4th of July

The store will be closed on Friday July 4th. We will be open on Saturday, July 5th as usual.

Due to the 4th of July landing on Friday this year we will be delivering milk on Thursday July 3rd. Please call or email if there are problems with this time. 577-5564 or lissa@justlocalfood.com

Thank You. Have a great holiday weekend!

This Saturday, June 28, 11-3pm – Anderson Farm Samplefest

Lynn Anderson from Anderson Farm is going to be at the store this Saturday, sampling her delicious all-natural hot dogs, kielbasa, and corned beef. They were a hit back in December when she was at Just Local, so we hope you’ll stop by to give them a try.

To help you stock up for your summer grilling pleasure, you will save 10% on the purchase of 2 or more Anderson Farm products (Saturday June 28 only).

Produce 6/24/08

This week in produce we finally received local strawberries. Also local this week we have tomatoes, crimini mushrooms, mississippi greens, heirloom lettuce, spring mix lettuce, asparagus and kale. New this week we have watermelon, cantaloupe, figs and leeks. We have a lot of stone fruits like nectarines, plums, pluots and peaches. The green beans we have been receiving have been excellent.

Rising Milk Prices

For the first time since we opened over 4 years ago, we have to change our milk prices. Because of our unique and close relationship with Crystal Ball Farms, we have remained sheltered from the rising milk prices until now. This change is due to the increased costs of feed prices and fuel. On the upside, and also because of our extraordinary relationship with the farm, our prices are still much lower than other organic milk which retails from $4.50 to $6 a half gallon, much of which is not local and may be homogenized or destroyed by over-pasteurizing!

As of July 1, our new prices for premium fresh organic milk from Crystal Ball Farms will be:
1/2 gallons of whole, reduced and skim milk - $3.50
1/2 gallons of chocolate milk - $4.00
Quarts of whole, reduced and skim milk - $2.60
Quarts of chocolate milk - $3.20
Quarts of half and half - $3.50
Pints of chocolate milk and half and half - $2.25
Pints of cream - $3.50

Butter will stay at $7.00 a 1 pound tub.
The bottle deposits will remain the same as well. $1.50

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our hardworking local farm neighbors!

Ahhh, Safe Cans

Direct from the Eden Website:

Are Eden Beans packed in cans with enamel lining that contains bisphenol-A?

No. Eden Organic Beans are packed in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous (a natural mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir) c-enamel lining, that does not contain bisphenol-A. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans, which do contain bisphenol-A.


One question we get a lot is "why does organic food cost more". Well, now you know why you might be spending a few more pennies on organic canned beans at our store. These are not the cheapest "organic" beans they can import from China, these are regionally grown beans, handled carefully, cooked properly, and put in a can that won't contaminate or poison the food. There isn't really a comparison!

This Week in Produce

New this week we have purple tomatillos, red peppers,cilantro and jalapenos(I must have been in the mood for salsa when I made the order). We also received; leeks, avocados, grapes(black,green and red), mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pluots, plums, apricots, mediterranean cucumbers, green peppers, potatoes(red, yukon and russet), rainier cherries, bing cherries, broccoli, green beans, yellow beans, roman beans, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, yellow onions, coconuts and bananas. Local this week we have hydro tomatoes, white mushrooms, mississippi greens, asparagus, kale, chard, heirloom lettuce and cilantro.

sad ending, new beginning

I'm posting this with a bit of sadness and lots of hope - thanks to Nathan and the wonderful people at Native Bay who have done our local farmers well the past three years, and been an exemplary partner in local food education...

The following is from Native Bay:

Hello Everyone,

It is with great sadness that we must inform all of you that after three years of business, Native Bay will be closing at the end of this month. Our last day of business will be Sunday, June 29th.

This was not a decision that was reached lightly. We struggled very hard for (exactly) three years and all of us here at Native Bay have put in more hard work than you can imagine keeping our restaurant afloat. However, mounting debts, uncertainty towards the future and some severe burnout on behalf of many of us have forced us to throw in the towel.

We would like to thank all of you who have supported us throughout our run here. It was those of you who truly understood our mission of incredible fine dining and local food that kept us going strong as long as we did. Even though we're closing the doors, we don't consider what we did here at Native Bay a failure. We helped bring the notion of local food -- and all that that entails -- to this community and we made plenty of people happy along the way. We've made connections with a host of fine folks -- whether they be farmers, producers, customers or our own staff -- and these are relationships that will continue long after Native Bay is a mere memory.

Here in our last two weeks of business, we hope that any of you who are interested will take the time to come out and enjoy one (or maybe three) last meal(s). We would like to raise as much money as we can in our last days to make sure that we get as many of the bills paid up as possible. Even if you can't make it out, any kind words or feedback you might have for us would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, our closing does not come without a few silver linings. Primarily, please know that we won't quit our core mission of fine dining and local foods. Soon after we get our whole aftermath squared away, we will be in search of a new building where we can start anew and focus on what we did best. We are firmly committed to the Chippewa Valley, since we've come to believe that the farmers and producers in our region are some of the most progressive and amazing people in the whole country. Certainly, our next endeavor will be a smaller venture and in a location that doesn't bring with it such a seasonal fluctuation of business, which will in turn allow us to focus even more energy on our goal of creating a dining experience that's worth writing home over. We may need some help along the way too, so please don't be afraid to contact us if you feel you can be of assistance.

