By: Anya Firszt, General Manager

Hello dear Owners, February again caught me by surprise, coming sooner than I thought it would on the heels of the longest month of the year. 

Need a reason to celebrate?

There are a few traditional dates to celebrate this month including Groundhog Day, a way of marking the midpoint between winter and spring and predicting the end of winter or not; the Super Bowl LIX game being played marking the end of the football season; and Valentine’s Day on February 14th to spend with loved ones (or not). We also have a couple more reasons to celebrate including 15% off bulk (excluding bulk water) for Owners from February 3-9. Stock up and save! 

Inclusive Trade Showcase 

As you may know, our Inclusive Trade program is designed to highlight products from companies owned and operated by individuals from underrepresented groups. The feature article this month explains what those groups are and why it’s important to us and to these vendors—and we hope to you as well! Some Inclusive Trade vendors’ products will be on sale for all customers later this month (see page 16), and all vendors offering samples in our stores February 17-March 2 will be Inclusive Trade vendors. Check out willystreet.coop/inclusive-trade to see the sampling schedule.

Sabra Hummus Boycott Update 

Since announcing our decision in January to pull Sabra hummus, we received feedback from some Owners and customers who were dismayed that senior management chose the course we did. For us, the decision options were clear, either keep the product on our shelves or pull it, but the decision process was challenging given that this topic is profoundly personal to many of you who provided input.

We reviewed all of the input we received and were at an impasse, as there was substantial feedback shared both in support of pulling the product and in support of keeping the product. As Owners and customers, you also provide feedback to the Co-op through your purchasing decisions, and we consider product sales in deciding what items to keep and which to discontinue offering at our stores. In this case, the Sabra boycott process had a significant negative impact on its sales and we ultimately pulled the product because sales declined.

Sabra Boycott Background 

In November, 1% of Owners (337) requested a boycott of Sabra Hummus. Per our Boycott Policy, in December, we initiated a two-week comment period, which ended on December 16, 2024.

These Owners called for Willy Street Co-op to remove Sabra Hummus from our shelves due to their ownership by PepsiCo and Strauss Group, which allegedly provides funding to Israeli military brigades. Responding to a letter from Willy Street Co-op, Sabra sent two letters in response. Shortly before the comment period started, it was reported that PepsiCo is buying out Strauss Group’s interest in Sabra. 

We reviewed all Owner feedback we received on this topic; 205 of the comments supported the boycott, 38 did not support the boycott, and 3 comments didn’t fall into either of these options. Of these, 161 of them asked to be shared publicly, and they can still be found at willystreet.coop/sabra. 

This was a complex discussion involving political factors, accessibility, customer interest, and other considerations. After careful review, we have decided to drop the five Sabra products that we carry at Willy North (the only store that carries Sabra) for the following reasons:

  • Declining sales – Sales of this product declined significantly since the comment period started. 
  • Comparable alternatives – We originally brought in this product as a lower-priced option, but we’re now able to offer other brands of hummus of equivalent quality at the same or even lower price.
  • Owner feedback – The Boycott Policy states that the comment period is not an Owner vote, but the fact that the majority of comments supported the boycott did play a factor in this decision.

We appreciate the thoughtful feedback from our Owners and staff and will continue to prioritize transparency and dialogue on matters of shared concern.

2018 Owner Bonds

In 2018, we asked Owners to support our Willy West expansion. For those Owners who purchased a seven-year bond in 2018, final redemption will be mailed out by the end of February. Thank you, again, for helping to make that remodel and expansion project a reality. 

In closing, here’s a thought, “February is the month to embrace the healing power of laughter and find joy amidst life’s challenges.”– Marianne Williamson

Until next month, be well. 

Anya 


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