Food Co-op turns 20

The Springfield Food Co-op is no longer a teenager and though it may have seen some troubles in its adolescence, it’s all grown up now.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/springfield-food-co-op-turns-20

Springfield Food Co-op Turns 20 Submitted by VT Journal on Thu, 07/05/2012 - 9:08am Steve Green, Christine Spiedel, and Aram Polster By Cindy Johnson SPRINGFIELD, VT -The Springfield Food Co-op is no longer a teenager and though it may have seen some troubles in its adolescence, it’s all grown up now. Nestled behind Joe's Discount Beverage on River Street, the Co-op, since its move from Chester Road, is thriving. “Large enough to meet your needs, small enough to meet your neighbors” is their motto, while their mission has been to provide Southern Vermont with a source of wholesome, local, natural and organic food. They now have over 1000 members “but of course everyone is welcome” as they say on their website, springfieldfoodcoop.com. Local farms featured at the Co-op are Mile Hill Farm, Taylor Farm, Long Wind Farm, Dwight Miller Orchards, Cold Hollow Cider, Westminster Organics, Gourmet Greens, Deep Root, Deep Meadow, and Scott Orchard, as well as Coger’s Sugar House Garden. In the dairy case are featured organic milk & cream from Strafford Dairy, Butterworks Yogurt and Grafton Cheese and “fresh local eggs from happy free range hens”. Beef from Blackwatch Farm and chicken from Misty Knoll are also happily available. Baked goods arrive throughout the week: on Tuesday from Vermont Bread Company, on Thursday from Orchard Hill Bakery, and Crow’s Bakery arrives both Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday is Klinger's Bakery Company day. Now with hot soups available daily, a wider variety of freshly made sandwiches, and other hot menu items like mac and cheese, pulled pork, and chili, the Co-op is working to fill a greater demand for prepared foods. Another addition has been a Walpole Creamery freezer stocked with nearly every flavor the creamery makes. Two summers ago the Co-op expanded into the space that had been occupied by Willow Farm. That new space gave the grocery store a greatly expanded stockroom, an area for prepared foods, and an upstairs office, meeting room, and employee break room. Problems with the old space included incredibly overcrowded conditions in the tiny stockroom/office adjacent to the retail space, particularly on Fridays, the big delivery day. Employees also shared a restroom with the public but now have two additional facilities. Currently the Co-op has 13 employees. And it isn’t just the layout that has changed. Last month, the Co-op hired long time operations manager Neomi Lauritsen as the new general manager. Lucy Georgeff, who had stepped in to help out as interim co-manager, has retuned to strictly bookkeeper. Lucy, with her partner produce manager Oliver Owens, have a young daughter, Eva, who as a pre-toddler could often be seen riding high on her dad’s back as he tended the stock. The Co-op has experimented with different management structures over the years and experienced some personnel changes at the top. But through it all, it has maintained a superior level of service, to both its member and non-member customers, and record high sales. Christine Speidel, the president of the Board of Directors, has gently guided the Co-op for the last year and was reelected as president for the current year. The Board in recent years has been working on Board development and training to provide the organization with a structure that will lead to smoother transitions in the future. Still the general consensus among the current Board members is that board work has been fun. There certainly was a festive, party-like atmosphere at the recent annual meeting held in the back lot and garage behind the building.