If anyone would like to send us comments, please either mail or email them to the addresses below (this account doesn't get checked frequently) or, as mentioned before, come and join us during our last little run.

A heartfelt "Thank You and Goodbye For Now",

The Staff at Native Bay

Native Bay Restaurant and Lounge
9504 County Hwy S South
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
715.726.0434

info@nativebayrestaurant.com
www.nativebayrestaurant.com

new in packaged goods

We're exploring new suppliers, and deeper relationships with existing local and regional suppliers. These products come in through Vern's Cheese, a distributor that has been serving us reliably for some time. His route stops every two weeks, on Mondays. We'd be happy to place a special order for you as well.

The products pictured here and described below are not the backbone of our business, but they are folding into our purpose in finding "as local as we can" and "as good as we can". There are no local farmers making organic pretzels in packages we can sell in our store; this is the best we can find, through businesses and co-ops we trust. Made in Wisconsin or Michigan. And these aren't "health food" either, necessarily. Nobody's perfect and we all like a pretzel or some cheap kraut now and then too...

East Shore Specialty Foods
Pretzels and dippin' mustards made in Wisconsin. When I called to ask about hydrogenated oils in their pretzels, the nice woman said "Oh we took those out a few years ago." The mustards are simple. If you have favorites you think we'd like to sell, let me know! (silver spring organic line mustards will be coming in soon)

Venus Crackers
We've got a lot of requests for crackers. Here's a shot, let us know what you think.

Flanagan's Kraut
Made in Wisconsin. A conventional product at a conventional price.

Mro-Cos Sex Olives
Garlic stuffed sicilian olives. Pretty good, not local or organic...

Berghoff Root Beer
Made in Wisconsin, one of the few root beers made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Blue Nectar Blueberry Lemonade
100% juice.

We also received some cranberry juice cocktails made in Wisconsin from Door County cherries, but I tossed them in the "clearance cart" right away because of the high high fructose corn syrup content, great cherries, not so great and overly sweet drink...

this Saturday: Farmers Market and Art Fair!

Just Local Food workers will be abuzz in Phoenix Park this Saturday. Laura, Aaron, Ash and Zac will be split between the Farmers Market stand with Laura's great food samples, cheese and beverages; and the OAFA food court with our new Fruit Stand - fresh delicious organic fruits like grapes, cherries, pluots and more! Please stop down, say hi, and take part in these great events in our community.

Safe Local Tomatoes

Are you looking for safe tomatoes? I would like to inform you that our major produce supplier, Co-op Partners, has theirs tested at a lab and has assured us they are safe. Also, you should know that we can always trace back where all our produce starts. So you should always feel safe to shop with us. A side from tomatoes we have been receiving a lot of stone fruits from California. They include plums, pluots(plum apricot mixed), peaches, nectarines, apriums and apricots. Other fruits we are getting right now would include strawberries, rainier cherries, honey dew melon, bananas, kiwi, citrus and grapes. For now they are all coming from California but soon they will be local. We also have avocadoes, atualfo mangos, hayden mango, pears, garlic, onions, kabocha squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, shiitake mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, cucumbers(Mediterranean), zucchini, celery, beets, broccoli, meyer lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, kumquats and fair trade apples. The green beans are so beautiful I need to mention them seperately. Local, we have micro greens, red leaf lettuce, spinach, mixed lettuce greens, kale, chard, crimini and white button mushrooms. Did I mention our tomatoes are also local and certified organic? (pictured: PLUOT)

mushrooms

We always have a great supply of fresh mushrooms. They are almost always from Wisconsin, if not, from Minnesota, and only occasionally Pennsylvania. Shiitake, portabellas, crimini, white button...

Have you heard of umami? Mushrooms have it, especially shiitakes, morels & criminis. Sorry we haven't had many morels in this year, the ones through our distributor would have been forty bucks a pound, and the wildcrafters haven't brought in much.

Portabellas work great on the grill, I recommend you soak them in oil and tamari or your favorite marinade to keep them moist. Have you ever brought out a little cast iron pan to the grill? You can set it on the grate and saute some onions, garlic and shiitakes or criminis while you've got the rest of your meal going...

This Saturday, June 7: another Kubb Friendly

From our friends on campus:

The Eau Claire Berserkers and UWEC Foodlums are hosting kubb friendlies on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 2pm at Peace Park (across from Just Local Food on 1st and Grand). The friendlies consist of kubb and food. They are not tournaments, rather friendly, open matches for learning and fun. If you are a rookie or if you are the world champion, if you have a couple hours or only 15 minutes, regardless of age or sex, you are more than welcome. The grill is always hot and the lumber is always being tossed.

If you'd like to have a great afternoon (or practice for our August 2nd Midwest Kubb Championship & Fundraiser!) invite friends, bring some serious hunger and a kubb swagger!

Come on down to see why we think Eau Claire is "Kubb City USA"... this is how we create community.

sister city project: Miramar Costa Rica

A few weeks ago, Just Local Food was asked to help host a delegation of representatives from Eau Claire's sister city in Costa Rica. Our role is helping to make agricultural and cooperative connections during the "agriculture weekend" July 5 and 6 (that's in just a few weeks!). Among the folks coming up to visit our area is a representative from a coffee cooperative, and they'll be joining th Coffee Grounds at the Farmers Market on Saturday the 5th, hopefully sharing fresh brews of coffee beans from their area. On Sunday, Just Local Food will be hosting the entire delegation for a quick tour of our store, then embarking on a farm tour to visit a few local farms. We're also planning on stopping in Augusta for the Bean and Bacon days parade around noon, then embarking on further tours and ending with dinner at a restaurant in the area.

