Welcome to spring at Co-opportunity!

We’ve got another Big 10 discount day scheduled for Wednesday, 4/18, with extended hours (open till 11 pm).

Over the past few years our Big 10 days have become more and more successful and have allowed more and more members to take advantage of not only the 10% discount, but case discounts and sale prices as well.

But there are also some members who don’t want to (or can’t) shop on the Big 10 days, and have asked about choosing their own day for the 10% discount. This would certainly seem like a logical way to relieve some pressure on the Big 10 days. And we did this for a number of years in the past. But while it gave members more options on when to take the discount, in the end the discount expense grew too high in relation to sales volume for those months (and the full fiscal year).

My primary role as the General Manager is to run a financially viable and sustainable business. Keeping the co-op thriving for many more years is our number one goal. We are constantly balancing sales volume and expenses (including member discounts), so that the business is healthy.

Given this, we’ve been able (so far) to extend a 10% discount one day a month to members, and still absorb the discount expense. Depending on business needs, expenses and other member benefits, this could change in the future.

Some members have voiced concern that by limiting the discount to one day, we’re not allowing all members to take advantage of the benefit. I understand that concern and at the same time, our Big 10 days have been a key factor in helping to boost our overall sales volume, so that we can continue to cover all of our operating expenses (most of which increase every year). This is hugely important. We have a tremendous amount of competition in our trade area so my number one goal is to keep our co-op strong and growing. This was one of the primary reasons why we did a full-store remodel—to keep our store thriving by increasing our offerings and performing needed improvements after 15 years with little change.

While the store is definitely busy at various times on Big 10 days, we make every effort to provide a smooth shopping experience. Virtually all of our staff are working the sales floor on that day. They’re helping in all areas of the store, and we have extra staff in the parking lot. We’ve also extended our hours until 11 pm – so members have from 7 am to 11 pm to find a convenient time to shop—depending on their schedules.

And, while the store can get very busy, there are many members who enjoy the experience. Also, listening to member feedback, we changed the day to Wednesday for the past few months.

So we hope that as owners of our great cooperative, you will continue to support the many ways we try to balance keeping the store thriving and successful and making membership really beneficial for our valued owners.

Our continued ability to fulfill our member’s needs is the most important “benefit” a cooperative can offer.

Did you know that 2012 has been designated “International Year of the Co-operatives” by the U.N? Obviously, this is a big year for us at the Co-op. As such, we’re kicking off the festivities with a special Wednesday Big Ten on 1/18 where members save 10% at the register with no limit on savings. Be sure to special order your cases in advance at the member services desk so you get the 10% discount, plus another 10% off for the case. Stay tuned for other special International Year of the Co-operatives activities in 2012.

Please note: all discount days are subject to in-store availability. No rain checks. Good for one shop and one day only.

Beyond Tomatoes – Taking Advantage of Summer’s Bounty
By Kirsten Lindquist
Cheese, Wine and Speciality Manager

There’s an old joke told in the Midwest, “When is the only time that country folk lock their car doors? In the summer, to prevent coming home to unwanted zucchini from their neighbors!”

It’s mid August and gardens and farms everywhere are overflowing with ripe, juicy veggies that are delicious and best prepared in simple ways to capture them at their peak. While vine-ripened tomatoes of all sorts are the undisputed queen of summer produce, there are lots of other vegetables out there that are bursting with summer goodness.

Everyone has a favorite zucchini or squash recipe – especially if you are growing these beauties that never seem to stop producing! At the co-op we also have a variety of peppers, including multi-colored sweet peppers, Italian Frying peppers, spicy chilies of all sorts and Hungarian hot peppers. Grill them or mix and match for a great cool summer salad.

Here are a few of my go-to favorites. All of them use fresh herbs like cilantro, mint or basil whose fresh light flavors sing in your mouth! The two grilled dishes work just as well at room temperature so I usually make extra and have them the next day for lunch. Enjoy!

