by Maria Del Rio Shelzi, Administrative Assistant
Willy Street Co-op staff member Maria Del Rio Shelzi recently traveled to the northeast. While on her trip, she visited a few co-ops and checked in with staff to find out if there was anything new or interesting happening. Here’s what she found out.
Brattleboro Food Co-op
Brattleboro, Vermont
Staff size: 145
Number of Owners: 8,500
Founded: 1975
There certainly is quite a bit going on, but highlights I think include their branching out into catering/selling food at larger community events like Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk and restarting their events and education efforts (post-COVID). They also recently adjusted their compensation to start at a minimum of $15/hr; and they are planning their first all-staff event for the fall.
Gardiner Food Co-op
Gardiner, Maine
Staff size: 8
Number of Owners: 300
What year founded: 2015
They have a new General Manager, Daisy Sauvageau. She most recently held a position at Hannaford (a New England grocery chain) in Yarmouth, Maine, and has an extensive background in restaurant, food-service, and retail industries.
They have added made-in-store cold brew to their cafe menu. They use coarse-ground and dark roast coffee from Rock City, Maine (an excellent cooperative roastery).
Urban Greens Co-op Market
Providence, Rhode Island
Staff size: 40
Number of Owners: approaching 3,000
Founded: June, 2019
There is a new grocery store in their neighborhood, what was considered to be a food desert. This has helped them be competitive with national markets. They also have seafood pop-ups on the weekend, offering options such as fish and chips and lobsters.
Monadnock Food Co-op
Keene, New Hampshire
Staff size: 130+
Number of Owners: 3,550+
Founded: 2013
The Monadnock Food Co-op just added 40 new panels to their existing 106-solar panel array on their rooftop! The combined annual generation from their original solar array and their most recent one will equal roughly 71,400 kilowatt-hours of electricity, offsetting the equivalent of over 125,500 miles driven in a gas-powered car, and will keep more than 81,000 lbs. of carbon out of the atmosphere every year.
