From our Farms to our Freezers

by Ruth, Shareholder Services

I heard once that there used to be a list posted in the old Co-op conference room of all the acronyms used in the food co-op world: NCG (née NCGA), NCBA-CLUSA, NOFA, CFNE, CDS.  My personal favorite is NFCA: the Neighboring Food Co-op Association.

The NFCA is a co-op of food co-ops in our region that seeks to, among other things, “promote regional autonomy in food production and other goods essential to human existence” and  “reorient the economy from one dedicated to maximizing individual wealth to one calculated to advance the common good,” (quoted from the NFCA’s founding document, called the “Middlebury Manifesto” circa 2004 – there’s so much more to the history of the NFCA, and our Brattleboro Co-op was a key part in its beginnings – take a dive into the full story here.)

In seeking to fulfill its mission, the NFCA did some research to see where there might be good opportunities to create local products our co-ops could sell.  As a result, they honed in on frozen fruits and vegetables as the place to put their efforts to fill in a gap in the regionally-sourced market at our co-ops.

So, the Northeast Grown Farm to Freezer produce is just another product on our shelves that has a deeply principled and fascinating story behind it, with a plethora of benefits to buying it.  Worth every penny, especially this month since they’re all 25% off  😉

I’ve been to a couple of NFCA events myself and have been inspired, educated, and enlightened.  Many wonderful folks, some of whom I’m sure you’d recognize from our co-op’s aisles and from other food co-ops in the area, do great work with the organization to help forward its cause.  I encourage you to dig deeper into the story of the NFCA and the cooperative movement in general – the more I learn, the more vital and interesting the subject becomes!

Thanks for reading,

Ruth

read more here:

http://nfca.coop/farmtofreezer/ 

and here:

Collaboration for a Thriving Regional Economy