All September long, we are making it even easier for you to eat local.

We are putting many local products on sale, giving away local products and appliances to help you preserve them, and celebrating local farmers and vendors.

We’ll be doing giveaways every week this month here on our website and on social media! Check this page for details.

Three reasons to eat local!

  • Local foods tend to be fresher than those shipped from across the country or farther away, and fresh food has more nutrients.
  • You’re supporting your local farmers and keeping the agricultural viability of their communities alive. Most small farms were struggling even before the pandemic, and now many are facing bankruptcy.
  • Buying local keeps money circulating in local communities, which helps keep our neighbors employed and more financially secure.

Sales and giveaways

We’re giving away deyhdrators, juicers, casserole cookware, and chest freezers this month! We’re also putting many local products on sale, and offering Owners 10% off local products in their cart when they purchase at least $50 worth.

    • See our Owner Rewards sales here – and sign up to receive the weekly flyers via email
    • See giveaway information here.

Every day in September, when Willy Street Co-op Owners buy $50 or more in local goods at one time, you’ll get 10% off those local goods! Look for the purple tags, which tell you something is local – you may be surprised how many local products you can get! Discount available to Willy Street Co-op Owners in September (2020). In-store sale only. Does not apply to gift cards. While supplies last. All specials subject to availability. Sales quantities may be limited.

Eat Local Month Boxes

Our Local Vegetable Boxes and Organic Fruit Boxes have been a hit, so we’ve added Eat Local Month Boxes.

Our small, local producers make an amazing array of delicious foods, and this month we invite you to try some of our favorites! Sign up here for one or more weekly boxes featuring some of the best bakery, cheese, and grocery products made right here in Wisconsin.

Individual boxes cost $30, and contain roughly $35 worth of groceries. Order all four weeks for $110. Order by Tuesday, August 25th. Distribution starts the week of August 31st. You can place an order for your starting August 4. See our Subscription Box page for more information.

How do you define “local”?

Our three levels of local

Lots of stores talk about shopping local. What does that really mean? The definition varies depending on where you shop; there is no set definition for “local “in the grocery sector. At our Co-op, local means the product was sourced from anywhere in Wisconsin or from within 150 miles of the State Capitol building. Local products are noted with purple tags in our Co-op, and we break down our local definition three ways:

 

Products above this shelf tag are entirely local. If the product has multiple ingredients, all of them are local and the product is baked, cooked, mixed, etc. locally.

At least 50% of the ingredients are grown or raised in the state of Wisconsin, or within 150 miles of the Capitol building in Madison.

Products above this tag are made locally—and may be made with some local ingredients—but they do not meet the criteria we use for our “Essentially Local” designation.

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