Gluten-Free Nuts
Recently found I have celiac disease and was looking for gluten free certified nuts – all of yours came from facilities that process soy etc. Nutritionist said not to get items from the bins due to possible contamination with gluten. Thanks.
Thank you for commenting about this! I will see what we can find for gluten-free certified packaged nuts. We have been considering bringing in some of Tierra Farm’s packaged nuts. I believe their facility is gluten- and peanut-free. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Gluten-Free Bakery
Hi! I’m one of your gluten free customers and I appreciate all your offerings. It makes it so much easier for me to navigate shopping for my groceries. Having said that, I would LOVE to have a small selection of bakery style items to choose from. I know you have a handful in the freezer, but I wanted to request that you look into sourcing from Sweet Ali’s, a quasi-local bakery out of the Chicagoland area. I had one of their cinnamon rolls while traveling and it was so delicious!
Thank you for your comment and request! We will look into Sweet Ali’s and see what we can do about getting some of their products. It might be a bit difficult because their products appear to be fresh with a limited shelf life. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Cheesy Potato Broccoli Soup
Product: Cheesy Potato Broccoli Soup. Listed in the ingredients is cheddar cheese which contains among other things “color added”. What color? What additive? As one with allergies to dyes and colors such as ANNATO (yellow cheese color) this is important information. I know there are others with similar allergies. Could you please list this on the label?
I’m really sorry about that not being on there properly, the coloring is indeed annatto, which is the typical coloring used in yellow cheddars. I did search our system and make sure this wasn’t happening anywhere else in the Deli items and this was the one anomaly. Again, I’m very sorry this was missed, thank you so much for reaching out and letting us know! -Nicholas Oconnor, Director of Prepared Foods
Tres Latin Foods
I came into my convenient West store the other day and to buy the Tres Latin Foods Spinach and Cheese Papusas. They are a regular for me as they are a quick and convenient no brainer for a meal with a salad of spring mix and Ranch dressing – Yum. The Ranch dressing provides the perfect acidity like the more authentic cabbage/vinegar salad they are eaten along side. I prepare the papusas by spraying them with a little olive oil from my Mister Misto and heating them in a skillet on medium and flip every couple of minutes. I’m not sure this is the directions on the box from comments on their web site, but there used to be a grocery store on the East side that made them fresh and put them on a griddle. So, I took that as the way to prepare them. They come out a bit browned with gooey, melty cheese inside. You can get that pizza commercial cheese pull with these papusas (maybe not quite as long of a one since they are smaller). The green chili and cheese ones are also delicious and cheesy as well. However, they were no longer on the freezer shelf when I stopped in for them the other day. I was informed that you are no longer carrying them. No, no, no. Please bring at least these cheesy ones back. The bean and corn ones were nice with some salsa heated up in the pan for the last minute or so. I could live without the bean and corn ones though. Not so much with the spinach and cheese ones! When I don’t know what to have for dinner, I think of having the spinach and cheese papusas and all is (was) good. They are healthy, vegetarian and delicious. Please bring them back. Still dreaming of spinach and cheese papusas (liked the green chili and cheese ones as well) with a spring mix salad with Litehouse “Ranch” dressing (my favorite Ranch).
Thank you for your question. Our distributor stopped carrying them, and they are not available through our other vendors. That is why we stopped carrying them. I am sorry to disappoint you. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Cylcosporiasis
Hi there, We get most of our groceries from the coop and wondering if you’ve had recalls or heard of recalls regarding cyclosporiasis. Any products or brands to avoid at other stores? Thanks!
We’ve been keeping our eyes on the FDA and CDC websites, and have also been in communication with our distributors regarding the cylcosporiasis outbreak. Unfortunately, other than the general information we’re seeing in media reports, we do not have additional information regarding specific products and brands. We are seeing reports that the outbreak may be linked to lettuces and pre-packaged salads. Currently, the Produce departments are offering local organic lettuce from Crossroads Community Farm in Cross Plains, and packaged salad options from Vitruvian Farms in McFarland, and these products are distributed locally and not available in areas of the country that are reporting high cases. Thanks for reaching out, and wash your hands often! -Andy Johnston, Produce Category Manager
Support for Community
I just want to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU! And express my unwavering support. I am so glad to be a co-op owner and to hear all the many ways that the Co-Op is stepping up to support the community and stand in solidarity with those of us who are horrified at the murder of Corey Ruiz. It’s really important the people are able to express shock, anger, grief, and all the rest. And to gather together in demanding meaningful change. Thank you for supporting all of that!! I am so proud to be a small part of this organization! If I can do anything to maintain this support, please let me know.
Thank you for your kind words. We will share them with our staff. Your support means a lot to us right now, and we truly appreciate it. -Anya Firszt, General Manager
TLT Wraps
Suggestion to rename the avocado bacon and tempeh wraps so that the titles are more different – noticed a few times that they get mixed up.
Thanks for the suggestion. We have the TEMPEH and BACON in all caps so this doesn’t happen! We will remind our teams to be extra careful! -Nicholas Oconnor, Director of Prepared Foods
1977
In the 1977 photo of Willy Street Coop, there is a couple descending the stairs. The woman has bright colored striped knee socks and there is a shirtless man behind her. I am 70 years old and this is me and my husband on our wedding day. We lived on the third floor above the Willy Street Coop, 1014 Williamson Street. What a nice memory.
Wow, so glad you noticed that and that you shared that story with us. Thank you and have a nice week! -Brendon Smith, Marketing & Communications Director
Editor’s Note: Below is the 1977 photo and a link to check out the article it was in! www.willystreet.coop/reader/october-2024/a-brief-history-of-willy-street-co-op
CHIP
Does the coop publicly disclose what organizations the coop donates to with chip contributions? I’d like to know specifically where my money is going?
Thanks for reaching out and inquiring! Yes, we do disclose the 80+ individual organizations which make up the Community Shares CHIP Program both on our website (www.willystreet.coop/community/charitable-giving/), which links to Community Shares of Wisconsin, naming all organizations by category (www.communityshares.com/our-causes/). Additionally, at all three stores at our Customer Service desks, you can find a hard copy with Community Shares information that lists the same website for anyone to check out. If any shopper has a technology barrier, our Customer Service staff would be happy to provide anyone with this printable list to take home (www.communityshares.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/list-of-member-nonprofits-CSW-Apr-2026-final-b.pdf). -Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
IDLING SIGNS
I’d love to see the “no idling” signs in the parking lot get removed. It just seems overly-dictorial ~ kind of “progressvism at it’s worst”. Concerned about managing the choices of others. Ironically, this note is sort of the same thing in action! Anyhow, just seems like the people inclined to follow the edict wold likely do so anyway and the rest of the people would just find it off-putting, uninviting and annoying,. And when it’s 0 degrees outside and you’ve got a kid in the car while your spouse is shopping, well you should idle your engine. Just let people make their own choices, you know. A car idling for 15 minutes won’t make a critical difference, but those signs will alienate newcomers.
Thanks for taking time to share your perspective on the “no idling signs” in the parking lot! I will take a look at the signs in the lot with our facilities team and take that feedback into consideration! -Kristin Esselstrom, Willy East Store Director
