Your co-op loves to try new things. And, we’re proud to be one of the first stores around to offer some of grocery’s most exciting and innovative new products. Get to know what’s new this month!
Your co-op loves to try new things. And, we’re proud to be one of the first stores around to offer some of grocery’s most exciting and innovative new products. Get to know what’s new this month!
Your co-op loves to try new things. And, we’re proud to be one of the first stores around to offer some of grocery’s most exciting and innovative new products. Get to know what’s new this month!
Your co-op loves to try new things. And, we’re proud to be one of the first stores around to offer some of grocery’s most exciting and innovative new products. Get to know what’s new this month!
It’s the co-op’s vision to support and strengthen community connections with our local producers – so here are their stories! In this Meet Your Producer series, we’ll highlight our neighborhood farmers, ranchers, and producers so you can see and hear what they’re all about. Meet Jill with Moon on the Meadow!
“This month, our co-op was provided with the tremendous opportunity of having fellow cooperative leadership peers from all over the country visit our co-op and provide feedback about things like merchandising, operations, and structure. What an exciting opportunity to practice cooperative principle number 6 – ‘cooperation among cooperatives.’”
“In May, some Board members including our General Manager, Seth Naumann, had the opportunity to attend the CCMA Conference in Tacoma, WA. The Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) is the longest standing national gathering of retail food co-op leaders in the US. It’s an inclusive space that welcomes a broad range of food co-op leaders; from managers and staff to board members and cooperative allies. The goal is to learn, connect, collaborate and refuel to execute the hard work of empowering communities and building a more just and sustainable food system through a cooperative model.”
It’s the co-op’s vision to support and strengthen community connections with our local producers – so here are their stories! In this Meet Your Producer series, we’ll highlight our neighborhood farmers, ranchers, and producers so you can see and hear what they’re all about. Meet Lori with Wild Ivy Herb Farm!
“…on May 20, I was part of a panel of representatives from several different cooperatives, sponsored by the Kansas Farmers Union (another farmers co-op founded in 1907). This was part of their new program called Homegrown Prosperity where they are prepared to identify and help groups where a cooperative might be a solution to a community’s problem.
Among the participants on the panel were a representative for FreeState Electric Cooperative, Central Plains Organic Farmers Association, and the Kansas City Food Hub.
All participants agreed cooperatives were tools for solving problems faced by different communities.”
Beginning July 1, all paper bags with handles will incur a 10¢ fee at checkout. This fee will help offset the rising cost of paper bags (now 24¢ each and expected to increase).
We’ll continue to offer cardboard boxes and small bags at no charge, and of course we encourage shoppers to bring your own reusable bags whenever possible.
To help make the transition a little easier, the first 50 shoppers to spend $100 or more in July will receive one of our brand new reusable totes with their purchase!
As always, thank you for your understanding and for your support.
“The Merc became more than an organization to me. It became family. And when something becomes family, your commitment does not depend on location or circumstance. It becomes part of who you are. That is why I am sharing this. Because there are people right now who might be where I once was, watching from the outside, forming opinions, unsure if they belong.
If that is you, I want you to know something.
You do not have to have it all figured out to step in. You do not have to look a certain way. You do not have to think a certain way. You do not have to come from a certain background.
What matters is your willingness to show up. To learn. To engage. To be part of something that is actively trying to make community better.”
After more than a year in the role of General Manager, I can say without a doubt that one of my favorite parts of the position is my increased availability to our owners. Hearing stories about how people discovered the co-op, what keeps them coming back, and even how the co-op has changed their lives is such a heartwarming part of the work that we do.
Join the co-op in March for an exclusive coupon during our owner drive. Plus, all new owners in March are entered into weekly drawings for gift cards! Join online or in-store.
So why join the Co-op? There are plenty of reasons and incentives to become an owner of Lawrence’s one and only consumer owned coop that’s been in operation since 1974. Just click on the link to learn about the value of ownership. As an owner for over 20 years and a Board Member for 9 years, I’m going to break it down for you March Madness style with the Elite Eight Cooperative Principles.
…”investing locally is still how a community can provide local power, cushion global inflation, and source democratically desired goods. Investing in the local farmers, sourcing favorable costs through a shared network, creating equitable pay through profits that circle back through the community, providing a return on investment to the owner-members… all of this can happen when we choose to engage in our democratically run co-op..”
The Merc Co+op Board of Directors meets the first Monday of each month. Learn more about the Board, their meetings and responsibilities, owner engagement and more each month in their Board Report.
“Counting contributions doesn’t require perfection or grand gestures. It can be as simple as shopping locally, attending a board meeting, volunteering time, or having a meaningful conversation in the aisles. These moments accumulate and invite us to reflect on how we show up for others, how we invest in our community, and how our actions—big or small—help nourish something larger than ourselves.”
The Merc Co+op Board of Directors meets the first Monday of each month. Learn more about the Board, their meetings and responsibilities, owner engagement and more each month in their Board Report.