Are you interested in helping out with our visitors? We are looking for donations to cover meal expenses for these wonderful people, transportation, translators (spanish/english), farm hosts and more. Let Aaron know if you have any ideas or would like to contribute.

farmers market

The Downtown Eau Claire Farmers Market has been off to a wonderful start this year. Just Local Food is proud to continue our tradition of setting up alongside many of our suppliers and representing farms and fair-trade products at our own booth.

Like last year, we are bringing down fresh organic fair trade coffee every Saturday. Stick a travel mug in with your reusable shopping bags so you can enjoy a fresh cup while you peruse the pad. You are also very welcome to use one of the many ceramic mugs that we offer for wandering and to-go. We bring fresh coffee for a few reasons, one of which is to offer samples of different coffees for you to try. So please don't feel bad grabbing a mug and giving our daily brew a try, it is why we bring it. You'll notice we don't charge for coffee, we only ask for a donation. Why? We trust you.

By bringing our mugs to the market and avoiding styrofoam cups we are accomplishing several goals. We're reducing the overall waste that the Market produces. We're conserving landfill space. We're saving money for our co-op that allows us to keep our prices down. We're setting an example for other businesses. And we're retaining the genuine flavor and overall integrity of our fair trade organic coffees by not exposing them to plastics, waxes or styrofoam. Thanks for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday to share a cup of Joe, a delicious sample prepared by our staff, or just a simple wave & smile.

We also bring down bottled artesian water from a local family farm. This is not the kind of bottled water that's just tap water or from a Coke bottling plant. It truly is fresh, clean Wisconsin groundwater that is bottled near Osseo on Glenn and Bev's farm. I've been to the plant and they are doing the right thing. They would love to bottle in glass returnables, but they can't afford the bottles and equipment yet. This is the next best, and a far step above the corporate waters available elsewhere and keeps money in our area.

Crystal Ball Farms aged cheddars, small chocolate milks and Eau Galle Italian cheese are a few other products we try to bring each week. We're also featuring new products and inviting suppliers to join us, so you'll see a variety. We're trying to make it worth your visit every Saturday. See you there!

Art Reception this Saturday evening

“Longing Exists within the Night Sky”

Interpretive paintings of Tsunami survivors by Johanna Sinz

Artist's Opening Reception: Saturday, June 7 5:00-6:30pm

Show length: from June 1 – June 31

From Johanna:
Spring 2005 I began to research the Tsunami crisis particularly the disaster in Bande Ache. Thousands of women were left widows, more than one million left homeless and one in three had lost a job. Women had to share tents with strange men, they had no privacy to wash or to breastfeed. 150,000 women were pregnant when this tragedy struck. They struggled to find adequate health care. Many girls were unable to go back to school because nearly all of their teachers died and their college was destroyed in Bande Ache. Over 1,100 children were left orphaned and over 3,600 homes were destroyed. Women had to be strong and resourceful. They developed amazing bonds and friendships courageously surviving together in this male dominated society. I felt a connection with these particular women in Bande Ache the more I learned about them. Relating my pain with theirs allowed me to release emotions through painting.

I deal with situations and feelings that I am going through by painting; it has been an outlet for my emotions. Painting helps me to heal from past experiences that have happened in my life. I can let myself go through painting, putting what's in my heart and head out onto the canvas. It is essentially my escape from reality. It is a form of release, physically getting images out of my head onto the canvas releases me from being tied to the emotions.

When I started to research and study the Tsunami crisis this past spring, I began to incorporate natural disaster into my work. The water, layers, wind that I create is a grounding spot and metaphor of the events in my life. Texture is very important in the paintings, it represents how deep the emotions run. The layers that I create symbolize not only landscape but time elapsing over the landscape. Healing and washing over the destruction that has happened. By using layers and textures I form a personal language to convey my message.

The neck bone connected to the … lamb bone.

Lamb bones, we’ve got them. Good for soup making, they add a rich meaty flavor to anything you cook them with. Lentil soup cooked with a lamb bone or two, oh my, it just transforms it into a whole new experience. They’d also make a fine treat for your dog (although I’m not an expert on what’s good for your dog, so please check with someone who knows about such things!) We have a lamb liver as well, which would make someone’s animal friend really happy.

Fresh Local Organic Asparagus

Wheatfield Hill is harvesting their certified organic asparagus and we are getting weekly deliveries of it. It's great for grilling, omelets, quiche, fried or blanched. It is also great as a fresh snack with hummus. The green bundles of flowers are snap harvested so the entire spear is tender and not woody at all. Come down to the store to pick up some of this delicious seasonal vegetable, or add a bunch or two to your order for Friday.

