by Vicki Reich and Abigail Harris As Abigail and I were planning out this quarter’s e-Journal, we were trying to decide who would write the letter from the ED or would we each write one. There were drawbacks to both of those choice so we chatted about it a little longer and came up with a third choice we were both excited about; we would interviewed each other! Vicki: What excites you most about stepping into [Read More]
by Rachel Mitrani, Board Treasurer Happy almost Spring to the Provender Community! This is the time of year that always brings excitement for what is new and flourishing right beneath the soil. I start thinking about what seeds I am going to plant in my garden and what adventures are to come as the weather starts to warm up. I am looking forward to another year of abundance and possibility. Provender is also under transition as we have hired [Read More]
Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) announced a $750,000 loan to Organically Grown Company (OGC), a regional values-based produce distributor. The loan will help the company move to a groundbreaking new ownership structure that will allow it to focus on purpose over profit into perpetuity. OGC was founded in Eugene, Oregon in 1978 with a mission to deliver a positive impact on people and planet through its products and services. Today, it is the largest independent organic produce distributor in the nation, [Read More]
by Dana Geffner, Fair World Project Nestle is the second-largest food and beverage company in the world, and also the poster child for so many of the things those of us in the natural products industry stand against. Mention their name and folks who have been around a little while will tell you of the formula scandals of the 1970s, when Nestle tried to get women in developing countries to drop breast feeding in favor of their formula—and sickened their [Read More]
by Carolee Colter, CDS Consulting Co-op When you open a second business location, there may be joy and excitement. But there may also be jealousy and feelings of abandonment. In times of stress and perceived scarcity, that “us vs. them” tendency can raise its head among the staff in both locations. I asked managers of four retail food co-ops about lessons learned in unifying two stores. Although my sources come from co-ops, I believe their lessons apply equally well to [Read More]
by Amy Pereira BS, CHNC, RYT-200, C-MI As the number of organic farms and organic items in the marketplace steadily rises1, more and more people are exposed to and purchasing organically grown and certified goods. For many of us, this may validate that which we’ve long believed– that choosing organic is in our collective best interest. While some organic agriculture proponents may tout details surrounding legal guidelines, marketing regulations and environmental and economic impacts, many of us are still hard-pressed [Read More]
Once the weather starts to get warmer, ant colonies wake up from their winter slumber to grow their numbers. This can spell trouble for commercial facilities particularly for restaurants (full service and fast food), healthcare facilities and office parks. Left unchecked, ant colonies can grow quickly. The colonies can reach the size of a city block and produce multiple queens that will strike out on their own and start satellite colonies further propagating their nuisance levels. Pavement, Argentine and odorous [Read More]
by Sweet Creek Foods Spring time finds us here at Sweet Creek Foods looking forward to a new year of local harvests and new partnerships within our local food community. This time of year, Judy is in the office crunching numbers to make sure we have all the parts in place for a successful season. We need to be ready to cook and jar up our recipes right away to lock in the delicious, ripe flavors that make our products [Read More]
by Vicki Reich It never ceases to amaze me that the most delicious and eye-appealing food can be made from the simplest ingredients. Fresh tomato slices with mozzarella cheese and bits of fresh basil makes my mouth water (and wish it was summer already; enough with this everlasting cold). Egg whites whipped to peaks with a bit of sugar then baked to golden brown goodness make melt-in your-mouth meringues come to mind. But the simplest and most versatile combination of [Read More]