I recently saw a study from Consumer Reports that found evidence of heavy metals in certain brands of dark chocolate bars. Can you share more information about this? A recent report from Consumer Reports states that potentially harmful amounts of heavy metals lead and cadmium have been found in 28 popular dark chocolate [...]

When Owners receive a patronage dividend, what percentage of my purchases do I earn? Mark Tarasawa, Finance Manager Patronage dividends are declared by the Board of Directors in years the Co-op is profitable. The specific percentage of each Owners' purchases that they receive will vary each year depending on how well the Co-op [...]

When will you reopen the indoor eating areas at the stores? Bill Genné, North Store Manager & Amy Bassett, South Store Manager Our stores will plan to make the decision on when to reopen indoor eating areas once our new Annex building is complete and once our Commissary team has moved into the [...]

Can you design an outdoor eating area with the new construction work at the South Store?  We would love to have a nice, clean space to eat at the Co-op! Amy Bassett, South Store Manager We are excited to share that we are working on developing a larger outdoor eating area in the [...]

Why do I see some variation in the quality of produce throughout the year, particularly avocados and mangoes? Natalia Mikkola, South Store Produce Manager, and Kyle Mays, North Store Produce Manager That is a great question! The main reason is that all produce has a season. We do our best to source staple [...]

Is there any chance we can find an alternative to single-use plastic containers for items in the grab-n-go case? There are many times I'd really like a piece of cheesecake or something, but will not use a single use container made of plastic. Jeremy Northway, South Store Deli Manager Thank you for sharing [...]

I believe that it is very important to reduce our use of plastic. Plastic is very harmful to the environment and human health. I urge the Co-op to replace the plastic bags used for loose teas and spices with paper bags. I have seen this being done at other grocery stores for such purposes. [...]

Are the parking spaces at the North Store that have charging stations dedicated only for electric vehicles? Should they be? Bill Genné, North Store Manager The parking spaces with charging stations are not currently designated exclusively for electric vehicles. The amount of time they get used for charging is fairly limited and because [...]

I am curious about the labeling of origin information for produce. In addition, how do we know for sure that organic produce from Mexico is indeed organic? Kyle Mays, North Store Produce Manager, and Natalia Mikkola, South Store Produce Manager Thank you for the question! We do our best to keep one origin [...]

Do you have any plans to update and improve the outdoor eating area at the North store? Bill Genné, North Store Manager Yes! We are planning on making improvements to the outdoor seating area, including the addition of more plants and greenery. We are excited to make this space a more visually appealing [...]