This Saturday at the Farmer's Market

This weekend at the Just Local Food tasting booth we'll be hosting Richard from Rolling Meadows. He's bringing his enthusiastic personality and his shaker cup of sorghum caramel corn. Wheatfield Hill will have their first major picking of Asparagus available, and other vendors will surely bring a variety of greens, meats, cheese and baked goods. Stop down! A little about the the sorghum fella visiting us:

Rolling Meadows Sorghum Mill

established 1985

Richard became interested in sorghum syrup in 1984, when he could not find a jar of sorghum syrup to purchase. In 1985, he decided that he could produce his own syrup. It wasn't until 1986 that he successfully raised and processed his first crop, 6 gallons total production. Over the years, through research and testing, his operation has grown. In the early 1990's, he made the decision to be serious about syrup production, rather than just a hobby, and built his certified food-processing operation. In 1996, he started to build mechanical harvesting equipment, and today, his harvest is fully mechanical. In 1998, he installed a high-pressure steam boiler which allows him to do preheating and to cook by steam. Today, he produces over 1300 gallons annually. His assistant, Marcia, in charge of sales and marketing, sells to retail markets throughout the state of Wisconsin and does mail order throughout the United States. Marcia also spends considerable time at farm markets and special-event shows. Rich also owns Percheron draft horses and operates Queen Anne Carriage Rides, giving carriage and hay rides in his local resort town of Elkhart Lake.

bikes

Our store is currently located along a beautiful river parkway. We see lots of bikes every day.A lot of Just Local workers ride bikes to work, and overall Eau Claire is a great place to bike. And we have a thriving bike culture, too. Witness a nice summer Saturday Farmers Market with bikes, baskets and trailers with flowers and food. You could even say those bikes are powered by local food.

If you're curious to take a glimpse at just one aspect of Eau Claire's bike scene, take a few minutes to view this video documenting a fun bike race that took place all over town last weekend. Just Local Food is proud to have been a stop in past Alley Cat races, and workers have been known to ride along too...

In other local bike news, rumour is a certain downtown bakery has commandeered a wheeled machine that will forego the combustion engine for a human biped capable of relocating massive amounts of pastries. What's this all mean? You're going to see more and more cool bikes around town. I'm hoping to have our own market cruiser ready for next weekend...

Produce 5/15/2008

This week we have been getting more and more local produce they include: spinach, chard, mix lettuce greens and from Sunbow Farm(Eau Claire). We also have arugula from Romar Greenhouse also parsley and mizuna(mild salad green) from Coon Creek organic farm. We also have several new stone fruits from California like nectarines, peaches and apricots. Don't worry we continue to keep many other usual items in produce as well. So come down to the store and get your weekly supply of local early season greens. Or pick up your regular supply of zucchini, beets, bananas, potatoes or what ever else might tickle your fancy.

UWEC Capstone Article 2 of 4

Not ‘Just Local Food’
Cooperative combines traditional values with eat local movement

By Adrian Northrup northram@uwec.edu

There’s a food movement going on across the country and a small store in Eau Claire, Wis. is at the head of it. Just Local Food, 772 First Ave., is one of the first stores in the country combining the concepts of eating locally and a food cooperative, offering locally produced and distributed products to people in the area. This store is just the beginning, co-owner Aaron Ellringer said. “We know that future is in local food,” he said. “We’re banking on the fact that people are going to be turning to local farmers to provide them with their food.

The founders of Just Local Food came up with the concept for the business when they decided they wanted to work with local farmers to help sell their produce and products and also wanted to own their own business, Ellringer said. Once the concept of combining local food and a co-op was chosen, the founders had to decide what kind of company they wanted to be. They settled on a worker-owned food cooperative. Just Local Food opened as a delivery service in 2004, and opened a store in 2005.

The cooperative structure gives Just Local Food flexibility, Ellringer said. Being a cooperative allows the company to focus on selling local food rather than money.

“Corporations by law are required to make money and all their decisions have to be about making money,” Ellringer said. “…we’re allowed in our bylaws and through the state statutes to consider things other than just making money. To me, it’s an important thing to be able to support and work for our community.”

Just Local food is a local expression of a growing national wide emphasis on local food, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire associate professor of geography Paul Kaldjian said. However, the idea of eating local isn’t new. “This is a return to kinds of things that happened a long time ago,” he said.

While its business structure is a cooperative, Just Local food is very unique. The worker-owned structure, where the employees own and operate the business without an external board of directors is a different structure than most co-ops. The company was also started recently, rather than during the 1970s like many food co-ops, Ellringer said, giving the business a different perspective. And other co-ops don’t have the main focus on local food like Just Local Food. “Our co-op started recently asking new questions and trying to solve new problems that exist today,” Ellringer said. “… We have the name food and we have the name co-op. And that’s about where the similarity ends.”

Just Local Food is approaching local food from both ends, Ellringer said. Not only are they supplying the food, they are also increasing the demand by educating people about it. Other differences between Just Local Food and a regular co-op is membership fees, Ellringer said. Many co-ops require shoppers to become members of the business or pay a fee to shop there. For Just Local Food there is no membership or fee. Ellringer said he doesn’t like to classify Just Local Food as just a food co-op, but a rather a small-town grocery. “I call it a mom and pop grocery store,” Ellringer said. “Because it gives you the impression that it’s small, you’ll know the people that are there.

Patron Dennis Eikenberry said knowing the people there is one reason he shops there. “I love all the people that work there,” he said. “We know one another on a personal basis. It’s a place where like minded people meet. I’m always running into people there that I’ve never met before and we end up having these long involved conversations. I meet new friends at Just Local Food.”

Just Local Food works with about 50 to 75 local producers. Ellringer said it takes a lot of time and organization working with so many suppliers, and sometimes costs more financially, but it has many great benefits, including supporting local farmers and the economy. “You’re able to recycle money through our local economy time and time again,” he said. About 85 percent of products sold in the store are locally or regionally produced.

