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JANUARY/APRIL 2014
VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 1
calendar
January
Third Thursday of the month:
Super Thursday members receive a
10% discount
Story Time Wednesday morning
10:30-11:00 a.m.
February
Third Thursday of the month:
Super Thursday members receive a
10% discount
Takoma Park Play Day –
sample table 2-4 p.m.
Valentine Cards: stop by and make a
valentine card February 8th & 9th
Story Time Wednesday morning
10:30-11:00 a.m.
March
Third Thursday of the month:
Super Thursday members receive a
10% discount
Story Time Wednesday morning
10:30-11:00 a.m.
Takoma Park Art Hop –
TPSS will host an artist
April
Third Thursday of the month:
Super Thursday members receive a
10% discount
Earth Day Celebration and
Annual Yard Sale – April 27th
Story Time Wednesday morning
10:30-11:00 a.m.
Product Selection
Guidelines
Adopted by the
Board of Representatives
W
— by Emily Townsend —
hat should be on the shelves
of TPSS? How do we provide for the needs
of a diverse community? What do we, the
members of TPSS, believe in? What is good
food? These are not easy questions to answer.
TPSS Co-op has a proud history of being a
natural food store, carrying many organic
and local products and our mission statement
mentions promoting healthful living by
offering wholesome foods.
But the Co-op has not previously
attempted to articulate in writing just what we
mean by that so, well over a year ago, a handful
of member-owners took on the task of drafting
written guidelines for the products we carry.
We thought about what it means to be true
to our principles and also how to be inclusive
of diverse dietary choices and budgets. We
weighed what is good and what is practical. We
read the Product Selection Guidelines of food
co-ops all over the country and we aimed to
not radically change what our co-op is already
selling.
Once we had a draft, we met with the
General Manager and the Lead Buyer, they
gave us revisions which we tinkered with some
more. We brought the results to the Board of
Representatives. After some minor revisions,
the Board adopted the Co-op’s first ever
“Product Selection Guidelines” at the October
Board meeting.
Many thanks to the volunteers who spent
their time on this project: Meghan McCoy,
Anu Aiyar, Mary Rooker, Claretta Daniels and
Rima Shaffer. Did we get it right? The Board
can improve this document in the future,
based on feedback from our members. E-mail
us at [email protected].
Store Hours
Open Daily 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Location
Takoma Park Store
201 Ethan Allen Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 891-2667
fax: 301-891-2695
www.tpss.coop
Newsletter Team
Managing Editor: Sherri Collins
Editor: Sarah Richards
Art Director: Bettina Mills
Co-op
Management Team
G.M.
Abdi Guled
Outreach Coordinator
Sherri Collins
Finance Manager
Nevneet Ranga
Director of Administration
Marilyn Berger
Director of Operations
Al Romero
Produce Manager
Adam Tenga
Frontend Manager
Tilahun Berhe
Board of Directors
President – Tanya Whorton
Vice President – Dan Robinson
Secretary – Emily Townsend
Treasurer – Matt Hersh
Nelson Graves
Rachel Hardwick
Yanes Kahlil
Ken Firestone
Erin Gabrielson
Bill Rodgers
email: board(at)tpss.coop
Toward the Winter Solstice
(excerpt)
Although the roof is just a story high,
It dizzies me a little to look down.
I lariat-twirl the cord of Christmas lights
And cast it to the weeping birch’s crown;
A dowel into which I’ve screwed a hook
Enables me to reach, lift, drape, and twine
The cord among the boughs so that the bulbs
Will accent the tree’s elegant design.
Friends, passing home from work or shopping, pause
And call up commendations or critiques.
I make adjustments. Though a potpourri
Of Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, and Sikhs,
We all are conscious of the time of year;
We all enjoy its colorful displays
And keep some festival that mitigates
The dwindling warmth and compass of the days.
~ Timothy Steele
comments
Please send all comments to
marketing(at)tpss.coop or 201 Ethan Allen Ave Takoma Park, MD 20912. Please
include full name, full home address and/
or email address. Anonymous letters will
not be accepted. Letters may be subject to
editing for length and/or clarity.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this
newsletter are those of individuals and are
not necessarily shared by TPSS Co-op.
Get involved
in your Co-op’s
newsletter!
Now accepting articles, poetry, product
reviews and much more. Send content to
marketing(at)tpss(dot)coop.
TPSS reserves the right to edit or deny
submissions based on appropriateness.
Page 2 • TPSS Co-op Newsletter • January/April 2014
Mission Statement
The mission of TPSS Co-op
is to promote healthful living by
offering whole foods, high quality
products and community resources, in a clean, friendly co-operative
grocery store…that you own!
