Provender Alliance and Sustainable Food Trade Association Partner Up
We are excited to announce our new partnership with Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA). Through this partnership, Provender members can receive a 15% discount on their first year of membership in SFTA and 5% off for the following 3 years. This offer is only good for new memberships. In addition to discounts on SFTA membership, Provender members can access SFTA webinars for free. The discount code is available in the Members Only section of the website. Links to the code [Read More]
SFTA August Learning Events Not to Miss
August SFTA Peer Learning Tour: Growing Sustainably: Learning and Sharing with Mountain Rose Herbs August 16, 2018, 1-4:30pm PT Meet at 4020 Stewart Rd. Eugene, OR 97402 This dynamic tour provides an excellent opportunity to learn about how Mountain Rose Herbs (MRH) has incorporated sustainability from the ground up since its inception. The day includes an overview of MRH’s sustainability program and accomplishments, and a tour of their office, production, shipping and warehouse facilities. Special emphasis will be given to [Read More]
Sustainable Food Trade Association Celebrates 10 Years
Since July 2008, the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA) has assisted organic companies in building their capacity to become sustainable business models. As companies strive to implement sustainable business practices to complement the organic products they offer, they often find they need the best contacts, resources, and tools to bring about change. SFTA has been providing that, and more, for the last 10 years. “SFTA was launched from a spirit of both vision and practicality, we recognized organic as a [Read More]
Organically Grown Company Pioneers Groundbreaking Steward Ownership Structure to Maintain Independence into Perpetuity
Organically Grown Company Pioneers Groundbreaking Steward Ownership Structure to Maintain Independence into Perpetuity OGC becomes first company in the United States to be owned by a perpetual purpose trust PORTLAND, Ore. – July 9, 2018 – Imagine a company where the largest stockholder never wants to sell its stock or take a profit. And where leadership is directed to focus 100 percent on its founding purpose: to deliver a positive impact on people and planet through its products and services. [Read More]
Front End Manager Job Opening – Lifesource Natural Foods
Front End Manager This position includes Department Advocacy, acting as Manager on Duty, managing Personnel, Performance reviews, Hiring-Firing-Corrective Action, Training, Scheduling, and PIC Development. We seek to fill this leadership position with a person with the ability to lead a strong team, inspire productivity and cultivate a climate of cooperation.If you have an upbeat and friendly personality, excellent customer service skills , cash handling experience, and a love of natural foods, then this could be the position for you. Qualifications [Read More]
Marketing and Education Manager Job Opening – Ashland Food Co-op
Grocery Category Manager Job Opening – Lifesource Natural Foods
Grocery Category Manager Salem, Oregon LifeSource Natural Foods is hiring to fill our Grocery Category Manager position. This role is focused on product selection, merchandising, promotions, vendor relationships, staff supervisor and customer service. We are looking for someone who has the ability to learn or already possesses these key traits. Is excited about category management Passionate and knowledgeable about the products we carry Able meet our product standards and be a strong gatekeeper Strong computer skills. Literate and proficient with [Read More]
From the Desk of the Executive Director (which is piled high with conference planning material)
by Vicki Reich, Executive Director I haven’t had time to think about much besides planning to make this year’s conference the “best one ever” (as the board and staff like to say at the end of every conference). There is so much good stuff happening this year, I think we have a shot at that prediction coming true. You might have picked up bits and pieces about our plans through the e-News or the Members-Only Facebook page, but I thought [Read More]
From The Board of Directors
by Rachel Mitrani, Provender Board President Happy almost summer to The Provender Community! The message from the board is a great tradition in the Provender Journal. It is my opportunity as your Provender Board member to share my thoughts, feelings and insights regarding anything relevant to our community. This is my 5th year on the Board of Directors and my 2nd year as Board President. It has been a great privilege to have the opportunity to serve this wonderful [Read More]
Collaborative Interviewing
by Carolee Colter and Brittany Baird, CDS Consulting A growing body of research shows that cognitive biases creep into everyone’s decisions, even if we consciously strive to be fair. One of the most insidious forms is “confirmation bias,” in which people look for data that confirm their opinion and ignore data that contradict it. Confirmation bias has a detrimental impact on hiring decisions, causing us to rush to snap judgments without realizing we have done so, and then taking [Read More]
Production Scheduling-The Most Important Task of the Day
by Michelle O’Connor, Moxie Consulting The morning starts the same in many delis I visit. There is a clipboard or a whiteboard over in the corner of the department, and written upon it is THE LIST. The list is comprised of recipes that need to be completed that day. Every morning the staff gather around THE LIST and talk about what they did last night and what they are going to do this weekend, all while drinking their morning [Read More]
Healthy Soils are All the Rage!
by Katherine DiMatteo How did dirt get so popular? Sure, as a child you probably ate dirt as I did which was probably not nutritious but fun. Today health and soil (not dirt) are linked and the subject of discussion by farmers, politicians, brands, agriculture and environmental organizations, the media, and maybe even some of the general public. Why? Science has caught up with logic – healthy soils produce healthy plants that are healthy for people and animals. And, by [Read More]
Fresh Squeezed Hibiscus Mint Lemonade
By Mountain Rose Herbs There are very few things that are as refreshing as a tart, ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. Not those powdered mixes that contains preservatives, colorants, and artificial sweeteners, but real, fresh-squeezed lemonade. The refreshing balance of bright acidity, light tartness, and a kiss of sweetness can’t be accomplished any other way. The key to finding that perfect balance is to use a simple syrup, as it ensures that your sweetener is evenly [Read More]
A Journey to Cooperation
By Alex Johnson, Maple Valley The maple woods in late winter are still and quiet. Heavy snow that has fallen through the barren branches of tall maple trees covers the forest floor like a downy blanket. It muffles the sound of crunching footsteps, protecting the atmospheric peace. At times, one can hear the distant call of a horned owl or the soft thud of snow falling from tree branches warmed by the midday sun. A vast network of blue tubing [Read More]
Member News – Sweet Creek Foods
Sweet Creek Foods of Elmira, Oregon has just produced another season of our delicious Albacore Tuna. This tuna is really something special. Starting with troll caught tuna off the Oregon coast, we hand pack each jar using the finest loins. Our tuna is then cooked only once, insuring lots of heart friendly omega 3 oils. We are proud to guarantee this is of the highest quality tuna that you’ll ever eat. It’s great to use in salads, sandwiches, casseroles or [Read More]