Working with so many local producers, Kaldjian said stores like Just Local Food operate similar to a farmer’s market but has a few advantages. First, it makes the products available every day of the week. The business also has the ability to get products from a larger area, and offer a wider variety of products. The store is also able to have more products in stock, he said. Another benefit is stores have the ability to advertise.

Just Local Food has a food policy that determines the types of products they carry. The first policy is that the item is locally produced or distributed. The second is that the product is sustainably grown and or organic. The third policy is that product is of high quality and low cost. Other policies include the products being unprocessed and unmodified, produced or distributed by small businesses or cooperatives, packaged and produced in an environmentally-friendly manner and no exploitation of workers involved with the food. The food policy also bans genetically modified good, partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup items from the store, unless they are specifically labeled.

While Just Local Food tries to follow these guidelines, Ellringer said they do make exceptions, for the benefit of their customers.

“We make compromises on the edges in order to keep more customers happy and keep them coming in and shopping.

Trish Cummins, who was a customer on Just Local Food’s first delivery route and now shops at the store twice a week, said she has watched the store evolve.

“They’ve definitely expanded into being somewhere you can do all of your shopping,” she said. “… There’s not a grocery store in town that can rival the organic and local produce they get.

Food problems, like the increasing number of unknown ingredients in foods like pesticides and growth hormones, and contaminations, intimidate people and get them interested in where their food comes from, Kaldjian said. “As the list of the ingredients gets longer and more chemical, the more people feel uncomfortable,” Kaldjian said. “…Local foods also benefit from this. It’s the desire to understand what we really are eating and what we’re feeding our kids.” Food contamination outbreaks have increased sales at Just Local Food, Ellringer said. Customers sometimes come in for a certain ingredient and then get interested in the idea of local food, he said.

Ellringer said they also sometimes use exceptions to their food policy to test products for local farmers. For example, Ellringer said that if a farmer was interested in making chicken hot dogs, but wasn’t sure if they would be popular, Just Local Food may find chicken hot dogs from another nearby vendor to test the market.

“If we find out that customers are buying them up like crazy and they’re spending this much money on them,” Ellringer said. “We can share that information with our local farmers and hopefully develop a product that can sell.

Local products may cost more, but Eikenberry and Cummins said they are willing to pay more for local products. And if more people bought the products, Cummins said, prices would decrease.

“The more people who can afford to shop this way (locally), the more people that do, the prices will start to come down,” she said.

Cummins said her family shops at Just Local Food to reduce their environmental impact. Buying food that has to be transported to the area causes damage to the environment and uses unnecessary food miles, she said.

Food miles are the distance between the place of production and consumption of food, Kaldjian said. The more miles the food travels, the more energy is used and the larger impact on the environment.

Buying locally also supports the local economy, Kaldjian said, and keeps revenue in the area. Buying locally isn’t a new concept. Kaldjian compared it to buying American and supporting the U.S. economy, and the idea of buying Wisconsin cheese.

While it is difficult to do with working with so many local vendors, Just Local Food is generating revenue, and that revenue is increasing every year, Ellringer said. In 2007, the company sold over $350,000. Most of the best sellers in the store are local products like dairy, beef and vegetables, Ellringer said.

Ellringer said he thinks the idea of local food is and will take off across the country. He receives phone calls from people across the country curious about Just Local Food, and how the business works. While the exact model may not work, Ellringer said there are parts of Just Local Food that can be replicated. “There are farmers and consumers and workers out there that want to figure out this puzzle,” he said. “How do we create a food system for local food? We’ve done it. So people want to see that and how we’ve done it.”

UWEC Capstone Article 1 of 4

This is the first of four articles we'll be publishing that were written by UWEC student (graduating this weekend) Adrian Northrup. She wrote them as a series for her capstone project, and kindly gave us permission to publish them here. Adrian did an excellent job researching her articles and we feel she has done the community a great service by thoroughly understanding our cooperative and effectively communicating that to readers. Thanks Adrian, and good luck!

Parking lot replaces storefront

Downtown grocery relocates; jail expansion to tear down building

By Adrian Northrup


If the Just Local Food building, 772 First Ave, is paradise, Eau Claire County plans to tear it down and put up a parking lot.

Frank Draxler, purchasing manager for Eau Claire County and project manager for the Eau Claire County jail expansion, said the County Board voted 17-9 to purchase the building that Just Local Food rents at a meeting on Mar. 18. The county acquired the building for $210,000 in early April, Draxler said.

Eau Claire resident Ben Carolan, who opposes the downtown jail expansion, said he's unhappy with the county's decision.

“It was nice having a storefront on the river,” he said. “I'm really disappointed that they have to tear down the building and replace it with a concrete slab.

Just Local Food co-owner Aaron Ellringer said the business was planning to move from the location before the purchase went through. However, the jail expansion project was a factor in their relocation decision.

“It's (the jail expansion project) created an environment that makes it impossible to plan for our future,” he said.

A 2006 fire at their original store location placed Just Local Food to their current First Avenue location.

Just Local Food was founded in 2004 and began as delivery service, distributing locally grown and produced items to customers, Ellringer said. Their business began to grow, and the company opened their first store in their warehouse on Gibson Street in 2005. In early 2006, a fire caused major damage to the building and forced a move. While searching, the Just Local Food owners came across the building located on First Avenue, which was an old food distribution warehouse being used for storage, Ellringer said. After talking to the owners of the building and a few upgrades, Just Local Food moved in.

