June GM Report
by Kenna S. Eaton
Each month, I report to the board on what is happening in the store as well as our progress on our long-term goals, which we call our Ends. These Ends reflect our aspirations—what we want to accomplish—and they are part of what makes us different from a regular grocery store. We publish these reports as a blog to keep our member-owners up to date on what we are doing.
Our Ends
The general manager strives to provide these benefits to our member-owners and community while operating a strong grocery store:
Strengthen and advocate for our local food system, with a vibrant culture of appreciation and support for local farms and producers.
Treat people well, increasing equity and access by providing a safe, welcoming, and educational environment.
Treat the planet well, by modeling environmental stewardship and regularly sharing our accomplishments and challenges with member-owners.
July Update on Store and Progress on Ends
Working Together to Nourish our Community
Store Update
The UNFI delivery disruption caused by a cyber-security incident reminded us all how fragile our food system truly is. To ensure that we had a good selection of product, especially the grocery shelves, we leaned on our secondary distributors and our regional and local resources. While the ripple effects of that event as well as tariffs on items like metal lids will continue to play out, knowing that we had a great selection of produce and other local products such as eggs, coffee, beer, wine, bread, cheese, pet treats, bulk, meat, and seafood is comforting and another reminder of how important it is to support our local businesses.
At the beginning of June, we launched our NEW Customer Experience Survey, an exciting way for us to get more immediate feedback from our customers. Customers are chosen randomly and when they complete the survey, they are given a $5 coupon good for their next purchase of $25 or more. So, if you are chosen, thank you in advance for giving us your feedback and helping us improve the cooperative customer experience.
And don’t forget Tasting Tuesdays! Every Tuesday one department per week is planning an in-store demo of something yummy, in season, and/or a great value!
Ends Update
Local
We have one new Local 5 vendor, Rising Tide Coffee Roasters. They are located here in Port Townsend and specialize in small-batch single-origin coffees. Our first delivery was coffee from Honduras and our second was coffee from Tanzania.
The Grainery has made the decision to stop making pasta. We are hoping to fill that hole with a combination of Local Goods and Azure Standard. On the other hand, the Grainery is now brewing beer, and we have two flavors of Chimacum Valley Brewery beers on the shelf: Grain Hopper Rye and Grass is Greener Pilsner.
Wild Sage, which produces local herbal tea blends, has discontinued their wholesale business. Wild Sage was in business for 26 years and had a store front from 1999-2012. We have purchased their products for the last 12+ years and are sad to see them go.
Primal Island Tart Cherry Granola is the newest flavor on the shelf. This business is now owned by another granola maker in Klickitat County, changing it to a Local WA vendor.
Local organic produce is in full swing!
The Silva Family Farm: strawberries, two weeks earlier than in 2024.
Red Dog Farm: kohlrabi, fava beans, frisee, red romaine, kale, hakurei turnips.
Dharma Ridge Farm: spinach bunches, lettuces.
Stellar J Farm: green butter lettuce, napa cabbage, broccolini.
People
Our May raffle was a Stand-Up Paddle Board, won by Greg, who will be enjoying it all summer. In June, we had a nod to the fathers with a BBQ giveaway and a summer Picnic Wagon. Summer events we are sponsoring are already in full swing—Pride Festival and Preparedness Day were our highlights for June.
The EWG (Employee Work Group) used workplace surveys to identify and agree upon the topics that they would like to see addressed: communication, accountability, and training. Work plans to address those subjects have been created and are being implemented, and quarterly pulse surveys will be used to measure and report upon progress. We thank the members of the EWG for their time over the last four months and will continue to work with them on a quarterly or as needed basis. Their thoughts and insights as well as the staff surveys really helped bring to light where we need to focus our efforts to help make the Co-op a better workplace.
An ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) response plan has been created and posted for staff. Key to that plan we have clearly identified and designated areas of the store as staff only. ICE cannot enter employee-only areas without presenting a warrant.
In late May, Kevin Henry, our DEI consultant, worked with managers on creating more inclusive team meetings. Now we are in discussion about creating other ways we could share his knowledge with a larger segment of our staff.
Planet
While not specifically about the planet, speed tables were installed in the parking lot and painted with stripes. The northern most one was painted “DO NOT ENTER.” Hopefully, drivers will understand the importance of following an agreed upon flow to help improve safety in the lot.
Yours in community,
Kenna