Happy Campers
Q: Hi: I shop at both West and North where there is more room for new products so either would be fine. Neither store currently carries an organic, gluten-free bread. I am forced to therefore buy online from Happy Campers who make the best IMO. I buy all four breads made by Happy Campers. My favorites are the cinnamon raisin and the molasses and buckwheat. Would love to see all four of their breads stocked at the North store so I don't have to pay for shipping. I know other owners would love an organic GF option too. Thanks.
A: Thank you for your comments and questions about our gluten-free bread selection. I just sent an email to Happy Campers asking them about distribution in the Great Lakes region. Hopefully we can get their products here.
I appreciate you pointing out that we do not have an organic, gluten-free bread option in our stores. I agree that many would enjoy having one available. Have a great day! -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Local Apples
Q: Hi, I was at the coop for one of my bi-weekly visits and noticed the abundance of apples which are in season here, but then I saw at least two were from Chile and New Zeiland. Why are we bringing in apples from so far when we have multiple varieties of them in WI? I know some growers can't grow enough, but there has to be more you can partner with vs bringing them from so far creating a huge carbon footprint, just to have those varieties or whatever reason you do it. I would think people would be fine with smaller amounts of local ones. That's a big part of why many of us shop at the coop.
A: Thanks for the comment! I can definitely understand why it seems odd to find imported apples on our shelves during the height of local apple season.
All but two of our apple varieties are local and/or domestic right now. The exceptions are Pink Lady and Ambrosia. These are two of our best selling apple varieties year-round, and when we don't have them on our shelves we get a lot of customer requests for those specific varieties. Both Pink Lady and Ambrosia are among the latest apples to ripen domestically. Last year's domestic crop has been exhausted, so imported apples from New Zealand are the only thing that's available on the market right now. I would expect the domestic crop on both of these varieties to start up within the next month, and we'll switch to those domestic Pink Lady and Ambrosia apples as soon as we have access to them.
Regarding carbon footprint, surprisingly, in our summer and early fall, importing fresh apples from the Southern Hemisphere is often a better option than sourcing domestically grown apples that have been stored from the previous fall. The imported apples were picked much more recently, and they are shipped on large container ships, which is by far the most efficient means of transportation for fresh produce. There are a lot of variables that are specific to each lot of apples, but when you compare the carbon footprint of imported apples shipped via barge vs. domestic fruit held in controlled atmosphere cold storage for ten months or more, the imported fruit is often similar, or even a better choice in terms of total carbon emissions during certain parts of the year. This short video from the Financial Times does a great job of explaining this phenomenon: channels.ft.com/en/foodrevolution/real-carbon-footprint-food/.
I can completely understand that you want to purchase local apples in our stores right now, and we have a really great selection! We are currently sourcing from three local Wisconsin growers (one organic, two conventional), and we have a good selection of organic Washington grown commercial varieties as well (varieties like Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith that don't grow well in our region). We always include origin on our signage so our customers know exactly what they are purchasing.
I hope this is helpful information. Have a wonderful day! Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Recyclable Plastics
Q: Within the past year, it has become much more difficult to buy food that comes in recyclable plastic (or paper/cardboard). This is a general trend I've noticed in every grocery store I frequent, so I'm not singling out Willy Street Co-op.
Is there any way to get alternatives that are in more recyclable packaging? There are alternatives (which you carry... e.g. Sno-Pac, some Beyond Meat, Sesmark), and I'm wondering if there are more. #rant I find it ironic that a lot of organic foods are being packaged in non-recyclables.
A: Thanks for the question! It's hard to know how to answer without getting a better idea of which specific products you are looking for in recyclable packaging. I can say that sourcing, generally, has become infinitely more challenging during the covid-19 pandemic. There are definitely times when we don't have as much choice as we used to in terms of brand or packaging material, but that doesn't mean we can't try!
If you can give me some examples of what you've been seeing, I could likely give you a more specific answer. Thanks! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Bulk Spices
Q: Hi, I wonder if you are including spices when you talk about a reduction in bulk sales. If so, it may be better to think of them separately. When bulk sales stopped, and some of the spices in jars also started to be out of stock, I bought large supplies of the ones that were still available. Even though bulk spices are back, I’m still working through those stockpiled jars, and will be for awhile. I’m probably not the only one in this position.