The fire has helped prepare Just Local Food for their move, he said.

“There’s that saying that goes ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he said. “We know what it takes to move our business. Our customers know what it takes, our suppliers know. So, in some sense, we have been prepared.

Eau Claire County plans to tear down the building in late fall or at the end of the year and use the land for a parking lot, but Ellringer said Just Local Food would like to relocate by this summer.

“We just are anxious to get started on the next phase of our growth,” Ellringer said.

Ideally, Ellringer said, the business would like to be in the downtown area.

The business is preparing for the move by raising funds and gathering volunteers to help, Ellringer said. Customers of Just Local Food will also play a key role in the relocation.

“They’re very supportive and they want to know what they can do to help,” he said.

Ellringer said Just Local Food is ready for the move.

“We're growing, we're expanding and we're planning for our future,” he said.

Both Draxler and Ellringer said they have been in preliminary talks about the relocation, but no decisions have been made.

Construction on the jail expansion project could begin before the Just Local Food building is torn down, Draxler said. Eventually the building will have to be torn down.

“At some point we have to say that’s long enough because we’ll need that space for staging equipment and employee parking,” he said.

Draxler said the parking lot is necessary for the jail expansion project.

“At a minimum we have to replace our current parking and provide adequate parking for new employees and new public,” he said.

The purchase of the Just Local Food building will allow 54 more parking spaces in the jail expansion project, Draxler said.

Fresh Local Arugula

Romar Greenhouse is now supplying us with fresh arugula. Most of the produce we will be receiving from them is cut that day and on our shelves that evening. We will also get some heirloom tomatoes, spinach and more. These pictures are the starts that they will sell at the farmers market and of Jordan(JLF) and Martha (Romar) cutting fresh arugula to bring to the store that day. Romar specializes in heirloom tomatoes and they have 30 plus varieties of tomatoes several peppers and many other starts to be able to sell at the farmers market.

Wild in Wisconsin

It is not only local season but also wild season. We have already received wild ramps(leeks) and we are expecting morel mushrooms soon also. The ramps, if you have never tried one, is like a spicy spring onion with delicious greens. They could be used in anything that you would like onions or leeks in and the greens taste great fresh in salads. We are selling them for $1.99/bunch and that gets you about 10-14 individual ramps. I am also hoping to get an assortment of wild foods all summer long, if you have any requests let us know.

try delivery

Have you been to our store? It can all be delivered.

We can deliver anything we have in stock to you on Friday, and we'd be glad to. Our co-op started as a delivery service and we're still running strong, reaching out to every side of town and beyond. Save a trip, we're in your neighborhood anyway, and we'll bring it all right to your door. We can even call you on Friday morning to confirm your order and add as much as you'd like.

Of course, it still helps us and our suppliers if we get orders in by Monday at noon, but we understand that not everyone's life works on a schedule like that all the time.

Email an order.

Or phone: (715)577-5564

gingerbread jersey cheese

If you haven't had time to focus in on our gingerbread jersey cheese selection, I wanted to make note of two, and perhaps next time you are in you'll take a moment to admire the variety of cheese the Schunk family is producing for us.

Manchego Curado - Curado translates to aged. Try some alone, in a potato sunchoke gratin, or with bread and ham... "True" manchego curado comes from the Spanish Castilla-La Mancha region, but I'll trust Virgil on this one and try the original next time I'm in Spain (please note I may never make it to Spain).


Smoked Mozzarella has a strong, deep earth and smoky flavor that can add flavor spunk to nachos or pizza or guide a whole dish along its smoky course, like this risotto with yam puree and kale!

next best

If you really can't wait for fresh local strawberries, we have the next best for you. Fresh, non-local certified organic strawberries from family operated farms in California. California will never, ever be able to send us a strawberry like you can get at Charlotte's or Sylvan Hills. They've been diesel refrigerator trucked from 2,206 miles away – about 1 day 7 hours straight, and were grown picked & packed for that purpose. That said...

We can get you some strawberries that are pretty dang good, and were produced without pesticides or fumigants. We'll be getting a variety of strawberries from along the Pacific Coast as they ripen northward through the spring, culminating in our local berries being ready around June. By all means, hold out until then for fresh berries. But if you can't wait, here's a detailed link to information on the supplier that we're getting our fresh organic strawberries from this week, Martinez Farms. They are a family owned farm business, and as the article details, they are Certified Organic for reasons I'm sure you'll appreciate.

And how does this help local farms? Here's just one way: By continuing to shop at our store and purchasing products like these, you are giving us information that we can share with local farmers. In this instance, if a local farmer knew folks were willing to spend $5 a box for strawberries in May, and we can sell 10 cases a week, they might be willing to invest in greenhouses or raised beds to coax an early crop to help meet our early season strawberry needs in the future... who knows?

wild and native

Back in stock, from the White Earth reservation near Minnesota, are genuine wild rice (manoomin), hominy (mandaamin), and the rich and delightful refrigerated maple butter. Wild Rice is a native plant to our bioregion, and an excellent source of food for humans. We chose Wild Rice from Native Harvest because of their unique business model and their work on preserving wild rice. Unfortunately, truly native wild rice is being threatened by, among other things, genetically modified "wild" rice being imported to Wisconsin for processing and sale from paddies in California. Your purchase of Wild Rice from our store works in many good ways.

