Dear Cooperators –
Greetings from your Board of Directors and a Happy New Year to All!

This winter finds the co-op staff and board reflecting back on the challenging year that has come to a close and busily working to prepare for the future. Together we’re resolving to build the internal strength of our cooperative and to learn from the decisions of the past. As the holiday rush gives way to a quieter and more internally focused time of year, we are reconfirming our commitment to our core business – selling wholesome foods of all kinds, from organic apples to fresh made soups and sandwiches to high quality packaged groceries – and working to strategically position the co-op for its next phase of growth.

2007 was a dynamic year, full of change, growth, and excitement. The board’s decision to expand the store into the bakery business, although ultimately a decision which was reversed, was a valuable learning opportunity for both the board and the staff. We are confident that the lessons gleaned from this ambitious venture will serve us well down the road, whether we expand the current facility or look toward opening a second location. We appreciate the understanding and support of the co-op owners during this time and know that many owners continue to enjoy the expanded deli offerings that are a result of new staff and recipes that came out of this effort.

Tidal Creek experienced other challenges and changes in 2007, as well. Parking continued to be of concern, particularly as the rest of the space on the second story filled with successful businesses full of clients and staff. The expansion of the administrative offices and community room into part of the second story added much needed space for the growing staff to function efficiently, while providing some small protection from even more parking competition.

Each of these challenges carries some financial cost with it, meaning that the co-op’s surplus this year is much smaller than that of the previous year. As a result, the Board has determined that it is in the best interest of the store to retain what slight profit the store did make to provide for cash flow needs and financial stability. This carefully considered decision gives all of us, as owners, the opportunity to reflect on the true nature of cooperative business. Under the international cooperative principles, the owners share in the success or lack of success of each year of business.

In reality, times have been hard this past year. The price of fuel and consumer goods are up, in some cases dramatically. For those of us living at the end of the line, transportation costs are being passed on to consumers without most of them even realizing it. Perhaps that should lead to the logical conclusion that eating regionally is the next revolution for cooperatives to tackle, but that’s a topic for another article. For now, it’s enough to say that there will always be good years and bad years. For those of us who own this business together, there will be some years we get a healthy patronage refund, (Remember that the more you shop, the more you get back – it’s based on patronage.) and there will be other years where it makes more sense to keep our shared resources where they can be of the most use – in the store. This was one of those years.

The Board continues to welcome comments, questions and concerns regarding Tidal Creek’s vision, mission, values and future. Owners are welcome to share their thoughts at an open comments period at the beginning of every Board meeting. Also, owner forums continue to be monthly events at which one or more board members are always available to speak with interested owners.

Thank you for your continued participation in Tidal Creek. Here’s to 2008 being a year of peace and prosperity. Be well!

We hope that you had a great Holiday and that this will be a healthy and happy New Year for you!

Tidal Creek has entered the latter half of our business year and are experiencing an increase in sales that happens every year in response of the focus on New Years resolutions and healthier choices.

We anticipate strong sales for the remainder of the year. With alarming food issues such as meat entering the market from cloned animals and the continued allowance of strange ingredients we hope that you will put your trust in your Co-op.

Mini Expansion / Reset Plans
We plan to begin implementing some small changes here at Tidal Creek. We have moved our administrative offices and Community Center upstairs to Suite 204. This will allow us to move forward with plans to reset the store on the first floor around the kitchen area.

The objective is to utilize our space better for customers and traffic flow, as well as to give some much needed additional storage and work space to the kitchen. Some of this need came from the Health Department’s insistence on more dish drying area and storage space, however these changes may also allow us to do more catering.

We will be taking out the walls of the offices that are right off the hallway and seating area for the deli. The staff working in these offices will have workstations either on the sales floor or in the old community room area on the first floor. Some of the deli seating will be moving into this area.

We would like to make more delicious options available from our great kitchen staff. We are excited about these changes and have been pursuing what we hope is the best direction to go. We receive requests, on a daily basis, for things such as sandwiches made to order, more vegan choices to more natural free range meat choices. In expanding our kitchen area, we hope to be able to accommodate requests like these!

We also are exploring options of making more “take-home” meal by providing a more diverse level of entrée choices. Our hope in increasing the availability of these types of meals, we might streamline the work and time of the kitchen staff, allowing us to greatly increase efficiency. Moreover, options such as this might help alleviate some of the challenges we face around parking.

As well, we are working towards a system that will begin charging separately for meat choices on the hot bar. The idea here is that this will allow us to give you more options, and of course we remain committed to having our ingredients be as close to fully organic or free range natural as we can get.

