I may be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
The Vine, BriarPatch’s Community Newsletter February/March 2011 19 Co-op Connections BriarPatch and CoFed: Changing the world one university at a time Last year BriarPatch contributed $1,000 and valuable business advice to what has evolved into one of most incredible social-change endeavors to appear on the scene in some time: CoFed, the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive. CoFed’s beginnings go back to began when Panda Express attempted to become U.C. Berkeley’s first oncampus fast-food chain. Well aware of the role food systems can play in supporting a healthy planet, Yoni Landau and some other students were deeply concerned. They created a campaign that resulted in a student vote against having the restaurant chain on campus, preventing the university from signing a contract with the company. Inspired by the old Berkeley Co-op (which closed in the 1980’s in spite of being a national trendsetter in wholesome foods and in the disclosure of foods’ nutritional contents), Landau and others organized a student food cooperative alternative to fast foods. They formed the Berkeley Student Fund Collective, raised over $100,000, and opened a small food market and cafe on campus in November of 2009. The store offers hot drinks, pastries, produce, bulk foods, and lunches, among other things. The emphasis is on local, sustainable, nutritious organic food, and labels let consumers know their purchases are community based as well as ecologically and nutritionally sound. Along with providing some of the funding, BriarPatch Co-op leaders contributed time and advice on starting and running a market and café. Berkeley students By Bill Drake Landau, Alli Reed, Alex Stone, and Christina Oatfield visited BriarPatch in the fall of 2008 to consult with BriarPatch Director of Finance, Mark Warner, former General Manager Paul Harton, and current General Manager Chris Maher (Operations Manager at the time). The California Center for Cooperative Development, an independent organization that is a resource for co-ops, also served in a mentoring role for the students. The Berkeley market-café is only a small part of what evolved into a much larger endeavor. The remarkable achievements of the Berkeley students were noticed by a student from Seattle, who approached Landau in January of 2010 for advice on establishing a healthy, ecological food option on his campus. Landau realized that the cooperative model he and his friends created could be used by students Thanks to CoFed, over time, thousands of students all over the country will create alternative food options for their colleges and universities. all over the country to create radical shifts at their colleges and universities. As Landau explained it in a recent interview, he “saw the possibility of taking this vision [created at Berkeley] to other campuses and supporting students in creating their own community-based solutions that are autonomous.” Students at each school could form a socially responsible Continued on page 20
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