Your purchase directly supports:
1. native wild rice production on the White Earth Reservation.
2. your local cooperative that works to preserve farmland and native food sources.
3. organizations that are working to prevent GMO rice from contaminating native manoomin plots

And manoomin comes in the same shipment as Maple Butter, the pinnacle of simple local food pairings!

As far as hominy, dried corn kernels which have been hulled and degermed, try some in a soup with fresh veggies, a coon creek chicken back and some RP's egg linguini tossed in at the end. Skip the chicken and the hominy shines too!

a possibility...

As we announced at our open house last night, we are exploring a few options for our new location, which we will finalize soon. One of the main contenders is across from the YMCA downtown, on the corner of Graham Avenue and Seaver Street. We have the opportunity to take long-term care of this site, rejuvenate a blighted spot in downtown and remain within blocks of our current location. It also has clear and realistic options for expanding on site, to meet our future growth.
This is a conceptual drawing by our friend Lori of the front of the possible new store. (this picture isn't a good representation of the drawing - sorry, the real one is at the store) There will be bike and handicap access, several vehicle parking spots and ample on-street parking nearby. As with any space we will occupy, it will undergo a thorough environmental analysis and all steps will be taken to ensure the safety and quality of the food , workplace and social environment for us all.

Another friend, Ken, drew a quick layout sketch for us. This shows how we would fit now, then expand over time to occupy a larger footprint. Getting excited? So are we!

Thoughts on building sites?

Want to help make it happen?

THANK YOU!

Thank you so much, dear friends and supporters of Just Local Food Cooperative. In addition to many kind words and well wishes, we raised some serious cash tonight for our new endeavors. In fact, in just the first few hours of our campaign, the Just Local Food community has already invested tens of thousands of dollars, giving us the ability to put a down payment on a building and kick start our next phase. THANKS!

TONIGHT: Open House and Party!

We're having a party! You are invited to join Just Local Food Co-op workers/owners, suppliers and customers for an open house at the Historic Ager House on April 29th. We'll be on hand to share with you a new opportunity to help our local food system grow and prosper, Preferred Stock in Just Local Food. We'll also have our accountant and architect along to help answer questions. Learn more about our history and help guide our plans for the future!

Come and go as you please. We'll have plenty of great food and beverages from folks like Native Bay, Marie's, Obsession Chocolates, Farmer to Farmer coffee, Gingerbread Jersey Cheese and more!

Just Local Food Co-op Open House
Tuesday, April 29th
5:30 to 8:30pm

Ager House
514 W. Madison Street
Eau Claire, WI

bring your checkbook, if you please!

This Week In Produce

This week in produce we have made available a wonderful selection of fresh fruits and vegetables for you. We received mango, fair trade pears, avocados, yukon potatoes, carrots, spinach, mixed lettuce, red lettuce, kiwi, pink lady apples, kumquats, navel oranges, valencia oranges, grape fruit, lemons, broccoli, green kale, rainbow chard, green top beets, celery, zucchini, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms and garnet yams. New this week we have cauliflower, cantaloupe and Chinese peas. The peas are especially tasty. Local this week there are crimini mushrooms, white button mushrooms, Mississippi greens and hydroponic tomatoes. All of the potatoes will be sold in bulk from now on to avoid the use of bags and to give you the option of one potato, two potato or more.

Produce 4/16/08

This week available to you from the JLF produce department we have; rainbow chard, green kale, spinach, lettuce greens, broccoli, celery, zucchini, carrots, scallions, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, kiwi, meyer lemons, limes, kumquats, ruby grapefruit, navel oranges, blood oranges, bananas, plums, peaches, pears, apples, spring red onions, garlic, red onions, yellow onions, white onions, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, kabocha squash, yams, peanuts and pistachios. Local this week we have tomatoes, micro greens, crimini and white mushrooms. Also this week we started getting potatoes in bulk so you can buy one or many, and you don't need to use a bag at all.

Just Local Soil

It is finally feeling like spring in the Chipewa Valley and it is time to start working outside. We have had seeds available for several weeks and now we finally have organic soil too. Cowsmo Compost potting soil and compost is now available at JLF. We have 50 lb. bags of soil and compost and 10 qt. bags of soil if you just need a little for getting seeds started. Cowsmo is located in Cochrane, WI and it came to us through the Foodlums at UW Eau Claire. Cowsmo is a company formed by 2 families of 5th generation Wisconsin dairy farmers. They take the manure from their dairy cows, wash and separate it, and then compost it. CowPot soil contains Cowsmo Compost, peat, perlite, sand and organic fertilizer. You can pick up some at our store or if you need a lot you can visit their website at www.rwdairy.com. By the way those wonderful micro greens we get from Dragsmith Farms in Barron, WI are grown in Cowsmo soil and compost.

last winter market

Join us for the last indoor market of the season!

Winter Farmer’s Market
Saturday, April 12th
Hours: 9:00-1:00
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church 1314 E. Lexington Blvd. Eau Claire

Downtown Farmer’s Market Opens – Saturday May 3rd!!

Come join us for the final indoor Winter Farmer’s Market to be held Saturday, April 12th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. This is your opportunity to purchase high quality locally grown and made products direct from area farmers. Choose from a great array of products including: beef, buffalo, chicken, cheese, dairy, dog treats, eggs, lamb, pork, honey, yarn and knit goods, winter vegetables, goat milk soap and more! Farmers will donate a portion of their proceeds to Feed My People. Come support this great local event!

