The Marquette Food Co-op prides itself on offering a one-stop shopping experience for quality, healthy foods with nutritional integrity and an extensive range of vitamins, minerals and natural remedies and supplements. We support U.P. farmers and producers by offering their products throughout all departments. Browse our department pages to find out more.
A few weeks back we shared our excitement about the introduction of Michigan cheeses to our cheese cooler that went like this:
“For so many Michigan Made products there seems to be a wall at that big bridge called the Mackinac. The good news is we are continuing to reduce that impedance value.
And now we’ve learned of a way to get Grassfields Organic Farmstead Gouda from Coopersville to the U.P.! (Coopersville is Northwest of Grand Rapids).
The “Farmstead” part means it’s made from raw milk from the farm’s own grass-fed year round, Animal Welfare Approved (www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org) herd of cattle.
This small batch artisan Gouda is an exciting development in our access to Michigan cheeses.”
Next time at the Co-op try Grassfield Gouda’s little sister Lamont Cheddar!
Visit www.grassfieldscheese.com to lean more about the 5th generation Meerman Family farm!
Introducing three new brands of chocolate!
The regionally produced B.T. McElrath Chocolatiers has been named by Chocolatier Magazine as one of the top 20 artisan chocolate makers in the United States, and has also been featured in Cool Hunting, Bon Appetit, USA Today, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Better Homes & Gardens, Minnesota Monthly, Mpls/St.Paul Magazine, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Read the delicious descriptions on the packages and you’ll know you can’t pass them by!
Fearless Chocolate Company makes their bars from 70% organic RAW cacao – which their package claims is among the healthiest whole foods on the planet – organic whole cane sugar and organic herbs packaged in brilliantly humorous post-consumer recycled packaging.
Available in Matcha green tea peppermint, exploding coconuts and sweet & hot hibiscus ginger.
For the delicious fun of it – or for health apparently – these unique and compelling bars are worth a try!
Sweetened with stevia, Lily’s Sweets Fairtrade dark chocolate offers “25% fewer calories. 100% indulgence.”
All are made from cocoa with traceable, high integrity providence. Three new brands you can trust.
Short’s Brewing Company of Elk Rapids has been doing some creative things with ales, and Soft Parade is no exception. Short’s has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation due to their popular fermentations.
They call it a fruit infused rye ale fermented with fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. We don’t know if it’s the apex of their creativity”, but I can tell you it is refreshing on a summer-ish kind of day!
And as they say, “Handmade by people who care in Northern Michigan.”
Post by Bryan.
Our Front End Manager Jamie Metevier presented at Marquette General Hospital today, and featured this simple, healthy recipe:
Preheat oven to 275°F. Remove the ribs from the kale, and cut into 1.5-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through (about 20 minutes). Serve and enjoy!
Click here for sales running May 2 – May 15.
Click here for sales running May 16 – May 29.
Click here for May Owner Buys—sales just for Co-op owners!
Check out our Mother’s Day gift baskets, featuring all sorts of items, from local body care products to great wine. Pick one up near our registers before it’s too late!
Check out the agenda for April 17th’s meeting and the draft minutes from the March meeting. Board meetings are held in the Co-op conference room at 6pm. Everyone is welcome!
Click here for the agenda and meeting minutes.
This weekend we set up a new baby – toddler – kids end cap!
It includes the few old favorites we’ve stocked all along…
…And 6 shelves of new organic products – from junior juice boxes to smoothies to puffs - including 3 additional recipes of Earth’s Best baby food jars which are on Co+op Deals sale through next Tuesday.
(We’ve also learned that “big kids” (i.e. Co-op employees) really enjoy those new smoothie things quite a bit, too!)
(Thanks to the Papin kids for stopping by the Co-op & playing along this afternoon!)
3 Month aged Manchego is at a special 10% off sale through the month of April!
This sheep cheese imported from the Mancha region of Spain is being sampled each Tuesday this month!
That means only 2 Tuesdays remain after today (the 17th and the 24th.)
