Thanks to all who attended last week’s Spring General Membership Meeting, to the East Passyunk Community Recreation Center for hosting us, and and to South Philly Barbacoa for the delicious snacks! 

Missed the meeting? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a recap of what we discussed:

State of the Co-op:

The search for a space continues, and as we have said previously, given the inventory and pricing of today's South Philadelphia real estate market, opening a successful co-op will mean finding a development partner who is as dedicated to and passionate about this community as we are. The great news is that we are in conversation with such a partner, about an extremely promising space to call our home.

We are farther along in the negotiation process than the Co-op has ever been before. We've been down this road before (although never quite this far) and things haven't worked out, so nothing is final yet. We'll share more details when we can, so stay tuned!

In financial news, the Co-op generated $5,393 in net income this fiscal year and has $144,055 in total assets. The Board has also engaged local business consultants Elysian Fields to further refine the Co-op’s financial models.

Board Election Results:

Thanks to all who made your voices heard in this year’s Board Elections. Congratulations to returning board members Jessica Calter, Angel D’Ippolito, Alison Fritz, Anna Kiesel, Matt Stern and to brand new board members Katy Travaline and Emily Wyner! And of course, a big thank you to our outgoing board members, Josh Richards and Anna Shipp, for your hard work over the years!

Introducing the South Philly Blend:



This smoky, savory blend of South and Central American coffee with chocolate undertones is now available through our new buying club partnership with Philly Fair Trade Roasters. Pick up your coffee monthly at Cinemug starting June 16th.  Try it out for just a month, or commit to 3 or 6 months for additional savings. Sales benefit the South Philly Food Co-op and member-owners get $1 off per 1-pound bag, so place your order today!

Product Preferences Survey Results:

The results of our Product Preferences Survey are in with over 160 responses! As a cooperative store, our member-owners will decide what we carry and how we source it.  At the meeting, we dug into how our members eat and shop, and what concerns them most when choosing their groceries (hint: local, fresh, high-quality products at reasonable prices).  To see the full results of the survey, click here.

New Member (Or just want to get more involved)?: 

Attend our upcoming New Member Orientation on June 8. Click here for details and to RSVP.

TEDxManhattan 'Changing the Way We Eat'

A Viewing Party

Presented by the South Philly Food Co-op and Edible Philly:

A VIEWING PARTY

Saturday, March 1, 2014
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (doors open at 9:30 am)
Studio X at Theatre Exile
1340 S. 13^th Street (at Reed)

This event is FREE to attend, but we ask that you please register on our event page here.

The South Philly Food Co-op and Edible Philly are teaming up to give you front row tickets to TEDxManhattan, “Changing the Way We Eat,” a one-day conference features a dynamic and diverse group of speakers addressing issues in the sustainable food and farming movement.

We’ll be streaming an exclusive LIVE webcast from The TimesCenter in New York City giving you FREE access to some of the most exciting ideas happening in sustainable food. If you care about what you eat and where it comes from, you’ve gotta see this…these ideas are definitely worth spreading!                      

2014 TEDxManhattan speakers include:

• David Binkle, Director of Food Services, Los Angeles Unified School District
• Congresswoman Chellie Pingree - US House of Representatives (Maine)
• Alison Cayne, Founder, Haven’s Kitchen
• Matthew Moore, President/Founder, Digital Farm Collective
• Virginia Clarke, Executive Director, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
• Peggy Neu, President, The Monday Campaigns
• Tom Colicchio, Chef/Owner, Craft Restaurants; Head Judge, “Top Chef”
• Andrew Gunther, Program Director, Animal Welfare Approved
• Myra Goodman, Co-Founder, Earthbound Farm
• Michael Rozyne, Executive Director, Red Tomato

More speakers listed at www.tedxmanhattan.org/speakers! 

Complimentary breakfast refreshments (locally-roasted coffee included) will be provided and food trucks with a conscience will be on site for lunch. In the afternoon we'll enjoy a round of sustainable snacks and local craft beer to keep the conversation going from Studio X onwards into the evening.

Representatives from the South Philly Food Co-op, Edible Philly, Fair Food, GMO Free PA, How Does It Grow, Greensgrow, and more will be on hand to spark discussion and make connections as we share ideas in (and eat) sustainable food. Whether you drop in for a specific speaker or topic, come and go throughout the day, or stay for the long haul, we’ll be glad you came!

About The South Philly Food Co-op
We're a group of community-minded South Philly residents committed to bringing a member-owned grocery store that carries local, high-quality foods at a fair price to our neighborhood. While the end result will be a food store, we’ll be much more. The Co-op will actually be owned by our local community. More at southphillyfoodcoop.org.

About Edible Philly
Edible Philly, a member of the James Beard Award-winning edible Communities magazine family, tells the story of local food. From source to table, we spotlight the growers, producers, fishermen, vintners, retailers, chefs, homecooks, brewers and others who energize our culinary community. More at ediblephilly.com.

About Theatre Exile
Theatre Exile engages audiences by producing new and reinterpreted plays that explore the complexities of the human condition and contain Philadelphia grit and passion.  Whether through humor, sarcasm or deep drama, Exile has proven to be a place where local artists can take their biggest risks by matching challenging scripts with Philadelphia’s top talent. More at theatreexile.org. 

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

WHEN: March 01, 2014 at 9:30am - 6pm

WHERE: Studio X at Theatre Exile
1340 S 13th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
United States
Google map and directions

Be sure to RSVP and save your spot on our event page here!