TPSS GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Open Membership: Membership in a
co-op is open to anyone willing to accept the responsibilities of membership,
without gender, social, racial, political,
or religious discrimination.
Democratic Control: It is the members
who make the decisions and set policy
for the co-op. Every member has equal
voting rights. One member=One vote.
Members’ Economic Participation:
Members contribute equally to and
democratically control the co-op’s capital. Profits are allocated for the good of
the Co-op and its members as well as
other activities approved by the membership.
Autonomy and Independence: Coops are autonomous. If they enter into
agreements with other organizations or
raise capital from external sources, they
do so under the control of their membership and maintain their autonomy.
Education, Training, and Information: Co-ops provide education and
training for their members and staff so
that they can contribute effectively to
the success of the co-op. They also inform the public about the nature and
benefits of cooperation.
Cooperation among Co-ops: Co-ops
serve their members and strengthen the
cooperative movement by working together at local, regional, state, national,
and international levels.
Concerns for the Community: Coops work for the sustainable development of their communities through
policies approved by their members.
BOARD REPORT: Looking Back at 2013
By Steve Dubb,
outgoing TPSS Co-op Vice Chair and Chair, Membership Committee
A
fter three years on the Board of
Representatives and four years
chairing the Membership Committee, I
chose this fall to step down and did not
run for reelection to the Board. I have
enjoyed my time of the Board, but also
felt it was time to make room for others
to serve.
I congratulate Rachel Hardwick,
Nelson Graves, and Emily Townsend on all
being elected to the Board. Emily, of course,
ran for re-election. Nelson had been on the
board from 2009 through 2011. They join
a strong board, led by Tanya Whorton and
with an experienced crew that includes
Matt Hersh, Dan Robinson, Khalil Yanes,
Bill Rogers, and Ken Firestone.
Last
October’s
membership
meeting, of course, understandably and
appropriately, was dominated by discussion
of the closure of the Silver Spring Store.
The Board has been written about this
elsewhere (see: http://www.tpss.coop/
About/SilverSpring.html), so I won’t add
much here. Suffice it to say that the closure
of the Silver Spring store was a sad moment
for all of us.
But I thought here would be a
good space to discuss some of TPSS Coop’s other work, especially the work of
management, staff, and Board to build a
stronger organization.
TPSS Co-op has unique strengths
and challenges. On the strength side, we
have a very loyal member-owner base that
has supported the Co-op consistently for
over 30 years. We also have a dedicated
management, staff, and Board. As a
board member, I have had the pleasure
of working with many managers and staff
— in particular, Abdi Guled, our general
manager, and Sherri Collins, our Co-op’s
outreach coordinator.
On the challenges side, however, we
must recognize that TPSS is not as strong
of a co-op as it should be. Under the
leadership of our current general manager,
Abdi Guled, our Co-op has gotten better,
but, quite frankly, board, managers, and
staff all know that TPSS Co-op has a long
way to go to live up to its goals and mission.
At the board level, we seek to work with
management to achieve the goals (known as “ends
statements”) outlined below:
1. TPSS Co-op will be a sustainable
cooperative enterprise that benefits the
community at large — consistent with
community needs, financial viability,
cooperative principles, healthful living,
and strong environmental stewardship.
2. Co-op members are involved in and
knowledgeable about the meaning,
benefits and responsibilities of
cooperative ownership.
3. Co-op customers have access to
goods produced in socially and
environmentally responsible ways,
with an emphasis on local and organic
foods, at reasonable prices and in
welcoming community marketplace
settings.
4. Customers are knowledgeable about
food and food related issues and can
make informed choices about healthful
living.
5. TPSS Co-op is committed to being
inclusive and accessible to the
whole community. The Co-op will
build strong linkages through its
outreach programs with surrounding
communities and nearby farmers and
businesses.
6. The TPSS Co-op staff has an
In short, the Board aims to work
with management to better achieve
the above objectives. This has required
rewriting many Board policies to better
align the Board and general manager,
in particular we have asked our general
manager Abdi Guled, to develop a set
of annual “goals and indicators” to
operationalize priorities and help us track
our progress.
We are not only having management
identify year-by-year objectives, but
we also expect to do some surveys in
the coming year to assess our progress.
This includes doing a survey of staff to
assess how well we do on providing an
empowering workplace and a survey of
member-owners and customers both on
co-op member education and on customer
service.
We recognize that improvement is a
process, but we see positive signs already.
With communications, our newsletter
comes out regularly, we have a new app,
our social media is expanded, and our
website and listserv are much improved.
