Oshkosh Food Co-op | Co-op Grow-op Event Overview Presentation
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This PowerPoint presentation introduces the Oshkosh Food Co-op to prospective members by explaining what a food co-op is, debunking myths and showcasing the benefits of having a co-op in the community.
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Oshkosh Food Co-op | Co-op Grow-op Event Overview Presentation
- 2. Board of Directors Executive Committee โข Kelly Matthews, President โข Stephanie Gyldenvand, Vice-President โข Brenna Root, Secretary โข Lawrence Stahowiak, Treasurer Board Members โข Brenda Haines โข Cynthia Thorpe โข Paul Van Auken โข Nicole Waltemath โข Linda Windhausen
- 3. What is a food co-op?
- 4. A food co-op is a member-owned grocery store.
- 5. Co-op Myths Myth: You have to be a member to shop there. Truth: Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store.
- 6. Co-op Myths Myth: They only carry organic foods. Truth: Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available.
- 7. Co-op Myths Myth: Itโs for hippies, only. Truth: Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum.
- 8. Co-op Myths Myth: Itโs expensive. Truth: Co-ops partner together to negotiate with suppliers, helping us be price competitive.
- 9. Co-op Myths Myth: They only have bulk foods and selection is small. Truth: Co-ops carry an incredible variety of foods from locally sourced options to national brands.
- 10. Co-op Myths Myth: Itโs like the food pantry. Truth: The Oshkosh Food Co-op is a community-owned grocery store with groceries for sale. open to all. The food pantry is a non-profit, providing food at no cost to people in need.
- 11. Co-op Myths Myth: You have to volunteer there. Truth: While we welcome members who want to volunteer, there are many different ways to support the Oshkosh Food Co-op. No member is required to volunteer!
- 12. What is a co-op member? When you belong to a co-op, youโre more than a member. Youโre an owner. โข You vote to elect the Board of Directors and on key strategic decisions for the co-op. โข Many co-ops offer other member benefits, such as member discounts and the opportunity to determine where the profits are invested in the community. โข As we get closer to opening our doors, we will identify member benefits for the Oshkosh Food Co-op.
- 13. Our Journey
- 14. We are here.
- 15. Why a food co-op in Oshkosh?
- 17. TH Ranking for Local Eating http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/04/10/top-10-best-and-worst-states-eat-local
- 18. Local Businesses Reinvest Locally 4xMORE DOLLARS STAY HERE
- 19. Existing Members | June 2015
- 20. If each member introduces us to 2 other members
- 21. If each of those members introduces us to 2 others
- 22. GOAL ACHIEVED!
- 23. We invite you to join us!
Editor's Notes
- Kelly Matthews owns A Place for You Early Childhood Consulting. In her role, she helps child care organizations implement child-centered, best practices. Stephanie received her undergrad in Human Services and minor in music from UW-Oshkosh.ย She served two years as an Americorps VISTA and is currently the head organizer for ESTHER of the Fox Valley, a non-profit interfaith social justice organization.ย Lawrence has a long time interest in a healthy life style including clean, healthy and locally produced food. ย He has been a longtime member of the Outpost Natural Food Coop in Milwaukee, since co-opโs formative years in the 1970โs.ย Lawrence is retired from the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Brenna Root works at the Winnebago County Health Department as a Health Educator and re:TH!NK Youth Coalition Coordinator. Brenna is passionate about food and health, has an adventurous spirit, and is so excited to be working to make the Oshkosh Food Co-op a reality! Cynthia Thorpe is a retired nurse and administrator. An active community volunteer, Cynthia is known for sharing her leadership gifts with a wide range of community organizations โ from the Oshkosh Senior Center to First Congregational Church. Paul Van Auken has been a member of the Sociology and Environmental Studies faculty at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh since 2007, after completing a Ph.D. in sociology from UW-Madison. He conducts research on issues related to neighborhood, community, land use, planning, sustainability, and teaching and learning and is highly engaged in local affairs. Nicole Waltemath is the Accounting and Collections Manager at Verve, a Credit Union, also a member owned cooperative. ย This is where she learned first-hand what it means to work under The 7 Cooperative Principles. ย Linda Windhausen is a Data Analyst at Innovation Technologies, Inc.
- First, I want to answer the questionโฆ what is a food co-op?
- Simply putโฆ a food co-op is a ember-owned grocery storeโฆ Itโs a businessโฆ but instead of being owned by a corporation, the business is owned by its members. That keeps it very connected to the community that it serves. Generally food co-ops offer healthy food options, in addition to standard grocery items. Some co-ops have delis, coffee shops or restaurants attached to them.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- As weโve been doing presentations around the community, weโve gotten some great questions about how a food co-op operates. And, that has helped us identify some of the most common myths about food co-ops. I want to talk about some of those myths tonightโฆ You have to be a member to shop there. โ Co-ops welcome both members and non-members to shop at the store. They only carry organic foods. โ Co-ops offer a wide range of grocery options. Our goal isnโt to be the food police, but to make options available. Itโs for hippies, only. โ Co-op members come from many walks of life, many different backgrounds and represent all views on the political spectrum. Itโs expensive. โ Co-ops partner together to negotiate, helping us be price competitive. They only have bulk foods and the selection is small. โ Co-ops carry many different I have to volunteer there. Itโs like the food pantry.