Another change we want to create is a Wellness Department Customer Service kiosk on the sales floor. This would substantially increase the availability of our Wellness staff as they would have a work station where our customers are. Also, if we can create enough space we will have a small reference area for customers to access. Thank you for your continued patronage of your locally owned Cooperative Food Market!

Cooperatively yours,
Christine McElwee

by April Marlow

To start the New Year right, Tidal Creek has set a goal to carry as much organic, all natural and high quality products from local producers as we could find. We believe that the only way you can truly support local is to buy local products. So in an effort to achieve this goal and put our money where our mouth is, we are proud to announce the new arrival of Rainbow Meadow Farms meat products. Known for pure, wholesome, and superior tasting pasture-raised foods, their products are unadulterated, free of added chemicals, hormones and antibiotics and are minimally processed. As a family farm, they are able to individually raise and select their animals giving them complete control to ensure the highest standards of flavor and quality from their pasture to your plate.

Rainbow Meadow Farms is a multi-generational family farm in Greene County, NC that has been in operation since 1746. The farm is named after the Rainbow Run, a beautiful winding stream that borders the clover-laden meadow behind the old homestead. Comprising the Rainbow Meadow Farms family are Jeff and Sandra Garner, along with their children, Genell Pridgen and her husband John, and Lynn Weston and her husband Tim, as well as the grandchildren. Their mission at Rainbow Meadow Farms is to employ sustainable farming practices thereby producing not only superior tasting and healthy meat products but also preserving and enhancing the ecological health of their farmland, water and local wildlife. Eight generations have taken pride in producing a healthy food product for the people of eastern NC.

So look for their products on Aisle 1 and continue to buy local to support local!

Special Reprint: Willy Street Co-op

Would you just like to spend less on food and bank the savings for your old age? You can do this and still eat well and organically with just a little effort.

If you watch television advertising or read popular magazines, you might think that the only way to eat well without spending a fortune is to pick up all the name brand products you can find, but if you shop this way the only wallets you will fatten are those of big business. At the same time you will probably be consuming far too much sodium, sugar and fat for good health.

Artificially low prices
Why do prices for conventional grocery items often seem so much lower than prices for the same foods produced in a sustainable way? The biggest food corporations are heavily subsidized by the government—we supply those funds with our tax dollars. Corporations often choose to focus solely on increasing profits for their shareholders, rather than increasing wages for workers or paying to repair environmental damage they have created. Conventional agriculture relies heavily on chemical pesticides and fertilizers to increase yields cheaply, but does not count the cost to the environment. And big agribusiness lacks competition—only ten companies produce over half the products found in a conventional supermarket! Industrial-style food production does not return a fair price to farmers either—the wheat that goes into a loaf of conventional, big-name bread earns the farmer only about six cents. On average, well over 70 percent of the cost of most food is added after the item leaves the farm. There are many other hidden factors in the cost of food, but as you can see, brand-name supermarket prices are artificially low.

A wise investment
When you choose to buy foods that are sustainably produced, especially those that are local, you are often supporting small, family farms. Those growers receive a much larger share of the selling price than someone contracted to a corporation does. They usually invest more in labor, less in technology; more in land stewardship and less in chemicals; and they invest in the local economy with their own purchases—big corporations usually take their money away with them to corporate headquarters.

But you need to invest in your own bottom line, right?
Whether you are cooking for a family or just for yourself, we can help you get the most for your money. Fifteen dollars won’t get you caviar and foie gras for four, or even McDonald’s for the whole family, but it can get you some pretty good dinners.

Research from the University of Washington shows that the overall cost of food consumed at home has not really changed since 1980, but during that time, the cost of soft drinks has dropped 30 percent and other sweets 20 percent, and the prices for fresh fruits and vegetables have increased up to 50 percent. This is mainly due to huge subsidies to corn growers and the proliferation of the use of high-fructose corn syrup. What it means to your bottom line is that processed ‘treats’ might be eating up your food budget. The USDA’s market basket figures for December 2005 indicate a national average cost of $190 weekly to feed a family of four using their “moderate-cost” food plan. That works out to $27.14 daily, which seems generous if you are cooking mainly “from scratch” at home and easily allows you to prepare an organic dinner for four for under $15.

Tips for keeping your budget under control
• Plan your meals before you shop. Keep an eye on monthly and bi-weekly specials and incorporate sale items into your menus.

• Make a list and stick to it. This helps you avoid blowing the weekly budget. You might decide to allow yourself just one treat—or let your children choose one special thing each week. Many families find it fun to select a fruit or vegetable item that they have never tried before—this can be exciting for the young ones and you can sneak in a nutritional bonus at the same time.

• Don’t shop when you are hungry!

• Keep it simple. Using fewer ingredients means lower costs and allows the taste of the food to shine through, rather than the taste of condiments.