With operations, more local food is now
available, the share of shelf space to
produce has increased, the Co-op now
has a backup generator to ensure that
the Co-op can stay open even if power
goes out, and so on. We also have had
more educational events (such as last
winter’s food system series) and we are
working to improve customer service
and increase the availability of affordable
food options.
Of course, member-owners make
this happen. So let us know how we are
doing (you can enter suggestions on
line at: http://www.tpss.coop/Contact/
Suggestions.html). And please consider
filling out a TPSS Co-op volunteer form at:
http://www.tpss.coop/Contact/Volunteer.
html).
There are, in short, lots of ways, large
and small, to lend a helping hand. When
you do so, you can help TPSS Co-op truly
realize its potential.
empowering and positive workplace.
January/April 2014 • TPSS Co-op Newsletter • Page 3
TPSS Co-op Product Selection Guidelines
T
akoma Park Silver Spring Co-op
promotes healthful living by offering wholesome foods, high quality products
and community resources in a clean, friendly
and cooperative grocery store ... that you own!
The following product selection guidelines were approved by the TPSS Board of
Representatives to promote healthful eating,
healthful communities and a healthful environment. They are meant to guide staff as
they exercise judgment in making decisions
about different product lines.
Members are invited to give input on
purchasing decisions, as well as the evolution
of these guidelines through the suggestion
box, interaction with our staff, or proposals to
the Board for amendment of these guidelines.
Quality
The Co-op will make every effort to provide its members with reliable sources of fresh,
high-quality, organic or sustainably grown
food, supplements and body care products.
The Co-op considers quality to include purity, freshness, taste, desirability as well as
the considerations outlined throughout this
document.
Wholesome Foods
The Co-op will prioritize foods with a
minimum of processing and refining, but
does not prohibit items solely due to processing.
The Co-op will strive to not sell products containing synthetic additives and/or artificial coloring, preservatives, and flavorings.
Organically Grown
The Co-op will emphasize organically grown food products. We will carry
organic products while keeping in mind
the following factors that may tip the balance in favor of carrying non-organic products in addition to, or instead of, organic:
1) Locally grown or sustainably produced;
2) Lack of availability of a comparable organic
product, yet consistent with the rest of the
product selection guidelines.
Genetically Modified /
rGBH
The Co-op will seek to diminish products that contain genetically modified organ-
– Approved 10/27/2013
isms (GMOs). We will make every effort to provide customers with a full range of products that,
to the best of our knowledge, do not contain genetically engineered ingredients, such as products
that are certified organic, or are explicitly labeled
as non-GMO.
The Co-op will prioritize carrying fish,
poultry, and meat products that are organic or
free of growth hormones and/or antibiotics.
We will give preference to dairy products that
are organic or free of growth hormones and/or
antibiotics.
Environmental
Types of foods or products: We will prioritize
those foods and products with the smallest carbon
footprint.
Amount and type of packaging: We will prioritize goods sold in bulk or minimal packaging,
limit the number of products sold in non-recyclable or energy-intensive packaging, encourage
recycling and use of recycled and biodegradable
containers, and encourage manufacturers and distributors to make products available in recyclable
packages.
How the food or product was made: The
Co-op will prioritize organic, biodegradable,
compostable, non-dyed paper products, and low
and no-phosphate detergents.
Where the food was made: The Co-op will
consider “food miles” impact, prioritizing those
products that require the least transportation and
result in the least pollution.
Truth in advertising: The Co-op will strive
not to carry products that make false or misleading nutritional, environmental or ingredient
claims on the package.
Animals
Eating Animals and Animal Byproducts:
Sale of animal parts and byproducts is limited to
naturally- or organically-raised animals with some
consideration also given to quality-of-life issues
in the raising and slaughtering of the animals.
Laboratory Testing on Animals: The Co-op will
carry primarily health and body care products that
are not tested on laboratory animals.
Supporting Community
and Local Products
In order to support community endeavors and locally-produced goods and produce:
The Co-op will prioritize local products that
are grown and produced within a 50-mile radius
Page 4 • TPSS Co-op Newsletter • January/April 2014
of the store and regional products that are
grown and produced within a 250-mile radius
of the store.
The Co-op will promote local sustainable farming by maintaining a network of
growers who do not use pesticides and sell
produce directly to the Co-op. These growers
will be selected through a stringent selection
process to ensure healthful, sustainable and
pesticide-free agricultural practices, regardless
of whether they have attained “organic’ certification. The phrase “TPSS Select” will be
applied to alert customers to produce that is
local and has gone through this selection process (Under Development).
