Karma Co-op

Deadline for submissions to new Chronicle issue: Friday May 10

Stephanie — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:53:50 +0000

Your chance to contribute to the next issue of the Karma Chronicle expires on Friday May 10.

Please email add submissions to: chronicleeditor@gmail.com

Karma Update May 3: Sales and membership on the rise!!

General Manager — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:43:05 +0000

Dear Karma Members,March was an excellent month. Thanks to all the shopping that Karma members and trial shoppers are doing, sales totaled $130,190.20! We made a small profit, and sales have not consistently been that high since before the building renovations in 2008. This is fantastic news!

We are on track to break even in April as well as we’re keeping our sales up at about $4,800 a day. We are also getting close to reaching our 100 new member goal by June 1. 68 new members have joined the co-op since March 1! Also of note, we have 91 trial shoppers who are currently checking us out.

Let’s keep up this marvellous progress, keep our doors open through the summer, and work towards paying off Karma’s line of credit! We’re heading in the right direction. Thank you for shopping more at our co-op and telling your friends and family to drop by. Our community is growing.

Latest co-op news:

Goodbye Greg! After almost nine years with Karma, Greg Miller has moved on to other endeavours. Greg was known and appreciated amongst members for his great customer service and informative notes left around the store. He had a quiet presence and a ready smile. We thank him for his long term commitment and while we’ll miss him, we wish him the best of luck!
The Board of Directors met to discuss Karma’s membership structure, potential changes and paths forward. The next Board meeting is on May 6, hopefully to finalize a plan. Decisions and explanations regarding any changes will be discussed in another email update after the meeting, as well as in the next issue of the Chronicle.
Ontario Natural Food Co-op’s AGM: Paul Danyluk and Arel Agnew attended ONFC’s annual general meeting on Saturday, April 28. ONFC is Ontario’s leading natural and organic food distributor and is Karma’s main supplier. Karma was the impetus for this organization and a founding member in 1975. The day sparkled with energy and information. Look for a report on this event in the board’s article in the next issue of the Chronicle.

Upcoming events:

Wednesday May 8 – Spring Detox: 7 to 8:30 pm: Salts, Scrubs, Oils and Masks with Tracey Tief from Anarres Health. Learn which ingredients help detoxify body, mind and spirit, and how they do it. In this workshop learn how to make sea salt and sugar scrubs, massage oils, bath salts, and face masks. Bring your own jars. Suggested $10 donation or PWYC. Please RSVP on the back of the office door or call the store to reserve a spot as space is limited!
Sunday May 19 – Wild Food Demonstration: 12 to 2 pm: The Food Issues Committee will be hosting a tasty event that explores the ways to enjoy some of Ontario’s wild produce! RSVP to foodissues@karmacoop.org

New in the store:

We have a few great new items on our shelves just in time for BBQ season! Try Stasis Preserves’ Squash BBQ sauce or some ONFC trout steaks. Refresh with some Coco Samba coconut water…we’ve got them on sale 3 for $4.99!!

Ways to get involved:

Help introduce trial shoppers and new members to Karma! This is a call-out for help. We are looking for members to help greet trial shoppers and newer members in the store on weekend afternoons. Please contact Melissa at mjberney@hotmail.com if you would like to help out!
Canvassing: A group of members are canvassing the neighbourhood and chatting with people about Karma! Help spread the word about Karma and earn member labour hours by sending an email to Alex at alex.speers.roesch@gmail.com
Tell your friends to trial shop or give a gift certificate: Karma has one month trial shopping available – spread the word. And remember the gift certificates – they are an excellent way to gift a friend an introduction to Karma.

Thank you for supporting your co-operative, and welcome to new members who have joined us in the last few weeks! If you have any questions or would like to get more involved, please contact us at board@karmacoop.org .

Yours co-operatively,

Karma Co-op Board of Directors
Talia McGuire, General Manager
Karma Community Development Committee

Karma Member Help Callout

General Manager — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:41:36 +0000

Dear Karma members,

As you may know, tons of new people have been coming in to check out Karma in the past few months, and more keep rolling in (hurray)! Weekends are an especially busy time.

In order to make sure all these new people are welcomed and shown around the store without overwhelming staff, we’re trying to have a member or two on hand to act as in-store greeters.

You’ll get member labour hours for any time you contribute!

If you can do even one shift, it will help a lot. You can sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqWb4yXv_YmHdDhYSHhERXNBanVucTctcjNYUHhnS0E&usp=sharing

We’re happy to accommodate your schedule! If you are available for a period of time other than the shifts suggested on the googledoc, please contact Melissa at mjberney@hotmail.com

Thank you all very much!

