Historic Rollin' Oats Journal: Coordinator's Corner
This article originally appeared in Linden Hills Co-op's first newsletter in July of 1976. At this time, coordinators played the role of department managers and buyers.
COORDINATOR'S CORNER:
Many consumers who shop at the Coop ask us who, how, and from whom we order the dry goods in the various bins, i.e., grains, nuts, seeds, beans, flours, dried fruits, and also peanut butter and oils.
"Who," of course, are the store coordinators. However, these foods are ordered within guidelines adopted by the general membership. For instance, the goods must contain minimal or no sugar, preservatives, chemical additives (color or flavoring), refining or prepackaging. Priority is given to alternative foods, organically grown foods, Minnesota products, and products in ecological packaging.
Organic foods will always be labeled as such. "Commercial" labeling implies chemiclas have been added during refining or as a preservative. For example, some dried fruits contain sulphur to retain their moisture. Organic raisins, currants, dates, and apricots will be ordered, when available, but bear in mind they are generally more expensive than the commercial variety.
Orders are placed approximately every five days. The coordinators can usually estimate consumer demand for a particular good, but purchasing decisions are limited by such factors as price, minimum ordering requirements, and availability of the goods from the distributor. Therefore, if you find that we are out of a desired good, please ask the coordinator when it will be available. Chances are good that the itme has been ordered or is scheduled to be ordered and will be delivered in a very short time.
The "from whom" is the Distributive Alliance of the North Country--DANCe (you've probably noticed this acronym on many of the bins). DANCe is also a cooperative organized along the same lines as Linden Hills Coop except that it is a distributive coop. Its members consist of other food cooperatives who have one vote each in electing the Board of Directors and making decisions. Linden Hills is applying for membership at this time. DANCe purchases its inventory from a variety of sources including farmers, a few commercial dealers, and also other distributive coops.
We hope this answers some of the questions you had about our buying policies. If you have any suggestions in this regard, please voice them at the membership meetings. We need your input!
by Christie Bystedt
