AUGUST 2008 BREADROOT NATURAL FOODS CO-OP NEWSLETTER
Dear Breadroot Members:
It's harvest time! Check out these new items in the store:
* Local produce update: We have beets, radishes, collards, chard, and kale from Paul Pierson of Hermosa, tender cucumbers and fresh zucchini from DC Gardens, and sweet strawberries from Spearfish, plus beans, peas, squash, and more so check it out! Our produce price list is updated online every Monday and Friday night to reflect our current selection, just look online and you can see what we have.
http://breadroot.com/produce_list To access this list from the Breadroot.com web site, select "This week's produce" from the inventory list on the left"
* Breadroot is expanding suppliers to bring high-quality, affordable goods to our community. We just received a shipment of gourmet Extra Virgin olive oil, cold pressed this spring from a family farm in Greece called Shoreline. The product comes in .5 liter, 1 liter, and 3 liter tins. These tins remain at their excellent, fresh quality for over a year, and are freshness dated on top. Breadroot will order once yearly immediately following the harvest for the freshest product. Compare price and quality for yourself!
* We just received an order from RSVP, a fine resource for kitchen utensils. The store has two countertop compost buckets - come see the quality and check out the RSVP catalog, as well as our other suppliers and Swissmar cutting and grating tools.
* Sprouted Almonds are available again - plain, chocolate covered, and yogurt covered. The sprouted almonds are higher in protein, and have a crisp, salty flavor - an excellent snack! They come from the Sprouted Almond Company in Sheridan, Wyoming.
VOLUNTEER AND GET A DISCOUNT ON IN-STORE PURCHASES:
Do you love Breadroot as much as we do? We could use a few more volunteers - and as a bonus you receive a discount on in-store purchases. We have openings for afternoon shifts as cashier, evening shifts on Monday and Fridays to receive the produce shipments (7:30 to 9:30 PM), and Thursday morning help with receiving our dried-goods shipment (any time on Thursday, 6AM to 6PM, unloading boxes, pricing items, filling shelves, arranging the items aesthetically, packaging
bulk items, etc). Applications are available at the store.
Thanks to all the Breadroot volunteers! Their dedication to our mission of providing healthy, whole foods at a fair price make it all possible. And thanks to our customers who support us - it's your
cooperative!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION:
Nominations for the Breadroot Board of Directors election will be taken in September, with the election in October. Elected members will hold a 2-year term, and are required to attend BoD meetings and participate in email discussions and decisions.
SPECIAL ORDERS UPDATE:
To make the labor of sorting special orders more equitable, Breadroot is changing the special order service fee. As of August 1, 2008 there will be a $3.00per case/split case/single item charge, rather than a flat 20% mark-up. The fine print:
- Service fee will not exceed 40% of the item cost, even small items will still be available at 10% less than the shelf price. (Example: a $2 lip balm will have an $0.80 service fee, not a $3.00 service fee.)
- Items that cost less than $15 can be ordered at "3 makes a case" to allow one fee instead of three - ie a $10 item would have a $3 fee, but if you order three of them the fee would remain $3.
- Previously special orders were subject to a service fee of 20% of the wholesale cost of the product. This model did not reflect the labor (service) involved in preparing the order. (20% service fees on a $60 case of juice is $12 but involved handling only one item, while the service fee for assembling an order of five different items that cost $4 each would only generate a service fee of $4, yet involved significantly more staff service time.)
- The total revenue for the co-op from special order fees is expected to remain the same, but will benefit those ordering full cases. Splitting a case, and the handling of multiple small items, requires extra labor/service which the per item service fee schedule reflects. (The co-op will earn a service fee of $3.00 on a $40 case of nuts, rather than $8 as it would on the 20% model, but if that case of nuts has to be bulked out between four customers (requiring extra staff time) each customer will pay $3.00, for a total revenue for the co-op of $14 on the case of nuts.)
Questions? See a staff member at the store or call 605-348-3331
HOW TO PLACE A MONEY-SAVING SPECIAL ORDER: Members can find tips online at http://www.breadroot.com/ordering or call the store during business hours for assistance – 348-3331.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS:
Members: bring in a guest and they can shop like a member for a day (5% discount). (one time per guest only)
Forwarding these newsletters is encouraged. With rising food prices, Breadroot is a great source of high quality food at reasonable prices. Anyone can shop in the retail store. Members can place money-saving special orders: see http://www.breadroot.com for details.