- What does it mean to be a member of the Oshkosh Food Co-op? Members buy membership shares. They own the place. Like stockholders of a corporation, member owners vote to elect a governing board and to make key decisions for the co-op. In many co-ops, members receive benefits like member discounts or the opportunity to influence how profits are invested in the community.
- (Brenda) Now, I want to tell you about the Oshkosh Food Co-opโs journey thus farโฆ
- There are 7 steps to becoming a food co-op. We started the process of building membership just over 18 months agoโฆ when the Oshkosh Food Co-op officially became a legal entity. In that time, weโve grown to roughly 200 members. When we reached the 100 member mark, we conducted a community survey to assess the communityโs interest in a food co-op. And, we also completed a feasibility study to understand the market and the size of store we would need to operate to be successful in our community. Based on the research, we are anticipating development of a 4,000-5,000 square foot store that will serve Oshkosh and surrounding townships. We also expect to draw the co-op faithful from further awayโฆ cities including Appleton and Neenah. Our next steps are to conduct a financial analysis/develop pro-formas that weโll need to craft a formal business plan. We plan to do that when we reach the 300 member mark. We plan to work with a consultant from the Food Co-op Initiative, the trade association for food co-ops, who specializes in co-op start-ups. As we reach the 500 member mark, weโll develop the co-op business plan. At the 750 member mark, weโll choose a location for the co-op. Now, I know some of you have locations in mind. And, we are certainly open to hearing about those! But, we canโt realistically negotiate on a location until we have a sufficient membership body to make this real. When we reach 1,000 members, weโll kick off a capital drive. In most scenarios, the capital drive supports 25-30% of the co-opโs operations. This is a perfect opportunity for investors who want to make a socially responsible investment to get involved. Investing in the co-op is an investment in the community. With member capital and other financing secured, weโll hire staff and open our doors.
- So, why are we doing this? Why do we want a food co-op in Oshkosh? To help me tell you the top reasons we believe Oshkosh is ready for a food co-op, Iโd like to invite Kelly Matthews, our food co-op board president to the stage.
- One of the other reasons we believe Oshkosh is an ideal place for a food co-op is simply the number of farms that are located within a 90-mile radius. When weโve looked at the research, weโve found there are 300-400 agricultural producers within a 90-mile radius.
- In fact, the number of farms is one of the reasons that Wisconsin is one of the Top 10 states for local eating. In our community survey, respondents said they liked the idea of supporting local farms and knowing where their food comes from. The Oshkosh Food Co-op would not be stocked with all local foods. We will carry a much broader product range than we can source locally, because โฆ letโs face it โฆ itโs hard to get a great variety of fresh produce here in winter. But, there are many benefits to having some food sourced from our region. Itโs good for the economy. Itโs good for local agricultural producers. And, itโs great from a food security perspective.
- Our third big reason that we think Oshkosh is ideal for a food co-op is this. As a member-owned business, the food co-op will be invested in this community. Research from the American Independent Business Alliance finds that local, independent businesses reinvest 4x more dollars back into the community than their chain counterparts. But, thatโs not the only economic reason. Millennials โ the generation currently entering the workforce โ is incredibly interested in health and wellness. We believe that adding a food co-op to Oshkoshโs economic mix will make this an even more attractive place for Millennials to build companies and careers. Every employer that I talk with says talent recruitment and retention is one of their top challenges. So, making this an even more attractive place to work โ based on the amenities the community has to offer โ is also good for the future communityโs economy.
- When you heard that we need to get to 1,000 members, you may have thought opening the co-op was a long way off. We see things differently. The dots you see on this screen represent the current number of members that we have.
- If each member gets two other membersโฆ
- And, those two members each introduce us to two other membersโฆ
- We will be at 1,000 member goal. So, this really is an exercise in connecting the dots. If we can engage our membership base in referring friends and family who care about these issues, we can make this happen.
- (Brenda) Soโฆ what do you thinkโฆ is Oshkosh ready for a food co-op? One of the things Iโve learned over the last 15 years is how much this community can accomplish when it works together. Perhaps you were part of the downtown planning initiative that led to the formation of the Leach Amphitheater, the downtown redevelopment and more. Perhaps you helped launch Wave Roboticsโฆ or Growing Oshkoshโฆ or the Inclusive Playground at South Park. Perhaps you played a role in the new Pollock Community Water Park. When this community pulls together, almost anything is possible. So, we are asking you tonight if you will help us do this again. Do what Oshkosh does best and pull together to help us make the Oshkosh Food Co-op a reality.