Save the date for a talk at the co-op the day after Earth Day, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. Katie Voelke, executive director of North Coast Land Conservancy, will give a presentation titled “Celebrating Coastal Ecology” about the land-to-sea connection on the coast – from nudibranchs to beavers, coniferous trees and humans. The presentation will also touch on the importance of land and marine conservation in ensuring the Oregon Coast remains a place where healthy communities of people, plants and wildlife all thrive.
Spring flowers, candy and more
Celebrate the season with flowers, candles, cards, egg dyeing kits, locally made Easter candy, decorations, accessories and more at your co-op!
Cheese Madness
Let’s get ready to crumble!
Cheese Madness begins March 1! What’s Cheese Madness? Only the fiercest fromage face-off this co-op’s ever seen! From March 17 to March 31, 16 cheeses go head-to-head to earn your votes, but only one will be crowned the winner. Got a hunch which cheese is the crowd favorite? Pick up a bracket at our deli and submit your guess in the basket by March 16. Guess the winning bracket and you could win one pound of the champion cheese and perfectly paired gourmet goodies.
We’re hiring for a Line Cook
We’re hiring! The Astoria Co+op is looking for a positive, team-oriented person to join the co-op kitchen as a Line Cook! We are looking for candidates with proven experience as a line cook to support the timely preparation of food for our hot bar and other production kitchen programs.
Apply today at astoria.coop/employment
Honoring the History of Black Cooperatives
This Black History Month we honor the long tradition of African American cooperation, as written about in the book, “Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice,” by author Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard. From mutual aid societies to independent fugitive communities and from farmer cooperatives to consumer co-ops, Professor Gordon Nembhard details how people work together in the face of racism and active sabotage to improve each other’s lives in tangible ways.
Check out this article about it at A Short History of Black Cooperatives in America | Co+op (grocery.coop)
Valentine’s Gifts
Treat your loved ones – including yourself – to delicious deli desserts, fresh flowers, candles, gifts, cards and more!
FLASH SALE: 50% off Bulk
Our Co-op 50th Anniversary Sale series continues – now with a flash sale in the bulk department! Today and Thursday only, get 50% off bulk foods, coffees, herbs/spices, and bulk non-foods. Did you know our bulk department includes everything from popcorn and gummy bears to shampoo, laundry detergent and more? Use our bags or bring your own containers and get the tare before filling them up.
Oregon Black Pioneers Talk Feb. 28
Save the date for a Black History Month event at 6 p.m., Feb. 28 at the co-op’s indoor seating area. Come learn about Oregon’s Black history from Zachary Stocks, executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers.
State of Our Co-op
By: Matthew Stanley, General Manager
Happy New Year, Astoria Co+op members!
I am happy to announce that the co-op is celebrating its 50th anniversary as your community-owned grocery store this year! Throughout 2024, we’ll highlight our five decades as a local business with special events, anniversary apparel, local product collaborations, and more. Whether you are a founding member who volunteered at the co-op in 1974 or a member who recently joined the co-op, thank you for your support. Our co-op is the envy of many rural and non-urban communities who aspire to build a full-service, non-corporate, locally-owned grocery store. Our beautiful cooperative would not exist without the support of countless community members and shoppers who have dedicated their time, money, and good spirit to our endeavor.
As we recognize our accomplishments, we must also work to lay the foundation for our co-op’s next semicentennial. You may recall from my previous update that the co-op entered 2023 with the knowledge that our financial position was unsustainable and that work was needed to reverse a negative cash flow trend from operating losses in 2022. We worked hard to align our expenses with sales volume levels in 2023, and as we enter 2024, the co-op’s financial position is stable.
Co-op sales grew 2% in 2023, topping out just shy of $9.5 million. During the busy summer months, we proved that the co-op can generate meaningfully positive cash flow and earnings. Deep into the slower winter months, cash flow remains stable. Our operating revenues for the year ended at break even.
Various stakeholders in our co-op, including our co-op peers across the country, our lender, landlord, co-op preferred shares investors, the co-op board, co-op members, and co-op staff, all bring heightened scrutiny to our financial performance. We often think that co-ops and profit are antithetical. However, our business must achieve consistent, meaningful, positive income to meet these stakeholders’ needs. Financial strength is the foundation for pursuing future strategic priorities for our co-op. It will unleash further co-op potential for positive community impact and leadership on local food, sustainability, and health.
To reach our financial goals and beyond, we must continue to grow co-op sales. As a member or co-op fan, you can help by spreading positive word of mouth about shopping at the co-op. Encourage friends and family to sign up for co-op membership. And, of course, shopping at the co-op as your primary grocery store ensures we continue to develop and expand the reach of our vital community asset. Do you regularly use our weekly e-coupons? We email them every Tuesday night. You can sign up for our e-newsletter here. They’ve started catching on, so take advantage of these savings on your co-op shopping trips. Be sure to download the new Co+op Deals app too. Create shopping lists and stock up on the best deals on products with an additional 10% discount for co-op members.
Astoria Co+op is the grocery store we own with our friends and community members across the region. Let’s shop there and spread the word like we own it. With your support we can look forward to another 50 successful years for our co-op!
In cooperation,
Matt
P.S. If you are a co-op investor, I’ll send an update when our financial audit is complete, likely by April.