• Make it yourself. Homemade virtually always costs less and tastes better. Homemade pasta sauce, for example, is about half the cost of commercially prepared sauce.

• Shop the bulk aisle for pantry staples. You can buy exactly the quantity you need and save the cost of the packaging. Stock turns over quickly in the bulk aisle, assuring you a fresh product.

• Use the perishables you buy. That really good deal on cabbage isn’t so good if you end up composting it.

• If you eat meat, consider using it only a few times each week. This will save you a considerable amount of money and has the added benefit of slashing your saturated fat intake.

• Use meat as a smaller fraction of your meal. Rather than serving a quarter-pound per person, add one half-pound of ground beef to a pot of chili or pasta sauce for four people. In recommended dietary styles, such as the Asian or Mediterranean diets, meat is used infrequently and more as a flavoring agent or condiment rather than the main item on the plate.

• Use your leftovers. Many things actually taste better after a day in the refrigerator allows the flavors to blend and mellow. Leftovers are an instant free lunch, or can be refrigerated or frozen for a later dinner.

• Give some thought to how you cook and how you want to eat. Are there some specific tools or appliances that would help you achieve your dietary goals? A food processor makes vegetable prep easier for some people, while others prefer a good knife. A slow cooker can be simmering dinner while you are at work or maybe a pressure cooker would be a good investment—I use mine to cook up a few pounds of dry organic beans in about 15 minutes and then I freeze them in pints until I need them, rather than buying canned beans. The process saves me some money and I think home-cooked beans have a better flavor. A pressure cooker steams beets in 12 minutes, makes beautiful applesauce in only three minutes, and lentil soup in about ten minutes and the new styles on the market are safe and easy to use.

• If you are concerned about the amount of money you spend on convenience items, such as frozen veggie burgers, it may be time to make your own. Experiment with a few recipes, or create your own. The finished patties can be frozen on a baking sheet, then stored in an airtight freezer bag and pulled out individually to heat when needed.

• Local, seasonal produce is usually a better value than imported, so plan your menus accordingly. The side benefit is that really fresh, seasonal produce tastes much better and retains more nutrients.

• Ethnic specialties featuring whole grains, beans and vegetables are often less expensive to prepare than meat-and-potatoes fare.

Eating organic on a dime
Lisa Kivirist and her husband John Ivanko own the environmentally sustainable Inn Serendipity near Monroe, WI. (www.innserendipity.com). They are also the authors of Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life (www.ruralrenaissance.org), which is a treasure trove of information on living, eating and working sustainably and without the need for a big paycheck. Both websites will give you many great ideas for maximizing your own budget without compromising your principles. In a recent class at the Willy Street Co-op, Lisa shared many of her favorite ways to eat organic on a dime. She suggests that one way to stay on budget is, “Identifying your priorities and interests, and basing your food budgets and time around those. If you’re coming home from work and need quick supper options, by all means double-batch cook and freeze. Stock up on the items you use the most —a simple concept but one I always need to remind myself. We try to eat through our pantry every winter, using up all those things we saved up—and saving money and eating creatively in the process.”

Lisa and John are also avid gardeners. Much of their food and that for the Inn is homegrown. They strongly recommend freezing local produce in season and then enjoying that bounty all winter. One of their favorite recipes to prepare in quantity for the freezer is beet burgers—check out the recipe below.

Costing sample menus
The five sample menus shown here were priced out at Tidal Creek Co-op. Pricing for common spices and condiments is not included—we’ll assume you keep the basics in your pantry. Some convenience foods are included and you will see that those items are more expensive than simple whole-foods meals. Making these foods from scratch will save money. Some items, such as pasta, may also cost less if you are careful to buy everything in its bulk version, rather than in packaged portions. If you choose to add dessert items or other prepared foods, the cost will also be higher. These menus are all designed to serve a family of four and all include main dishes that reheat well as leftovers. Bon Appetit!

MEAL #1
Spicy Soba Noodles
• Soba noodles, Eden, 1 pkg., $2.79
• Peanut butter, bulk, 1/4 cup, 37¢
• Tamari, bulk, 1/4 cup, 41¢
• Molasses, bulk, 3 Tbs., 51¢
• Toasted sesame oil, Eden, 1/4 cup, 92¢
• Garlic, 2 cloves minced, 15¢
• Ginger, 1 Tbs. fresh minced, 18¢
• Crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp., 21¢
• Green onions, sliced 1/2 bunch, 50¢

Sesame Kale
• Kale, 1 bunch fresh, $1.99
• Garlic, 2 cloves minced, 15¢
• Toasted sesame oil, Eden, 2 tsp., 15¢
• Mandarin oranges, 4 fresh, $3.69
TOTAL FOR MEAL #1: $12.02

