#1 What do you value most about the co-op?

Support of local ag & local food

Better food

Fun

Environmental Benefits

Expanded market opportunities

Better return for farmers

Guaranteed market

Good business for small farmers

enhances producer & customer relationships [producer/producer; consumer/consumer]

Creating more farmers

Creating education

Connections to others with like values

#2 What do you value most about your role in the co-op?

Important to support & help make it happen

Enriches life & important to support

Fills social needs

Puts conviction into action

Access to quality food-acces to anyone for high quality products

Peer relationships

Sharing information

Creating a market that understands & appreciates & drives sustainability

The "only hope" for family scale farming

The challenges & learning

#3 What do you want to achieve?

a living for producers & promoting well-being

building an alternative food system

build local food infrastructure-for producers, for consumers, remove barriers

Education

creating synergy with like-minded organizations to leverage impact

Capacity to mobilize members

Self-sustaining without volunteers

Service customers more than once/month

multiple co-op stores

Provide better tools for producers

Operating handbook with sections for consumers, producers, & volunteers

#4 What do you want the co-op to look like in five years?* - these items need an enterprise analysis before implementation

Paid staff with Full-Time Manager

Operates like a finely tuned Organization

Clear expectations & roles

Forward planning process-ongoing

Expanded list of pickup sites

Healthy relationship with regulators

multi-faceted environmental, social justice organization focused on local food

A community culture including education & lobbying

Core connection around consumers & producers

5,000 members/$160,000/month

Operate like a Schwanns

A written procedure for making decisions

#5 Present Day Operations Weak Link

(Red denotes suggested remedies for weak links)

Setting up & taking down

Once/month delivery-continued planning

Labor-hire day labor

Space-develop a plan

Volunteer planning short term New coordinator w/ committee-Jonalu

Ice chests/storage of all kinds-ice chest czar

Present software system

Outreach & Education-committee-Myrna

Table fellowship

Lack of committee structure-A bd. Chair for every committee; BOD holds chairs accountable

Maxed to the limit-No growth plans-Meet monthly

Cash flow

Producer compliance-producer committee

Need well defined producer requirements and poicy, producer training-producer committee

Follow through-a process for making and changing agreements

#6 BOD Food Co-Op Staff: Operations and Distribution

(These are things the board needs to consider)

Financial Services

Stores

Education

Policy Work/Lobbying

Distribution

(These need to be done before above are implemented)

Enterprise Analysis

Member approval

Market Analysis

Environmental Impact

Final Stage-Business Plan

#7 2007 Short & Long Term

Analysis of Space

Policy/Producers

Analysis of Distribution

Address all weak links

Develop a strategic plan-Sequence of growth-strategic steps & tools

#8 Space Requirements

air conditioned & heated

Parking Space

Freeway access

Space for trailers

Kitchen ( commercial)

Cheap

Loading & unloading ease

Room to expand

#9 Ideas to help pay building rent

Cooking Classes

Product Preparation

Lease out for parties & meetings

Catered meetings

Producer training

Regular events with wineries

Lease kitchen

2 deliveries/month

wholesale pickup

#10 Parking Lot – Things for future discussion

Partnerships

Loan opportunities to farmers

Business & Financial tools and education for farmers

Producer regulations and policy (enforcement?)

Food vs. non-food items

Wholesale members?