The Co-op will support and encourage
other cooperatives and community endeavors.
Social consideration /
Fair Trade
The Co-op will prioritize products that
are certified fair-trade and products produced
and distributed by companies whose practices
promote safe and fair working conditions and
the welfare of communities. For products
that are being boycotted, please see the boycott policy.
Special Dietary Needs
The Co-op will attempt to meet the
needs for healthful living of those with special dietary needs such as vegan, vegetarian,
gluten-free, kosher/hallal, raw, and those with
food allergies.
The Co-op will strive to provide wholesome foods that appeal to the dietary preferences of our culturally diverse community
and meet product selection guidelines.
Economic Accessibility
In order for good food to be more accessible to all, regardless of financial status:
TPSS will carry a selection of lowpriced foods which satisfy basic nutritional
needs, yet still meet the product selection
guidelines.
TPSS may choose to stock foods otherwise excluded by product selection guidelines
if they are required for participation in WIC
or similar food-access programs.
When evaluating and selecting food
items, consideration shall be given to providing the best nutritional value for the most affordable price.
Ends & Indicators UPDATE
From the General Manager
The TPSS Board of Representatives
has established a set of Ends Statements and incorporated them into our Policy Register. I would like to share
with you, our member/owners; the steps we took in
2013 to meet these objectives.
Another goal is an ongoing one: provide excellent
customer service so that customers are welcomed upon
entering, asked if they need bagging or other assistance,
are checked out efficiently and in a friendly way. While
we have made some improvements in this area, much
remains to be done.
End #1: TPSS Co-op will be a sustainable coopera-
End #4: Customers are knowledgeable about food
tive enterprise that benefits the community at large
and food related issues and can make informed choices
consistent with community needs, financial viability,
about healthful living.
cooperative principles, healthful living, and strong
More sampling is going on, and the hugely successful
environmental stewardship.
local cheese rollout offered two days of sampling each
Measures of success include (a) meeting financial ratio
weekend in September. We have also posted signs
requirements as outlined in the Financial Conditions
throughout the store to inform and educate our
Policy; (b) decreasing shrink of unsold goods by 10%;
shoppers. Some of these signs include “What Are
and (c) increasing net margin. As of September 30, two
Sprouted Grains?” and an explanation of what BPA is.
of our three ratios met the standard, while the third was
We’ve also introduced shelf tag indicators for products
5% off. We’ve been quite successful in reducing shrink.
that are new, gluten-free, BPA- Free, Local and Vegan.
This year, bakery shrink decreased 16%, refrigerated
Our product selection committee, working with key
decreased 7%, and freezer decreased 8%. Much of this
staff, recently finalized its recommended guidelines. We
success was due to tightening our ordering process and
are working to ensure that appropriate employees can
focusing on top selling items
answer questions about the environmental, health, and
We made a concerted effort to reach out to targeted
social impact of food choices and TPSS products in
communities to attract new shoppers and members.
particular.
Flyers including discount coupons were distributed to
2500 residences surrounding the Silver Spring store.
End #5: TPSS Co-op is committed to being
Disappointingly, the effort did not result in a significant
inclusive and accessible to the whole community. The
increase in sales. With the hiring of a new Marketing
Co-op will build strong linkages through its outreach
Director, we are working on extensive plans to attract new
programs with surrounding communities and nearby
shoppers and members.
farmers and businesses.
While we are still developing a long-term IT plan, we
We have increased our selection of ethnic foods in both
have made great progress in addressing identified needs.
our freezer and grocery departments, including Indian,
All antivirus software has been updated and Catapult, our
Thai, Mexican and middle-Eastern.
POS system, has been cleared of unnecessary data. We
also trained employees on the efficient use of the
End #6: The TPSS Co-op staff has an empowering
telephone system and its capabilities. Key personnel have
and positive workplace.
been given instructions on how to access the telephone
The goal is to create an empowered workforce. I have been
messaging system from outside the building so that the
extremely encouraged by the amount of employees
message can be updated in case of emergency closing or to
coming forward with ideas on how to improve our
announce special hours or events.
operations. Talk about empowerment! When our receiver
suggested bringing in local cheeses, I gave him the
End #2: Co-op members are involved in and
go-ahead to plan and implement the entire project,
knowledgeable about the meaning, benefits and responsiincluding finding local creameries, arranging internal
bilities of cooperative ownership.
tastings to determine what cheeses to offer, helping to
To address this end, we introduced a new membership
decide which products to discontinue to make space on
packet, posted signs about member benefits, provided
the shelves, arranging publicity and signage, and
informative member newsletters at least quarterly, and
coordinating the highly successful demos. We continue
redesigned the TPSS website to be more informative and
to listen to our employees and act on their suggestions
engaging. We also greatly increased our presence and
whenever possible.
activity in social media.