Today’s samples are making their way to the floor as I type!
New to the Co-op’s wine selection are Yellow + Blue’s Monastrell (Spain) and Torrontes (Argentina)!
Yellow + Blue packages their organic wines made from hand picked grapes in one- liter “Tetra Paks”, for a versatile, well-crafted vintage.
Let’s say that again: One liter (not 750 mL). Tetra Pak. Organic. $8.99.
Good to know – Tetra Paks are now OK to add to the single stream recycling in the City!
Responsible and affordable.
Think of the possibilities!
Coming Soon: Two new products from Amy’s kitchen should hit the freezers by Saturday.
(From Amy’s web site:)
We love that pizza is a comfort food you can share and make memories around. Our Vegan Margherita Pizza with Daiya Cheeze is a delicious vegan and dairy-free take on a classic, and is sure to bring your friends and families together.
Amy’s new Sandwich Rounds are light and tender, easy to toast or use for sandwiches, and delicious enough for all to enjoy . . .not only those who are gluten intolerant. Just thaw or toast and top with your favorite spread or sandwich filling.
Want to dye eggs without the chemicals? Check out this great article from our bulk herbs and spices supplier, Frontier.
Check out these great events happening on NMU’s campus for
“Down to Earth Week”!
Thursday, March 29
Workshop – “Getting started with alternative energies”
6pm in 2902 West Science Building
Friday, March 30
Workshop – “Bringing fresh and local to campus”
10am in 2904 West Science Building
Saturday, March 31
A ‘Lichen Walk’ through Wetmore
Meet 11am at the NMU Green House
(Brought to you by the Sun & Pine Nature Club)
The United Nations has declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives. Keep up with our website throughout the year as we highlight other cooperatives we partner with to help “build a better world” through our collective social, economic and environmental impacts!
Co-ops & Coffee 101
There’s a lot involved the marketing of any crop, and coffee is no exception. Growers, middlemen, exporters, speculators, roasters, retailers all have a stake in your morning cup. Coffee is traded on the world market as a commodity. The value of coffee beans is second only to oil as a worldwide export.
Arabica coffee as a crop grows in tropical regions at elevations from 1000-6000 feet in the Americas, Africa, and the Asian Pacific. About 90% of coffee is grown in developing nations, while most of the beans are exported to the industrialized Northern Hemisphere.
Although coffee does not show up on your “dirty dozen” produce list of which conventionally grown crops to avoid, the application of pesticides on conventionally grown coffee plantations might rival the notoriously oversprayed cotton industry.
By purchasing alternative market coffees – fair- and direct-trade – you are supporting the locally organized and governed growers and exporting Cooperatives founded by the farmers themselves.
These cooperatives are the engine behind socially just, high quality coffee beans, allowing the farmers to grow without the use of pesticides and ensure sustainable prices for their beans by avoiding sales to “coyote” middlemen.
The work being carried out by these cooperatives is impressive, bringing their communities access to resources such as credit, information, and more sustainable markets in diversified economies – all working for something more than just coffee!
Learn more about your favorite coffee beans, roasts and blends by visiting MFC’s roasters on the web. Many of the sites host interactive maps that allow you to “track your beans” from farm to cup!
http://greatnoroco.com/ of Traverse City, Michigan.
Roasting the unique directly-traded “super-eco” Birds, Bees and Trees roast from Nayarit Mexico.
http://highergroundstrading.com/ , a small-batch artisan roasterie, also in Traverse City.
http://www.justcoffee.coop/ of Madison, Wisconsin.
Delivered in their local area by bicycle and biodiesel!
http://www.peacecoffee.com/ crafting their coffee experience in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
http://www.equalexchange.coop/ , supplying us from Minneapolis, Minnesota; based in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
An originator in the Fair Trade Market.
http://deansbeans.com/ making coffee and the world a better place
from Orange, Massachusetts.
http://www.cafemam.com/ from Eugene, Oregon.
Trading with native Mayan farmers in Chiapas Mexico and Guatemala.
“Cooperatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility.”