April Update from the Karma Board of Directors

General Manager — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:38:46 +0000

Update from the Karma Co-op Board of Directors

Congratulations! Thanks to you and your fellow members, Karma Co-op is increasing sales and bringing in new members:

On March 26, with five shopping days to go in March, Karma had reached $105,000.00 in sales for the month. Reaching $120,000 would likely mean we would break even in March.
By March 26, 34 new members and 61 trial shoppers had joined or trial shopped this month. We’re growing our community. Keep up the great work!

Member Appreciation Potluck at the store this Saturday!

Celebrate Karma and meet some at the Member Appreciation Potluck this Saturday April 6 at 6:30 p.m. Bring a dish for 4-6 people or $7 – kids are free. Non-members welcome so please bring a friend. Prizes for the top three dishes! Please RSVP before the event with your dish’s ingredients to Monique at moksmith@gmail.com. Our last potluck reached maximum capacity and was a blast!

Membership structure changes – opening our doors more widely

On Sunday March 24, 30 people (including the Board, committee members, cash trainers and Talia) met to critically examine Karma’s membership structure in light of our urgent need to increase sales and retain more members. The Board is happy to see a consensus emerging around the idea of opening up the store to the broader public, and is invigorated by the discussions that took place. A plan of action will continue to be developed at the next Board meeting on April 8.

Opening Karma to non-members would help us secure our financial sustainability and counter the impression that Karma is an elitist “club”. Everyone who shops at Karma is supporting sustainable and ethical food systems, from production through to sale. Opening our store to the public will allow more people to help support Karma’s many principles along a continuum of commitment. Part of our mandate is also to educate each other on food and community issues. Enabling more people to become part of the Karma community will strengthen this goal.

We have already extended the trial shop period to 1 month and ask that you continue inviting people to check us out. Our co-op is truly a special place and we want more people to experience Karma’s karma!

Store updates and ways to stay involved

So much continues to happen at Karma! Continue to support our co-op by:

Shopping – every dollar spent at our store makes a difference – if every active member spends an extra $10 a week, that will greatly improve the co-op’s financial situation
Referring a friend – remember that prospective members can trial shop for a month
Buying a gift certificate - Give a friend the gift of Karma. They do not have to be a member to be able to use the gift certificate and can take their time getting to know our co-op due to our new month-long trial shopping policy.
Participating – come out to an event or work a shift
Donating - ask in the store to learn more or get in touch with us by email

Events:

Wednesday April 17 – DIY Natural cleaning party! 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Suggested $10 or PWYC w/ Karma. Go home with your very own set of easy-to-make cleaning products (plus recipes) that have been tested for effectiveness and are good for your health and the environment! Bring empty spritzer and squeeze bottles for yourself and to share.
Saturday April 27 – Wellness Fair by the Social Events Committee. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. If you are a practitioner who would like to present your work, please get in touch with Susan Green at susangreen@sympatico.ca.

Store changes:

The large bulletin board in the produce section is now Karma’s go-to information hub! It’s been reorganized to clearly show general Karma information and updates, upcoming events, and information for new members
We have a new sign for our Palmerston Ave pathway entrance. Thank you Yuill and Niki for your beautiful work. Look for it to go up soon!
We continue to be closed on Mondays

Help needed:

Use your recruitment skills to help Karma bring in new members from the neighbourhood! Join our team of door-to-door canvassers, or help lead the team. Please email Alex at alex.speers.roesch@gmail.com if you are interested.
The board is looking for a new minute taker. If you are interested, please send an email to board@karmacoop.org.

New members, improved trial shopping, higher sales, and reduced expenses are all contributing to the wonderful renewed energy we are feeling. Thank you for all of your support and the momentum it has unleashed!

Yours co-operatively,

Karma Co-op Board of Directors: board@karmacoop.org

Arel Agnew, President
Ernst von Bezold
Yves Cheung
Paul Danyluk
Fiona Jones
Lauren St. Louis
Jerry Lee Miller
Alex Speers-Roesch

With support from:

Talia McGuire, General Manager: manager@karmacoop.org
Natalie Brown, Chair, Community Development Committee: community@karmacoop.org

Update re Tea Lovers Tasting Workshop

Stephanie — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:59:32 +0000

Taste and learn about Teas from China, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal with Tea Sommelier, Linda Gaylard.
Please RSVP with manager@karmacoop.org as space is limited.