A: Thank you for your comments and question!! For Willy Street, packaged spices are technically considered Packaged Grocery items. Bulk spices are a part of our Bulk sales. Overall the sales for Bulk products have been much lower than before March of 2020, when the pandemic started. We will often look at our sales data based on last year versus this year, or even two years ago, to compare how we are doing. Despite the section being open again, Bulk sales have not rebounded to early 2020 or 2019 levels, since it was shut down in Spring of 2020.
I hope this helps explain our comparison a bit better. I appreciate your perspective! -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Yogurt Tasting
Q: Could you do a yogurt tasting? There are so many different types and brands.
A: Great idea! We're currently on a break from sampling foods and beverages due to the mask mandate, but when that is lifted, we can consider doing something like this. I'll share the idea with our new Branding & Promotion Specialist who will be overseeing many of our events.
Have a nice week! -Brendon Smith, Communications Director
Compostable Food Scraps
Q: Does Willy St. Co-op accept compostable food scraps or homemade compost?
A: Thanks for asking. The composting services we have available are for the food scraps from Co-op food preparation, and for dining at the store. We do not have the capacity to accept food scraps dropped off by customers. The City of Madison has guidance for the public on their website at www.cityofmadison.com/streets/food-scraps/Scrap.cfm, and you can find information about home composting and private vendors that collect food waste from households there. I hope that helps! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Peaches
Q: I don’t usually complain about the produce, but I must say how disappointed I was with the organic peaches from Washington. I bought two bags for about $27.00 - yikes. And in two days i had about halve of them go moldy before they got ripe. Once they ripened the taste was not that good. What a disappointment. I don’t know if you refund for produce , but what ever you do please do not buy these peaches again.
A: Thanks for the comment. I'm so sorry you had trouble with the peaches you bought at Willy East.
I'm not sure if you had a chance to read it, but I wrote an article for our July Reader all about peaches, and I get into some detail there about how this can happen. Usually, the cause of peaches that don't ripen correctly has to do with what happens to them during transport from the orchard to our stores—and unfortunately, many times we can't tell that they are going to ripen poorly until they've left our stores. I actually had a very similar experience with the same lot of peaches you are referring to. We had a few shipments of truly amazing Washington peaches, and so I stocked up and purchased a whole bunch only to find (after I got them home) that that particular shipment wasn't ripening properly. They were all from the same orchard as the peaches that had been really good, and before they ripened they looked great, but they had come across the country in a different truck. Most likely the poor quality ones were exposed to colder temperatures than they could handle somewhere en route.
Anyhow, again, I'm really sorry you had this experience. I will have a refund prepared for you, you'll just need to stop by the Customer Service desk at Willy East to collect it. Have a wonderful day! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Online Classes
Q: Wonder if there are any options for your classes besides being there in person? Any way to join online? I live an hour and a half away and only get there to shop every other Monday. I've seen some interesting ones by Katy Wallace, but they are not usually on Monday. Thanks for your time!
A: I have good news for you! Katy Wallace's lectures are currently being offered virtually via Zoom, and you can register for them at willystreet.coop/events. We are also offering the Cooking Together and Kids in the Kitchen series virtually, and the same registration link applies for those too. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Kernza
Q: Does the Co op sell any products made with the perennial grain kernza? I understand that it is nutritious but also advantageous because its long roots sequester much carbon.
A: Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don't have any products in our stores that have kernza as an ingredient. We've heard of it, and would love to try it out, but it doesn't seem like many manufacturers have incorporated it into ready-for-market products yet. I do know that Cascadian Farms is doing some trials, so hopefully they'll have something ready for market soon.
I hope that's helpful. Thanks so much! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Wonderstate
Q: I am writing to request that Wonderstate Big Dipper be offered in the bulk bin. It used to be offered and now is only in the prepackaged bags. I really wish you could bring it back to the bin. Thanks for considering.
A: Thank you for your comments and request! We have not been offering as many bulk bin coffee options, because the sales in bulk have not rebounded very well since we had to shut down the section last year.
I reached out to our Wonderstate Coffee Rep and here is what they said: "We probably wouldn't switch the Big Dipper with one of our current bulk offerings, but as bulk sales trend upwards, we may consider adding additional bulk bins again. Bulk sales have picked up a little, but maybe not quite enough to warrant bringing back more bulk bins. I'll keep a close eye on bulk sales vs. kilo sales (since the kilos currently hold the space where additional bulk bins used to be), and we will consider bringing back more bins as those bulk sales trend upwards."
I appreciate your feedback on what we are carrying and what you would like to see. Hopefully the Bulk section will pick up again and we can get the Big Dipper back in a bulk bin for you. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager