We've had many awesome milestones along the way to opening our member-owned grocery store. 

From conducting our feasibility study at our first 100 members, to launching our search for a location at 750, we are getting closer and closer to making this store a reality.

Why is March 31 an important date for us?

Dear Oshkosh Food Co-op Members,

This is the official notice of openings for the Oshkosh Food Co-op Board of Directors!

This is an incredible opportunity to become involved in a meaningful community project with a team of passionate and dedicated individuals. It's all hands on deck as we continue our capital campaign, design our store and hire our general manager.

All member-owners are eligible to run. Those with skills in grant writing, finance, human resources, and cultural inclusion are strongly encouraged to throw their hat in the ring.

Interested candidates are welcome to attend an info session:

Wednesday January 15th 7-8 pm   Blue Door Consulting  50 W.6th Street, Oshkosh 

Saturday January 18th Noon-1 pm  Maple Pub at Menominee Nation Arena

If you are interested in running for the board, please:

• Review the candidate packet.
• Complete the self nomination statement and email it to us by February 2.
• Candidates are highly encouraged to attend a board meeting before the annual meeting.  Check out the upcoming meeting times here.

Questions can be directed to [email protected]

Born in 1920, my Grandmother, Violet Scheuermann, saw some huge changes in the food system during her lifetime. Bakeries, local grocery stores and meat markets dotted the corners of the west side where she grew up.   Post World War II, she witnessed (and enjoyed) the processed food boom of the 1950's that helped her feed her family while she worked as a lunch lady at Oshkosh West High School.  Jell-O pudding, anyone?

As the corner bakeries disappeared, larger grocery chains came into Oshkosh, like the larger food store on the corner of Sawyer and Porter where a gas station now sits.    More produce was flown in from across the country (and world) while the backyard "victory" gardens of her adolescence were few and far between.  

We are currently seeking an individual dedicated to managing the project until the General Manager is hired and on-boarded, or until the Board otherwise decides the position is no longer needed. The immediate focus and need will be to coordinate our capital campaign.

Please review the complete job description here.

To apply, submit your resume to [email protected]. The application deadline is 1/14/2020.

As we gear up for another Packers season, it’s sometimes fun to reflect on the history of the team. For 100 years, The Packers have called Green Bay, Wisconsin, a town with a population of just over 100,000 people, home. Despite pressures to move to bigger markets that contain more people who could call themselves fans, The Green Bay Packers have remained loyal to the community that gave them life.

Why are The Green Bay Packers so loyal to Green Bay? Is it because the team is called The Green Bay Packers? No, that’s not it. The name in front of the team could easily change (think of the Cleveland, then Los Angeles, then St. Louis, then again Los Angeles Rams). Keeping up with the name changes of these teams can be as difficult as keeping up with the Kardashians. A name of a team can easily be changed when the owner decides to move the team from one city to another.

Over a decade ago, my wife and I picked up the farming bug while working for a young couple that was creating a small farm on an island off the coast of Panama.  More than a few far-fetched ideas rattled around our heads during long afternoon beach walks that followed humid mornings of planting, harvesting and tending animals.  Neither of us grew up in agriculture or had any formal ag training, but a dream of a farm kept growing in us the more time we spent with our hands in the soil.

Months later we returned north, more excited than ever to learn about sustainable agriculture.  We followed a familiar path; first, researching and reading all manner of farm books, then visiting farms and talking with growers.  A couple of years went by and it seemed like we might never get a chance to put all our research into practice, until one day the phone rang and our journey became a lot more real.  An opportunity to care-take a farm in exchange for rent landed on our doorstep.  A seed order was submitted and a delivery date for chicks was set!

The buzz of our member-owned grocery store continues!  Chances are you've been hearing about our upcoming Capital Campaign.  Part of this will involve member loans, an exclusive offering available to Oshkosh Food Co-op members only.  

Member loans allow Co-op members to earn interest on this investment in your own community while providing the Co-op with funding that is typically less costly and more flexible than traditional bank financing. This can allow Co-ops to launch faster. Sounds nice, right?

Oshkosh Food Co-op members and board have been hard at work of reaching our next milestone of 1,000 member-owners.  Members like you have been spreading the Co-op story, leading to steady and sustained growth in membership. THANK YOU!

Why is the magic number 1,000?

The Oshkosh Food Co-op is being built with the support of many national Co-op organizations that have overcome challenges and replicated the recipe for a successful food co-op. The Food Co-op Initiative Model has several stages and your co-op is currently at Stage 2b:

“Stage II: Feasibility & Planning There are two aspects of Stage II. The 2a Feasibility component comprises in-depth assessments of market potential, financial feasibility, organizational commitment and capacity, and preliminary design feasibility. The 2b Planning component begins once the probability of feasibility has been determined through a thorough assessment. Planning includes many components, including pro forma financial budgets, the formal business plan, capital campaign planning, initial contacts with external lenders, general manager search, and site selection. The feasibility & planning stage ends when a site has been secured through lease or purchase, with contingencies (e.g., contingent upon obtaining full financing) or with an option agreement. This is a major decision point for the co-op.”

The co-op became 800 members strong in March, then hit the 900 member milestone in June. This progress has launched a more serious phase of planning. Your board is working to build a strong foundation so that your member-owned grocery store will be a strong, successful business with a clear competitive advantage to offer the market it serves.

“Local food has become a trend word that doesn’t have the meaning people expect,” Tracy said with passion. Organic farmer Tracy Vinz explains the misconceptions facing the producers of local food and the consumers that want to buy local fresh food. Over time, the desire to eat local food has flourished, but the definition behind what makes a food “local” has become less defined.

The general idea of eating locally is based on the following ideas: Eating food that was grown and/or produced within 100 miles of where you live. 

• Purchasing food directly from local growers firsthand
• Buying food from local farm stands/markets
• Growing, hunting, fishing your own food

With the trend growing, an even broader idea of local eating often includes:

• Food grow in your region
• Food grown in your country

Tracy and her husband Richard are the proud owners of Olden Organics, a 100 acre certified organic fresh produce farm with a four generation history. The farm is in its 14th growing season season and 3rd year processing a line of raw vegetables in the processing facility on site.