Photo via http://the-teaist.blogspot.ca

This lovely event is FREE but, sadly, all filled up.

Please continue to check the blog and the Facebook page for new events: https://www.facebook.com/Karma.Coop

Karma Spring Community Potluck: 6 April, 6:30 – 10:00pm

Stephanie — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:58:11 +0000

Come to Karma and enjoy great food with great people! And bring a friend! Open to members and non-members alike.

Bring a dish for 4-6 people
Or bring $7 and be inspired!
Kids come for free! (Because they are soo lovely.)

If you would like to bring a dish, meat/meatless/dairy-free/gluten-free- it is up to you! Please come on time.

Please email the ingredients to moksmith@gmail.com
and they will be printed off so that all food allergies will be listed!

Prizes for the top three dishes voted on by the Karma Community!!

You can also see details on Karma’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/564672706906884/

Product spotlight: Mahem Bars

Stephanie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:42:10 +0000

by Karen Lior

This is for all you chocolate bar addicts out there: Mahem Bars are back at Karma! I just tasted one for the first time and am definitely going back for more. I couldn’t finish the whole thing, and actually they are so rich that my partner and I shared half and saved the other half for dessert another day.

For those who are not already familiar with this delicacy, the bars are a combination of hemp nuts, maple syrup, and caramel, covered in a layer of milk or dark chocolate. Karma carries both varieties. They are also available without the chocolate coating, but I didn’t see any of those on the shelf at Karma. The bars are handmade by a chocolatier in Lanark, Ontario.

Peter and Zdenka Shields started selling hemp products under the name of Mahem Pride of Lanark Hemp Products. Originally, their idea was to plant the seed, and with the help of a friend, who was a farmer and rented the land, they planned to grow and sell the seed to a processor, Hemp Oil Canada.

Subsequently, Peter decided to create a product that combined maple syrup (Ma) and hemp nuts (hem), the Mahem Bar. Peter approached Village Treats, a chocolatier then in Balderson, with his idea. Village Treats, owned by the West Family, has been making fine quality chocolate since 1979.

In 2003, Village Treats began making plain and milk chocolate Mahem Bars. A dark chocolate bar was later introduced in response to a request from the Hahnemann Center for Heilkunst & Homeopathy in Ottawa, and this became their bestselling product.

At the same time as the bars were made, Mahem assumed distributorship for hulled hemp seed and other hemp products from Hemp Oil Canada. The seeds, hulled and whole, are packed under the Pride of Lanark Label. Presently, the main supplier of hemp seeds is the farmer, Reuben Stone, of Stone Farm, located in Cobden, Ontario. He supplies both pesticide-free (only adding nitrogen fertilizer) and certified USDA organic hemp seeds via the Purity Hemp processing facility in Peterborough, Ontario. The maple syrup comes from Lanark County’s Diane Coutt’s store in Rideau Ferry, Ontario.

Mahem is a family business that Peter Shields ran until his recent death. His wife, Zdenka, continues to manage the business, manufacturing the product and filling orders, managing the business product and clientele orders, and spending many evenings packaging fresh batches.

A brief update from the Orientation Committee on recruits in 2012

Stephanie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:33:06 +0000

by Sondra vanderVaart

Last summer’s orientation numbers were a bit low, with approximately six people joining an orientation session each month. The early fall, normally a busy period for us, was also slow with nine people in each orientation session in September, October, and November. The November campaign to recruit new members really helped, with December almost doubling to 15 people attending orientation and January jumping up to 20 people. In previous years, 20 people attending orientation in a single month was considered to be an “average” number. We hope to see continued momentum building throughout the coming spring.

Karma in the Media: Toronto Star on “Cash-strapped Karma food co-op in the Annex may close”

Stephanie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:31:26 +0000

The Karma food co-op in the Annex may close its doors after 40 years if it can’t get 100 new members by June.

by Valerie Hauch

Monday March 11 2013

Reposted from The Toronto Star

In its former lives, the modest building at 739 Palmerston Ave. hosted a bakery and possibly a stable or garage. But after 41 years of selling local, organic as well as conventional, sustainable and ethically produced food, the Karma Co-op may be approaching the end of its life with no reincarnation in sight.

Members of the non-profit Annex food co-op recently got an email warning it will have to close in June unless it can increase monthly sales by $21,000 and get 100 new members.

The co-op has been in financial trouble before “but this is the most serious,’’ said Karma manager Talia McGuire.