MEAL #2
Spicy Dal and Rice
• Red lentils, 1/2 lb., 89¢
• Ginger, 1 Tbs. fresh minced, 18¢
• Garlic, 1 Tbs. minced, 30¢
• Crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tsp., 21¢
• Lemon curry powder, 1 Tbs., 42¢
• Green onions, 1/2 bunch sliced, 50¢
• Tomato, 1 fresh peeled and chopped, $1.65
• Baby spinach, Newman’s Own, 1/2 pkg.,$3.69
• Basmati rice, bulk, 1/2 lb., $1.29
• Carrots, Tipi, 3 raw cut in sticks, 50¢
• Kiwi, 3/4 lb. fresh, $3.56
• Mango sorbet, Natural Choice, 1 pint, $4.39
TOTAL FOR MEAL #2: $17.58

MEAL #3
Spaghetti Dinner
• Whole wheat spaghetti, Bionature, 1 pkg., $2.79
• Pasta sauce, Muir Glen, 1 jar, $3.99
• Parmesan cheese, Bel Gioioso*, 1 oz., 82¢
• Meatless meatballs, Nate’s, 1/2 pkg., $2.49
• French bread, Kamm’s Farm, 1/2 loaf, 95¢
• Carrots, Tipi 3 raw, 50¢
• Broccoli, roasted, 3 cups, $5.24
*Non-organic
TOTAL FOR MEAL #5 $16.78

MEAL #4
Brats and Beans
• Chicken/Apple Brats, Applegate Farms, 1 pkg., $6.69
• Wheat buns, Rudi’s, 4 buns, $1.99
• Frozen french fries, Cascadian Farm, 1 pkg., $2.79
• Baked beans, Walnut Acres, 1 can, $2.29
• Gingersnaps, Mi-del, 16 cookies, $1.49
• Canned pineapple, Native Forest, 1 can, $2.99
TOTAL FOR MEAL # 4: $18.24

Button Up!
Last quarter (October-December 2007) 2,906 reusable bags were used by Tidal Creek shoppers. At five cents per bag a total donation of $145.30 was collected. On behalf of Tidal Creek owners and customers we will donate $71.60 to the Food Bank (Central & Eastern NC) and $73.70 to the Karen Beasley Turtle Rescue & Rehab Center located on Topsail Island.

Nominate Local Non-Profits
We want your input! Would you like to recommend a few local non-profits to be the recipient of the Button Up! Program? We are interested in supporting organization that are working toward increasing the health of the community and/or the environment.

Priority is given to neighborhood organizations focusing on food and nutrition issues, community building, sustainability, environmental preservation, or cooperative values.

No Patronage Refunds for the 2006-2007 Fiscal Year
Becoming an owner of a co-op is different from joining a discount club, neighborhood association or other group. Becoming an owner of a co-op means accepting the rights and responsibilities of a business owner. One of the many benefits of co-op ownership is the eligibility to receive a patronage refund at the end of each fiscal year.

Following completion of each year’s financial statements, the Board of Directors reviews Tidal Creek’s financial situation, its future goals and corresponding financial needs to determine the refund percentage to return to owners. For fiscal year 06-07 the Board of Directors was unable to declare a patronage refund. However, throughout the year our owners did take advantage of our owner-only discounts, yielding a savings of $15,342.

We are optimistic about our future. We thank you for your continued support. Be assured that when the opportunity presents itself that we will issue dividends and refunds.

Correction:
The subscription price for Black River Organic Farm CSA was misprinted. The 2008 season is $260 with a discount of $20 if paid by February 15th!

Q: Is there a way to program the POS to automatically recognize “Feel Good Fridays”? It’s a benefit we offer but cashiers don’t always remember ans the savings add up after a few weeks.

A: Unfortunately our POS isn’t equipped for this auto function. However, we’re discussing ways for our cashiers to better recall to apply the discount. We know this is a valued 5% discount and appreciate you for voicing your concerns.

Q: Please post bulk recipes, like for hummus, so that customers can copy them. The recipe cards are often out of stock or unavailable.

A: Great idea. We will post the recipe and will continue to make the recipe cards available.

Q: Can you make un-chicken wraps with the traditional un-chicken salad rather that the tarragon un-chicken salads? Or maybe in conjunction with? Cause it’s good. REALLY REALLY GOOD!

A: Thank you. We will take this into consideration.

Q: Please carry a nutrition bar (ie. Cliff or Luna) that is nut free.

A: We are looking into it!

Q: Will you please start carrying Skin Trip by Mtn Ocean Again!!!!

A: It’s back on the shelf. Look for it on aisle 5.