Peach Buying
Q: Thanks very much for your well-written (Reader July 2021 peach-buying guide. I was glad to learn, via your article, the most common reason peaches become mealy. A few years back I become aware of the flavor uniqueness of white peaches, and ever since have tried to keep track of the short duration of their availability at the Coop. (Too brief, no?) Last week I spotted, then bought, some Door County peaches at the Coop—lovely—and was glad to read your article's section, "Know Your Origin." Again, I very much appreciated what your article taught us peach buyers.
A: Thank you for the lovely email. It brightened my Monday morning. I'm so glad you found my article helpful! All the best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Expired Account
Q: I'm reaching out because I forgot to make an equity payment, which caused my account to expire. So, I'm wondering if there's a way I can reactivate my Owner account?
A: Thank you for reaching out regarding your Ownership account!
In order to reactivate your Ownership account you simply need to come into one of our stores and make an equity payment. If you try to make a purchase at any of our sites the cashier will see that you owe an equity payment and can assist you at that time. You also can just stop by the Customer Service desk and they can take a payment.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. Enjoy your day! -Rosalyn Murphy, Owner Records Administrator
Laundry Squares
Q: I bought a box of the new EcosNext laundry squares and was super disappointed that it came in a plastic box hidden inside the cardboard box. I have emailed them to express my disappointment, but it does look like they also carry a plastic-free option (Ecos Plant Powered detergent squares). Is that something we are able to get in at the Co-op instead? I was pretty bummed to have specifically looked for a detergent that didn't come in plastic only to find a plastic box hidden inside.
A: Thank you for your comments and questions regarding the EcosNext liquidless laundry sheets. It is disappointing to hear that there was any plastic packaging, since that was what we were trying to avoid. The EcosNext liquidless laundry sheets are new for us, so we thought we would give them a try due to the lack of plastic packaging.
I appreciate you sending us the new product information. Their detergent squares sound pretty good. I looked for the new Ecos Plant Powered Laundry Detergent Squares, but unfortunately they are not available through our distribution channels yet. I will keep an eye out for them and hopefully they will show up in our product catalogs soon. Once they are available to us, I will speak with the Grocery Manager at Willy North about trading out the liquidless laundry sheets for their laundry squares. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Red Curry Tofu Wraps
Q: Since most of the time people are inspired to send feedback it is negative, I wanted to pass along compliments on the red curry tofu wraps. They are incredibly delicious and a great grab-and-go meal! I brought some to share with out of town friends on a hike recently, and now they request them anytime I come visit. We are so grateful to have the co-op in our neighborhood!
A: Thank you for the positive feedback! I sent your message to the Kitchen Director so he can share that with his staff. We really appreciate the message and are so delighted that you and your friends enjoy that wrap. It is one of our favorites! I hope this message finds you well. -Amanda Ikens, Owner Resources Coordinator
Bird-Friendly Coffee
Q: Does the Coop sell any coffee certified by the Smithsonian as bird-friendly?
A: Thank you for your questions and comments! Willy Street Co-op does not sell any coffee certified by the Smithsonian as bird-friendly to my knowledge. Most of the coffee we sell comes from small producers and it is shade grown. I appreciate you sharing the article about the subject. It was very informative.
I am going to reach out to our current coffee suppliers and see if they are specifically working with any of the certified coffee farms on the list that the Smithsonian provides online. I am curious to find out how many of the Co-ops and farms they work with are certified bird friendly.
Thank you for letting us know what you are looking for in our stores. It is very helpful! -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Disappearing Yogurts
Q: Hello, I have been wondering why the organic valley yogurts have been disappearing from the Willy Street Coop East one by one? First the small, fruits flavored then the quart sized grass-fed plain. I find it disappointing that in the dairy state, the most local option for a quart size plain yogurt is from Iowa. Thank you.
A: Thank you for your comments and question. Organic Valley stopped making their organic yogurt when the pandemic started and their 24 oz. tubs were the last to go away in the fall of 2020. Odyssey makes Greek yogurt in Green County and we sell it at Willy East and Willy North. They have a 24 oz tub. Unfortunately, there are not too many local yogurt companies making organic yogurt. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Curbside Burgers
Q: I called the curb side today to order a burger. I was told that the store was out of burgers. I asked how long it would take them to get me a patty going they said a couple hours. He then added someone just ordered 7 burgers so that was why. I don’t care that’s not my problem. You’re a grocery store with plenty of ground beef. Figure it out. I will not be ordering a burger from you again. It’s simply not okay to run out of stock and should be resolved immediately. That is my expectation as a curb side customer. Thank you.
A: Thank you for taking the time to write to us about your experience here at the Willy West Deli. I am sorry that we did not have burgers available when you came in recently. We have seen a large increase in demand for our made to order products, but also a decrease in supply. We do our best to make sure that we have enough ingredients on hand to fulfill all of our Owner's needs, however that has become difficult in many areas over the last year.
Thank you again for your time and feedback. And thank you for your patience as we work through this difficult time. -Renee Strobel, West Deli Manager
Sally the Salad Machine
Q: This morning for the first time I was brave enough to try the co-op's salad dispensing machine—previously, though quite intrigued, I had my doubts about a vending machine style of salad, so never would give it a try. Being as I was craving fresh salads, today was the day! I just had to send an email right away, to let you know how delicious and filling the salad was—I chose two different options and the one I ate for my lunch was one of the varieties that are offered on the menu, the Mango Chicken. Each ingredient complemented the others and the colors made it so appealing—the sweet tender chunks of mango, the crispy crunchy radishes, the green onions and seasoned chicken.....and the pistachios!! WOW! What an added bonus, along with the cilantro lime dressing—all on a bed of baby spinach. Definitely a 10 on a 1-10 scale.
The second salad was one where I chose my own ingredients. This time I went for the romaine lettuce, along with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, more onions, the tofu (was it ginger? or garlic?), the quinoa salsa mixture, and now I don't recall what the sixth item was—with a light vinaigrette dressing. I'm sure this salad will also be delightful, once I get to it. The only issue (which I pointed out to the cashier and he promptly alerted produce) was the cherry tomatoes, which were all wrinkly and a couple even looked past the point of wanting to eat. I didn't inspect each one yet, but it was very obvious they were past their prime. The cashier did ask if I'd rather not have that salad, but it seemed too small a matter to waste an entire salad which was otherwise fine, from what I could tell.
One other very small thing—it would be nice if the salad dressings could either be dispensed separately or else could be drizzled across the entire salad instead of one big "plop" onto one portion. When I went to eat the salad, after just a couple of hours, a lot of the dressing had soaked into the paper container all the way to the outside. Not too big a deal and I could have shaken the lidded bowl ahead of time, but I figured that would just make a big mess all over the lid. Not much of a way around it, I guess, unless the dressings were able to be separate.
All thing considered, I would definitely recommend to anyone who is hesitant as I had been—give "Sally" a try.......I think you'll be so pleasantly surprised with how tasty and fresh "her" salads are.
A: Thanks so much for giving Sally a try! I'm really glad you liked your first salad and I hope the second one was just as good. I apologize for the condition of the tomatoes. I'll pass that feedback onto our Deli manager and have them look into it.
We are hoping to get a new menu in the machine on October 1, switching away from a spring/summer menu and into a more autumnal menu. When we do that I'll see about how we can offer a wider variety and different process of offering dressings. It's such a challenging ingredient to offer since everyone's preferences vary so widely.
Thanks again for your feedback, and for giving Sally a try! I hope you had an excellent weekend and enjoy the rest of your week!
Best Wishes, Dustin Skelley, Prepared Foods Category Manager