Although the co-op owns the building, she said it’s “never really recovered’’ from the costs of a major renovation in 2008 which included big-ticket items like a walk-in refrigeration system and a roof overhaul.

There is a membership base of 1,000 but only about 600 are active members who buy regularly, said McGuire. Still, they’re not buying enough. The email notes that if each member spent another $10 a week, it would greatly help improve the bottom line.

She noted the co-op can’t buy in bulk, like big-box stores, which can charge less for some goods. But compared to other small grocery stores of its kind — selling organic and non-organic produce and dairy products, ethically raised meat, fair trade items — McGuire believes their prices are competitive.

The co-op also pays the wages of nine, mostly full-time, unionized staff who earn between $11.86 and $13.25 an hour, McGuire said.

To save money, the co-op will close Mondays (starting March 18) and will raise its prices on bulk items and produce — yet will remain competitive, McGuire said.

She noted the small, “green” grocery market is tougher than in the past. “Competition is fierce.’’

Since the co-op began, more places now offer organic and sustainably produced goods.

Nor does it help that the entrance to the co-op is down a lane that runs parallel to Palmerston. “Our biggest downfall is the location,’’ said McGuire.

The co-op gets much of its produce, dairy and meat from local farmers, organic and conventional.

But Karma’s problem may be linked more to simple economics, said Pierre Desrochers, a professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His book, The Locavore’s Dilemma: In Praise of the 10,000-Mile Diet, points out that foreign-produced products are often more affordable.

“It’s hard to compete when prices (of imported food) are lower,’’ he said. While people may say they prefer local food, “when faced with two products — local and imported — price is often what determines the choice.’’

But Karma member Linda Gaylord, who’s been part of the co-op since the mid ’70s, thinks today’s consumer really does care about where food comes from and that there is a viable market for places like Karma.

“I think there’s actually kind of a renaissance of interest . . . in pulling back from the big boxes,’’ Gaylord said. “People are shopping more at farmers’ markets.’’

Consumers like herself also enjoy the feeling of community at Karma, where they bump into people they know and the atmosphere is friendly.

“And I don’t have to think too hard when I shop there — I know they’ve checked the source of food and that things are fair trade. . . . It’s not like when you’re shopping at a big commercial store.’’

But Gaylord acknowledges that Karma may need to market itself better.

“Maybe we need to do a better job of communication. . . . You have to always be recruiting. I think there might be a perception that since it’s member-owned, there are complications to becoming a member. It has to make the idea of being a member easy for people.’’

McGuire said Karma’s board recognizes that and is looking at the membership structure and “eliminating some barriers.’’

The $40 annual fee per person allows for two choices of involvement.

Flat-rate members who volunteer to work two hours a month pay an item’s sticker price, or they can pay a $22 monthly fee in lieu of working.

Percentage-rate members pay a 10-per-cent surcharge on top of the sticker price but they don’t have work or pay the monthly fee.

See the original article at:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/03/11/cashstrapped_karma_food_coop_in_the_annex_may_close.html

Report from the Social Events Committee

Stephanie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:23:26 +0000

by Sharon Rose

You might be wondering what Karma’s Social Events Committee is all about. Certainly an earthquake is an event. The invention of the telegraph was an event. Many would say that a baby being born is the most profound event of all!

We host a monthly opportunity for members to engage with one another. In January, we presented vegan soup with fresh croutons made exclusively with Karma ingredients. We enjoyed live music and children’s activities while members socialized.

February’s fair trade chocolate fondue hinted at the sweetness of love in time for Valentine’s Day. Fresh fruit and vegan marshmallows, dipped in a selection of melted Karma chocolates, made for a sweet change of pace.

On March 9, we hosted a Book, Yarn, and Material Exchange for those who wished to share and swap from their crafting stash. It was a chance to clean house after those long winter nights, when people tended not to be out and about as much and instead took the time to read or do crafts.

So on April 27, with spring fever running high, we invite everyone to attend Karma’s Wellness Fair! More details will be announced soon. By then, weather permitting, we’ll be able to set up tables in the back parking lot.

A month later, with the danger of frost behind us, what better time is there to have our annual Plant Exchange than on May 25? And then on June 15, with the explosive growth of summer in all its brilliant greens and vibrant blossoms casting their perfume to the warm breeze, we kick out the jams and have a Free Stuff Exchange.

We want musicians, artists, freethinkers, and creative introspectionists (did I miss anybody?) to share their talents. Creating collaborative synergy, much like tending a fire or a garden, can be invigorating. The sky’s the limit, and we’re all in it! Watch for more details to come.

See you soon.