International Day of Cooperatives!

Did you know that the first Saturday of July is International Day of Cooperatives?  It serves as a GLOBAL platform to recognize and celebrate the impacts of cooperatives on millions of people's lives.

“Cooperators around the world will unite under the theme ‘Cooperatives for Sustainable Development’. Rooted in our shared values and principles, co-ops are hardwired to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which range from gender equity and reduced inequality to climate action and affordable clean energy.”    

-Yaneidy Lora (NCBA-CLUSA and International Cooperative Alliance)

It's awesome, isn't it? We are a part of this. Be curious.  Be proud. Shop CO-OP!

-Kathy Faith
CNFC Board of Directors

Let's Go To Chico!

I am very pleased to have been recently initiated to the Chico Natural Foods Cooperative Board of Directors. I relocated to Chico in 2014 with my husband, Mitch, from the Hilo side of the Big Island where, as a registered architect, I had maintained a small but lucrative architectural office in the city of Hilo since 1998.

I met Mitch in Hawaii shortly after he moved there from Chico in 1999. Working in construction and playing music while attending the Music Department at Chico State, Mitch had forged and maintained many connections and had always spoken so highly of his many friends and experiences here over the 15 years he had lived here. So, when we had decided to return to California to be closer to family, Chico was a great choice for both of us. We feel quite blessed to be a part of this amazing community.

As we began to settle in, I started looking for opportunities to become involved with something meaningful here. There are so many wonderful organizations. It was during the latest Member-Owner Appreciation Day that I spoke at some length with current Co-op board president and members and was told about an opening on the board. I have been supporting local natural food stores my entire adult life, so naturally I joined the Co-op as soon as we landed. I am a huge fan of the store and all those who have made it what it is today. I see the Co-op as a major hub of the greater Chico community and I am excited to be a part of its continued development.

-Valerie Simpson
CNFC Board of Directors

All Aboard!

It has been a wild and wonderful ride serving on the Board of Directors of this great little store.  They say that at first serving on a Board of a natural foods co-op is like stepping aboard a moving train.  It doesn’t really stop for you. Luckily there are always some people who have been on the train for a while and know the ropes. 

I am just beginning to settle into the grounding effect and tremendous support of our governance system. As I start to GET what it is all about and our board responsibilities, I can relax and look around at my fellow board members and begin to enjoy them and the co-creating we can do.  

We need new directors now, so come to a Board meeting as a guest. See who we are and what we do and how we do it. Our elections for directors will be upon us soon. To become a director, you must have been a Co-op owner for 6 months.  We need diverse voices representing our whole community.  

Bring yours!

-Kathy Faith,
Board of Directors

Always Be Saving With Co+op Basics

The Co-op brings you great prices on the best food.

Looking to stretch your grocery budget? We want to help! That’s why we have our Co+op Basics program. Co+op Basics offers everyday low prices on many popular grocery and household items. From milk to beef to cereal, you’ll find affordable everyday essentials throughout the store.

Many of our Co+op Basics items are from Field Day. We love Field Day because most of their food products are certified organic and made in the USA (some items may have imported ingredients). To be certified organic, a product can’t contain GMOs, but for those products that are not certified organic, Field Day has made a commitment to non-GMO sourcing, as well. 

At the co-op, we have strong relationships with many of the popular national brands you know and love and we will always offer products made by our favorite local, small and fair trade producers, too. Including Field Day items in our product selection is just another way we are working to increase access to healthy, delicious food and make the co-op an option for more people in the community so they can discover all that we have to offer!

Don’t forget to take advantage of the many great ways to save when shopping the co-op:
· Co+op Basics – get dozens of your most essential grocery items at our everyday low prices;
· Co+op Deals – our biweekly flyer focused on packaged grocery
· Fresh Deals – our weekly flyer focused on fresh produce, meat/seafood and deli
· Owner Rewards Points – ownership has its perks; owners earn points on every purchase you make in the store

Holiday Turkeys at the Co-op

The Co-op is pleased to announce that we will have an abundance of Diestel Family Ranch turkeys available for purchase for the holidays. CNFC has partnered with Diestel as our turkey provider for many years because they share our passion for sustainable agriculture and high standards of animal welfare. Learn more about these turkeys below, and don’t forget about our great turkey special this year: spend $150 or more in a single transaction between 11/14 - 11/24, and save 50% off your turkey!

We will be carrying four varieties of Diestel turkeys this year:

No Antibiotics Ever Whole Turkey: $3.29/lb

The Original Diestel turkey. These all-natural, slow-grown birds are given the time and space they need to develop naturally to produce the tender, juicy, bold flavor you’d expect of a Diestel bird.

Non-GMO Whole Turkeys: $3.49/lb

Diestel’s classic, delicious, slow-raised turkey, raised on an entirely Non-GMO diet. It’s Non-GMO certified, so you don’t have to worry! Save an extra 50% on your Non-GMO certified turkey when you spend $150 or more at the Co-op!

ORGANIC HEIDI’S HENS: $4.69/LB

Treat yourself and your family to a humanely raised, organic turkey this year. The Heidi’s Hens line of turkeys from Diestel is USDA certified organic as well as Non-GMO project verified.  They are the popular Broad Breasted White turkeys, which guarantee ample amounts of white meat. Spend $150 at the Co-op, and get your Organic Turkey for half off—the best deal in town!

ORGANIC AMERICAN HEIRLOOM: $4.99/LB

Heirloom turkeys are prized by chefs around the world for their superior flavor. Diestel raises a mix of Auburn, Black, and American Bronze Turkey breeds. These breeds predate the Broad Breasted White which currently dominates the market. They grow slower, allowing them time to pack on the fat that enriches their flavor. Diestel’s Heirloom turkeys are also USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO project verified! This is a previously frozen bird. And don’t forget—you can save half on this turkey if you spend $150 or more at the Co-op!

WE BEGIN TAKING RESERVATIONS ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST 
CALL (530) 891-1713 or come in the store to place your turkey order.

No deposit is necessary at the time of ordering.

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Roasting intructions from Diestel Family Turkey Ranch: 
http://diestelturkey.com/roasting-instructions/

Owner Drive!

Starting next week, the Co-op will be having an Owner Drive! If you (or a friend or family-member) have been thinking about investing in Chico’s only community-owned grocery store, there is no better time than the present!

For the next two weeks (September 5th - 18th) new owners (and fully investing existing owners) will receive a gift bag full of amazing local products. The first twenty-five new owners to sign up will receive free local items from:

Chico Chai
Nor-Cal Nitro
Salsa de Oro
R.W. Knudsen
Sierra Nevada Creamery
Lundberg Farms

The contents of these all-local gift bags will change throughout the length of the drive. What won’t change is that there is no better time to go all-in on Chico’s Co-op!