zero food waste
Tasty but unsellable food is donated to local food banks. All food waste + trimmings from our produce department and in-house kitchen is available to members for composting or feeding animals on the farm.
people. planet. profit
That’s our triple bottom line, and our promise to you.
It would be so easy to just make every decision based on how much money we could make, but we’ve all seen where that kind of corner cutting has gotten us. Our promise to you is that we will always consider people, planet, and profit in all our business decisions. Because without good people and a healthy planet, profits don’t mean a thing.
buying guidelines
Profits would probably be a lot higher if we sold the first item we found – but we know you expect more. So instead, we developed a set of buying guidelines that are our starting point for assessing every product we bring into the store. Shop confidently knowing your products take into the account well-being of our soils, pollinators, animals, farmers + food processors and you.
100% organic produce
Organic produce is better for you. But it doesn’t stop there – it also ensures sustainable farming practices which benefit soil, water, and pollinators. It keeps harmful chemicals off our fruit + veggies and also off the hands of farm workers who work with the plants each and every day. Better for you, better for farm workers, better for the planet – that’s why our produce department is 100% certified organic 100% of the time.
byoc + save
Sustainable decisions should be rewarded! If you are into bringing your own containers to save on plastic – now you can also save money! Save 10% on all our bulk items in store when you bring your own container. Sure we could make more if we didn’t – – but sometimes it’s nice to offer an incentive to get us to change our habits, and the planet sure appreciates a few less plastic bags floating around.
your co-op
built with purpose
recycled heat
The fridges that keep our food cool tend to create a lot of heat. Instead of venting all the heat generated from our refrigeration units outside, it’s recirculated throughout the store to keep you warm during the chilly months.
compostable packaging
Wherever we can use them, you can find 100% backyard compostable bags in-store. From bulk trail mixes to your favourite sandwich, once you are done with it you can just toss it in the compost and watch it disappear.
reusable pallet wrap
Did you know that every pallet we receive comes wrapped in industrial sized cling wrap? It’s a crazy amount of plastic – which is why we switched to reusable pallet wrap when possible. This diverts 6kms worth of single-use plastic from land fills every year.
community support
Sustainability starts with supporting one another in our collective efforts. It’s why we take part of our profits and reinvest them into organizations and programs that strengthen and support climate action initiatives
community giving
Organizations in our community are doing great things – from local food security to climate action + education – they contribute to keeping our community thriving and resilient. That’s why every year part of our profits are earmarked to be donated to local organizations – it’s how we maximize our impact and support sustainable initiatives in our community beyond our Co-op.
true local
Eating local is the bees knees. So why not support the people who produce our food locally! Eat food grown close to home, cut down on emissions from food transport, and create local food security. Sounds like a win-win-win scenario! Look for our True Local logo when shopping in store to support local food producers + artisans growing or making their products within 160kms of our Co-op.
local organic certification
Supporting organic agriculture is climate activism. Supporting regenerative agricultural practices without harsh chemicals is a great choice for you and the planet. Organic certification can be a costly barrier for farmers, so each year we support our local certifying body – Kootenay Organic Growers Society (KOGS) – helping reduce certification fees for local farmers + food producers.