Simple Bell Pepper Salad

Grilled Zucchini with Basil and Red Wine Vinegar

Spicy Grilled Eggplant and Patty Pan Squash

Elvis Has Left the Building

Ladies and Gentlemen, the contractor’s trailer and dumpster have left the building! (Rumor has it, Elvis was in that trailer, but he left, too..) We are officially in the home stretch of the construction phase of our Co-op makeover. We’ll still be adding some final touches to the sales floor as well—but our primary focus will be on fine tuning our merchandising, adding new products, and working with our new equipment and shelving to make it as customer-friendly as possible.

What’s most exciting are all the new items and services we’re adding on a daily basis. (I’ve ended up eating lunch from the new salad bar and hot bar every day for the past several weeks.) And we’re rolling out our new fresh cut cheese program and demo counter as we speak. Check out the many new varieties of cheese we’re cutting and wrapping in-house now. (Self serve olives are coming soon).

We’re also installing new outdoor dining counters on both sides of the building, and we’re replacing the round table and stools with another counter with stools. And we’ll be polishing up our landscaping around the building.

Owner/Shopper Concerns
While we’ve had an overwhelming amount of positive feedback for the store makeover, we’ve also heard concerns from some of our owners and shoppers. I think it’s important to address a few of these concerns.

Prices
Some of you have wondered if prices have been increased to pay for the store makeover. I can assure you we have not raised any prices to cover these costs. We only raise prices when we receive increases from our vendors and distributors. We have many vendors, and each has a different wholesale cost structure depending on their size, product lines and other factors.

Our competitors also source from many of our primary vendors and distributors, so price increases are usually reflected in our competitor’s pricing as well. We’ve been in our current location for over 15 years and it was time to make some major capital improvements. This is a normal function of all retail businesses, and we planned the makeover to be financially successful without raising prices. Furthermore, we are committed to passing on as many vendor deals and discounts we can. I’m confident that you will find some amazing deals throughout our Co-op. (And don’t forget, we’re one independent store, as opposed to a giant global chain with huge buying power).

Food and food product prices have always been subject to conditions such as weather, fuel prices, commodity prices, availability and other factors—all of which cause prices to fluctuate. Some prices have been rising lately due to increased oil prices, bad weather (affecting produce and commodity prices), and vendor and distributor price increases. As for our produce prices, I am always amazed at the great prices I end up paying for fresh, local, organic produce in our Co-op.

Produce Department
Even though we’ve remodeled—and added a salad bar/hot bar and other services—it was never our intention to compromise our existing product offerings or to minimize our focus on providing simple, fresh, local, organic and nutritious food.

We are still 100% committed to offering the best and freshest local, organic produce we can find. The display cases, fixtures and layout may have changed (and we’re all learning the new layout), but we still carry all the produce we did in the “old” store. So, please ask one of our staff members if you can’t find something. As the seasons change, more seasonal produce items will become available.

We’re still learning how to best merchandise our produce department. If you see somewhat less product on the shelves than before, it’s simply because we want to maintain quality and freshness. And it’s easier to do with less shelf stock. We’re just bringing out produce as needed in smaller quantities—again, to ensure quality and freshness.

Parking
While we believe we excel in many areas, we’re fully aware of our parking lot limitations. But we still felt it was necessary to address our store interior and make changes. We are making every effort to have a parking lot attendant (sometimes two) on duty during peak hours (usually 11 am – 7 pm). We’re also researching the possibility of extending the parking spaces a few feet on the south side of the lot (where the shrubs used to be).

And now that the store makeover is almost complete, we will be focusing on creatively addressing some of our parking lot limitations.

Once again, I want to thank all of you for your support during these past few months. Our goal was to complete a store makeover without disrupting normal business as much as possible. I know the remodel has been a huge change for our Co-op, and we’re still working hard to iron out any kinks and make it as amazing and shopper-friendly as possible.

About This Design Direction
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Our store’s makeover has brought us a lot of physical improvements. With so many updates taking place, it was only natural that our brand image also saw an update.

