Bulk Funnels
Please replace those plastic canning funnels in the bulk aisle with the metal funnels the Co-op sells.
Great suggestion! We’ve got some extra ones delivered, and they have replaced the old plastic ones that were in the bulk gravity bin section. Just an FYI, we do still need to keep the paper ones with bulk spices due to cross contamination/nature of spices. -Jason Zabinski, Willy East Grocery Manager
Ball Canning Lids
I would like to request that you carry Ball canning lids in your canning section. In the display I’ve seen jars, funnels, pectin, and other items, but not the lids, which is the one canning item that is not reusable. I’m not sure of the product number, but the number above the bar code on my current box is 1440031050. Ball “Suretight” lids – 12 in a box (bands not included); they come in regular and wide-mouth sizes.
Thanks for reaching out with your inquiry about Ball canning lids. Although they may not be featured right now on the canning display table, we do carry lids and bands for canning on the shelf next to the display. I think Ball updated its UPC from the item you referenced, but we have similar items: 014400300004 is Ball “Suretight” regular mouth lids and bands for canning, and 014400400001 is the Ball Suretight wide mouth lids and bands for canning. Both have 12 lids and bands in each box. We also carry non-metal lids for Ball jars for non-canning purposes. I hope this helps—please let me know if you have any other questions! -Juliet Downie, Willy North General Merchandise Manager
Avocados
Has anyone complained about your avocados? I purchase most of my groceries from this co-op. For the last few months I have been regularly purchasing avocados. 9 times out of 10 I have to dispose of them and not use them. Usually about half of the avocado is brown, and often with black streaks running through the flesh. In my opinion your supplier is not providing an acceptable product for your co-op customers. I have given up trying, and now go elsewhere for my weekly avocados. I love this co-op, and rely on it for fresh produce and much more – except your avocados!”
I’m so sorry for the poor quality avocados you’ve purchased in recent months at Willy North. I wonder if you have had trouble with them previously or if it was a more recent trend? In May and June, some of our avocados are coming to us from Peru, rather than Mexico or California due to a short gap in availability from these preferred growing regions. Peruvian avocados are grown in a more arid climate, and tend to have a lower fat content than the ones from CA/MX. They also have to travel further and tend to be harvested at a less ripe stage, which invites troubles in proper ripening down the road.
We have a system here at Willy Street Co-op for ripening the avocados we receive from our suppliers, so that we can (almost) always offer the option of ready to eat avocados. There are times that they do not ripen properly and we find quality issues after they have ripened. We strive to always have the best quality avocados, and are always happy to offer a refund if you are unhappy with the quality of the product you’ve purchased. We can also cut you a sample before you buy, if you would like. I also recommend buying avocados that are just on the firm side of ripe, rather than “guacamole” ripe—if it feels like there is an air pocket in any part of the avocado when you give it a gentle squeeze, it is likely to be overripe in that spot and could potentially be brown. Feel free to ask a Produce staff member if you would like assistance in choosing or tasting an avocado!
We are back to sourcing from Mexico and California now, and will be heading into one of the peak avocado seasons this fall, so I do hope you will give us a try for your avocados again soon! Thank you for reaching out and please let me know if I can be of any further assistance! -Brandy Schroeder, Willy North Produce Manager
Duke’s Mayonnaise
I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that you are including Duke’s mayonnaise in your product mix. I am one of those cult members who love Duke’s!!
I appreciate your feedback regarding Duke’s Mayo! Thanks for taking the time to share your satisfaction with us! -Dave Andrews, Willy West Grocery Manager
Grass-fed Beef
I’m interested in understanding what measures Willy St. takes to provide assurance to customers that items labeled as “grass-fed,” “100% grass-fed,” or “pasture-raised” are truly raised according to those standards. With recent news reports highlighting loopholes and even fraud related to these claims, transparency is more important than ever. Could you please share the steps you take to verify these claims?
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding grass-fed beef at the co-op. You are absolutely correct that there has been a lot of misinformation and a lack of transparency within the beef industry in recent years. Fortunately, we at the Co-op are able to decide who we source meat from. I have personally visited several of the local farms who we source 100% grass-fed beef from, including farmer/partners within the Wisconsin Meadows network of farmers, and Cates Family Farm. I’ve also had the chance to meet the founder of Thousand Hills and learned about how they vet the farmers within their network. These opportunities have given me confidence to “stand behind” their products and label claims. I share your concerns over fraudulent label claims, and do everything I can to make sure the products on our shelves aren’t advertising false information. -Nick Heitman, Meat, Seafood, Beer, Wine & Spirits Category Manager
Allergens
Hi there! We have egg and tree nut allergies in our family. I know you have vegan baked goods made at the coop. Some nut-free. We’d love to try them but first wanted to inquire about your level of care and protocols for cleaning/preparing baked goods. I know there is always a risk, but would love any information you could share about how staff is trained to lower cross contamination risk.
Thank you for reaching out about the protocols we have in place while preparing baked goods that may contain allergens.
While preparing items here at the Kitchen, we require staff to wash, rinse, and sanitize each utensil, piece of equipment, and surface after making each item in order to reduce the possibility of cross contamination as much as possible. They also change gloves, wash hands between each task, and change chef’s coats and aprons if they become soiled.
While we do our very best to minimize the possibility of cross contamination, I do always like to remind folks (as you stated in your email) that we do process items that contain both nuts and eggs in our facility, and we can never guarantee that our vegan and nut-free products do not contain trace amounts. -Renee Strobel, Kitchen Director
Supplement Labels
Hello, I buy all of my supplements at the co-op. Recently I noticed that the font on the labels has become smaller and harder to read. It used to be bold and easier to read. This seems like just another way to make us who are aging feel even more stressed out with product packaging. Who thought it would be better to make it harder to read the labels? This makes no sense at all. Please go back to the old font on your supplement labels. I used to be able to find what I needed without glasses, now I have to bring reading glasses to the co-op. This seems like something that should have been caught before the products went on the shelves.
Thank you for submitting a customer comment regarding the font of the Willy Street Co-op supplement bottles. The company that manufactures our private label supplements implemented the change to the ‘master label’ in June of 2024. Here is some information directly from the company to help explain why they made the change:
The old label: Previously, the front of our master labels had limited space and used a font that was more traditional and offered a limited variety of weights within the typeface.
The refreshed label: Our revised master label provides additional space for marketing call-outs, and showcases a new font that displays a more sleek, modern, and sophisticated typeface for a more refined look and feel.
I will pass along your feedback to the company that manufactures our private label supplements and hopefully they will take this into consideration if they make changes to the master label in the future. -Sara Berg, General Merchandise Category Manager
Cranberry Powder
Can you please start carrying organic Cranberry Powder either in bulk (preferrable) or in bags? I purchase mine on-line from Northwest Wild Foods but would much prefer to buy it from my Coop.
Our regular spice vendor does carry a cranberry powder (conventional) which they are discontinuing to start offering an Organic version this late August/early September). When it is available in several weeks we do plan on bringing it in. So a bit of a wait, but we will be adding it to see how it does. -Jason Zabinski, Willy East Grocery Manager