Another example of employee empowerment has been
the recent promotion of two of our staff into
End #3: Co-op customers have access to goods
leadership/management roles.
produced in socially and environmentally responsible
ways, with an emphasis on local and organic foods, at
reasonable prices and in welcoming community marketplace settings.
Our goals were to introduce new product lines at
different price points and increase the amount of local
producers we support by five. We have introduced an
entire line, Field Day, which is less expensive than our
other lines, and we have expanded our local offerings by
adding seven new dairy/cheese manufacturers, one local
yogurt vendor, and three local meat vendors, with plans
to do even more.
You can see that we have made excellent progress in some
areas and some progress in others. However, much
remains to be done in these and other areas. I am
confident that once our transition from a two-store
operation is completed, we will be able to focus on all of
the ends and goals as we build a stronger, more vibrant
TPSS.
January/April 2014 • TPSS Co-op Newsletter • Page 5
join tpss co-op today
and receive a
20% off coupon!
also enjoy these member-only benefits:
Super Thursday: 10% off your total purchase
on the first Thursday of each month.
10% discount on all special orders.
In-store weekly memberships-only specials.
Your vote, your voice in the management and
direction of our Co-op.
Stop by either store and fill out a membership
form or go on our website and print it out!
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE!
Space available, please contact Sherri at marketing(at)tpss.coop for information
AD SIZES & RATES:
AD SIZE
COLOR NON-MEMBERS - COLOR B/W
NON-MEMBER - B/W
full page: 7 1/2” x 10”
2/3 vertical: 4 15/16” x 10”
1/2 horizontal: 7 1/2” x 4 15/16”
1/3 vertical: 2 3/8” x 10”
1/3 square: 4 15/16” x 4 15/16” 1/3 horizonal: 7 1/2” x 3 1/4”
1/6 vertical: 2 3/8” x 4 15/16”
1/6 horizontal: 4 15/16” x 2 3/8”
1/12 square: 2 3/8” x 2 3/8”
$100
$90
$80
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$110
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$40
Winter Squash Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 (15 - ounce) can pumpkin puree
(not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut
in chunks
3 cups homemade chicken stock or canned broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half - and - half
Crème fraiche, grated Gruyere, or croutons
(see note below), for serving (optional)
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy – bottomed
stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium
– low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent.
Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash,
chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and
simmer over medium – low heat for about
20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very
tender. Process the mixture through the medium
blade of a food mill. Return to the pot, add
the half-and-half, and heat slowly. If the soup
needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of
salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.
Cook’s Note: To serve with croutons, remove
the crusts from 2 slices of white bread, cut
them in 1/2-inch cubes, and sauté them in 1
tablespoon of butter until browned. Season
with salt and pepper.
$130
$120
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$10
Chicken Soup
with Rice
1 (4 pound) spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Romano
Salt and lots of coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup rice
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
8 cups chicken broth, divided
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced
(clean the leek thoroughly to
avoid making a gritty soup!)
1 carrot, diced
2 cups shredded chicken meat
To microwave squash, cut in half and seed. Place
1/4-inch water in a microwave safe dish. Place
squash in dish, cut sides down – sides will overlap. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on
high power 13 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup liquid in
a bowl. Shred squash and add the “spaghetti” to
bowl with liquid.
In a medium pot bring 2 cups water to a boil.
Add the rice and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil
again. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook
undisturbed for 15 minutes. Without removing the cover, take the pot off the heat and let
it sit for 5 minutes. Remove the cover, fluff the
rice with a fork, and set the rice aside.
To boil squash: cut in half and scrape out seeds.
Boil squash until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Place
1/2 cup cooking water into a bowl, then drain and
shred the squash. Transfer to a bowl with reserved
liquid.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot over mediumhigh heat, warm 1/4 cup of the chicken broth.
Add the celery, leeks, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining
broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat
to a simmer and cook, undisturbed, until the
vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken to soup and cook until heated
through, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked
rice and cook until it’s heated through, about
1 minute. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.
Cheese & Pepper
Spaghetti Squash
Toss squash with reserved liquid and dress with
extra-virgin olive oil, lots of cheese, salt to taste,
and lots of black pepper. Serve.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/
rachael-ray/cheese-and-pepper-cacio-e-pepe-spaghettisquash-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback
Page 6 • TPSS Co-op Newsletter • January/April 2014