The last logo design occurred in the 90′s and worked well for that time. But as we embark upon a new chapter in the Co-op’s history, we believe that a new, fresh logo has to be part of the story. In the coming days and weeks, you’ll notice our brand presence being updated on everything from our store sign and private-label vitamins, to business cards and reusable bags. Click here to view a video of the new sign going up.

About the Branding Firm (GEYRHALTER & COMPANY)
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Geyrhalter & Company is a renowned local design firm with a history of creating award winning brands for countless clients. You might recognize their work with Evolution Juice, where they created the packaging and website for one of our bestselling vendors.

We have had a fantastic experience working with Geyrhalter & Company. They have been professional, responsive to our needs, and a true joy to work with.

About This Design Direction
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The challenge was creating a brand identity that was professional, yet not corporate. Our aisles are stocked with items from small and independent vendors, many of whom don’t have slick, professional packaging. Fortunately, we select vendors based on the quality of their products rather than their design aptitude. The Co-op is different, and our logo needed to convey that difference. This meant pushing the envelope a bit from a design standpoint.

The logo in its entirety feels full of life, maybe at times even busy, representing the market-life and its vendors, employees and shoppers/owners. It also comes a bit closer to an artwork than a traditional corporate logo, something that takes away from simplicity, but adds authenticity.
We have addressed the simplicity in the following ways:

1. The use of “CO-OP” in the logotype.
* This shorter “CO-OP” version gives us more brand unity in that it dovetails with the NCGA “CO-OP” branding found in our store.
* Incorporating “CO-OP” into the logo type is a nod to all the owners/shoppers that refer to us as the “CO-OP” instead of “Co-opportunity.”

2. The addition of CO-OPPORTUNITY in the sub-line.
* We kept our name in an easily legible font, and changed the color to draw attention.

Put plainly, the rustic, simple (perhaps even basic) items in this logo make it feel very handmade, very honest. Furthermore, we have maintained the logo’s simplicity by shortening our tag-line to “Natural Foods.”

Throughout the years, we have heard from countless owners/shoppers that they drove by our store hundreds of times without realizing we sold food. The old logo and tagline weren’t successfully conveying what was behind our walls. This lack of clarity regarding our storefront signage is the reasoning behind the shortened and simplified tagline. A commuter driving by our store will not miss “Natural Foods” and subsequently, won’t be confused about what we sell.

Rooted in Our History
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To fully appreciate the logo, it helps to put it in the context of our Co-op. Co-opportunity grew organically, from its humble beginnings out of a Santa Monica garage in the 70′s, to the thriving business it is today. This new mark is meant to maintain the organic, communal nature that defines the Co-op, while also nodding to the history of the logo by borrowing some elements from the last version (i.e. produce).

And when analyzing the logo, you will notice that the letters ‘co-op’ would not be there without all the items around it. You, the vendors and their items create Us.

Our Co-op is composed of many different elements, working together in unison, to make the store run successfully. To use an analogy, Co-opportunity is like a quilt where each individual piece, when it’s interwoven with the other pieces, comes together to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

This logo invites people in. It makes them peer closer to see how so many different pieces can come together to form “Co-opportunity,” much like the store itself.

Basically, this logo is fun, dynamic, a little quirky, and rooted in history and community. Does that remind you of anything?

By Ricardo Chavira
marketing director

Hello and welcome to the “almost-complete” Co-opportunity makeover! My patented Store Makeover Completion Calculator ® says we’re about 91.6% done. We’re in the home stretch now, and will have a good portion of the store makeover done within the next few weeks. We’ll still be adding finishing touches and some more fixtures and equipment after that. But the department locations will be set and it should get a lot easier to find what you’re looking for!

Thanks to all of you for your support, valuable feedback and positive energy during this process. Our goal was to position ourselves for the long haul in our current location, while providing you with more choices and a more pleasant shopping experience—all while staying open.

As part of our complete makeover, we’re also refreshing some store visuals. Stay tuned for more news on the new look in the coming days.

Thanks!

Bruce