NJ: How did this concept
get started? Spill all the
details!!
We
ARE
WHAT
WE
EAT!
Heidi: Our very first staff
meeting was last week and
as we were going around
introducing ourselves I
basically said this is a
dream realized for a lot of
people..
We all got together and sat
down at the Oasis truck
stop which is now Marlins,
In October of 2011. It was
teachers, moms, there was
a doctor there, a farmer
there, just a really diverse
group of people who all
envisioned a food co-op
in our community. None of
us had ever been a part
of organizing one but that
didn’t stop us because we
felt like there were tools out
there, there’s resources. We
all knew what a food co-op
was and wanted access to
fresh, healthy, local food
and needed to find a way to
make it happen.
We reached out to a nonprofit called Food co-op
Initiative based out of
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
They help co-ops like us
go from organizing and
planning to up and running.
So we utilized a resource
they had. It was an 82 page
document that was a little
overwhelming at first. But it
sat on all of our nightstands.
We thought about things
like, “How do we go about
building a membership?
How d o we go about raising
the funds to make this
happen?”
It’s a 2.5 million dollar
project so all of our jaws
dropped.
We went through a really
cool visioning session that
was lead by a long-time coop developer Bill Patrie who
started Common Enterprise
Development Corporation.
He said, “Don’t think about
the money, just dream
wildly. What does it smell
like? What does it look
like?” That helped take the
intimidation off of that 2.5
million dollar figure. If you
let that get in the way it will
never happen.
because we want to teach
people how to cook fresh
and use produce. If people
don’t know, how they
probably won’t eat organic.
It becomes the quick grab
and go items, convenience
foods. We want to get back
to basics because we really
Heidi: It was so funny
felt like feeding yourself and
because everybody had a
different idea. For me, it was cooking was a lost art.
about the smell. There’s
NJ: I love that! So, talk
nothing else in the world
a little more about the
that smells like a food cocommunity space.
op. The fresh herbs, or the
bulk. Like today, we have
Heidi: It’s above the
fresh local grass fed beef
cooking for our burgers. It’s fresh meat and seafood
just awesome. Other people department. It’s our
mezzanine. We’ve got the
it was the visual things.
There’s a community space. employee space and break
room. Then the corner room
Is it bright? Is it vibrant? Or
whichyou get to through the
is it earthy colors?
elevator, where we will hold
our cooking classes. That’s
And we put all of that
going to be kind of the gem
together and came up with
of the co-op. We really felt
the three or four ideas that
like we needed a space, not
we want to be:
only where we’re sitting, but
Community friendly, that
where people can come and
everyone is welcome .We
connect with our producers talk and meet their friends.
and source as much
locally as possible.
We are educating
the consumers and
our member owners.
Because it’s one
thing to say you eat
healthy but if people
don’t know how
there’s that barrier.
That’s why the
community space
was so important
NJ: I love what you said
about “What does it look
like, what does it smell
like?” I am a firm believer
in speaking things into
existence, writing things
into existence.
Pictured: Bismarck local
Andrea Ficek buys items.
To the right and above:
Shelves stocked with organic
sweets.
Bottom: Chicken wrap with
fresh cut veggies and a beet,
orange and lemon juice.
That’s where the beauty
really happens becaue they
can come and cook.
We have done other classes
in the community prior to
opening, like “A taste of
India” or “Fresh Tex-Mex”.
We really want to use the
expertise in the community
from people who know
how to cook these foods
and invite them in to teach
our members and other
people. One of the most fun
classes we ever led was a
kids cooking class where
they could be a chef for a
day. Having kids of my own,
they can do a PB&J
and that’s about it.
But I need to teach
my kids how to feed
themselves, right?
Because someday
they’ll go off to college
or live on their own
and they’re going to
need those basic
skills. Like, “How do I
chop an onion?” And
of course safety is an
issue depending on
the age of the child
but, we did healthy after school snacks so we give the kids some
recipes to take home then they can go home and wow their
parents.