Preferred Stock

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Class C preferred share?
A preferred share of Just Local Food Cooperative is a special type of stock that regularly pays a set amount of money out of cooperative profits called dividends. They are called preferred because they have preference in terms of dividend payments and distributions in case of bankruptcy.

How is interest paid?
Every year the Board of Directors will declare a dividend. The dividend rate for Class C, Series 1 stock is 5%. Interest is compounded annually, and reinvested in the cooperative in your name.

When does it mature?
Class C preferred shares have no fixed maturity date. In order to benefit the cooperative and community, these shares should be considered long term investments.

Will the rate change?
No, the annual dividend rate is fixed at 5%.

Why is Just Local Food offering preferred shares?
The operating money for our cooperative comes from two main sources – profits from the cooperative business that are retained and used as working capital, and borrowed money. Preferred Shares offer a permanent source of working capital for the coop and a flexible financial tool for investors.

What will Just Local Food use the money for?
Funds raised will be used for a variety of expenses and investments including things such as property acquisition, equipment purchases, and additional product for customers.

Are shareholders members of the cooperative?
No, shareholders are simply community investors. Just Local Food is a worker owned cooperative, and as such the only members are worker/owners that have invested equity in the co-op and possess a Class A share.

Once I own stock, can I vote in JLF elections?
Officially organized as a worker owned cooperative, the only voting members are workers. Just Local Food has historically, and will continue to, listen to the needs of our community, including shareholding investors.

What if Just Local Food Cooperative fails?
As with any stock or bond, the investor is at risk should the company fail. Class C shares do have preference over Class A shares.

How do I get my money back?
Class C Stockholders may request the Cooperative’s Board of Directors to redeem their stock at any time. Any redemption request requires approval of the Cooperative’s Board of Directors.

I like what you're doing, can I get a share without collecting interest?
Yes, you can buy shares that do not collect a dividend, and it will help the co-op even more!

Will this affect my taxes?
You will need to consult your tax advisor to learn how these preferred shares might affect your taxes. Just Local Food Cooperative will send out the appropriate forms to shareholders each year they receive a dividend.

What if I move out of state?
If you move, please notify the Just Local Food Cooperative Board of Directors as laws vary by state. You'll need to consult your tax advisor for personal tax consequences.

Contact us for more info or a preferred stock pack.

Bulkin' up

Jlf has bulked up! Garbanzos (aka chickpeas), black turtle beans, pintos, green lentils and kidney beans all ready for your stews, dips, salads and sides. Look for dried fruits and raw unsalted nuts including mango slices (unsulphured and unsweetened), almonds, sunflower kernels, walnuts, raisins and a few others to satisfy your craving for healthy snacks. We also have flax seed, millet, yellow and white popcorn. In recent days, we have decided to supplement the empty spots on our shelves (due to supplier shortages) with some brown basmati rice, long and short grain rice (due in this Sunday!). For the time, you will notice that these bulk items are packaged by us but we hope to bring you some self-serve bulk bins in the near future. As always, the bulk department is open to suggestion so please send them our way!

Fresh Produce in Store

This week available to you in produce we have a beautiful display of many different colors. Some of them include; carrots, sunburst squash, green top beets, spring red onions, scallions, cucumber, blood oranges, meyer lemons, eggplant, spring mix lettuce, red leaf lettuce, spinach and pink lady apples. Also this week you can come in and get local micro greens, local alfalfa sprouts, local mushrooms and local tomatoes. I would also like to mention that pears are mostly coming from Argentina right now so we will try and keep them fair trade as well. With this being said this week we have pakham pears that are fair trade and d'anjou pears that are not. Come on down to the store and get the usual or pick up something you have never tried before.

What's new in health and beauty and general merchandise departments this month....

Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition Cookbook is on sale!

The local produce season is just around the corner and now is the time to pick up that copy of "Asparagus to Zucchini" that you've long been putting off. This month there is a sale on the 3rd edition of the Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook. Regularly priced at $19.95, this month the cookbooks will be $16.95.

Got pets?

Well if you do Just Local Food has just expanded its pet line with cleaning products, dog/cat food, and soon more dog treats and bones. We now have Wysong cat and dog food products in wet and dry forms. Currently at Just Local Food, we have available Anergen dry cat food, Maintenance dry dog food, Chicken au jus cat or dog food, seafood cat or dog food, and vitality cat food. Here's a blurb from Wysong's website which desribes their company as "a unique organization with heart, trying to make a difference in the world by approaching health as if thinking matters. For over twenty-five years (Wysong) has let principle lead and have helped people achieve better health for themselves and their pets with competent and honest information and products." More information about this company can be found here.

In addition to having your pets well fed and healthy Just Local Food now offers the same great cleaning line Mrs. Meyer's but for your pets. New on the shelves today are Oatmeal sage pet shampoo and Clary Sage pet carpet cleaner. The same company that gets your dishes, laundry and homes smelling great can now help keep your pets smelling good as well.


April Showers!

For this month only Coon Creek soaps will be on sale. Regularly price at $5.95 a bar, all non-specialty shaped soaps will be $4.79, a 20% savings. Currently we have in stock unscented, patchouli, honey oatmeal, lavender, berry wine, lemongrass, geranium, almond and a new eucalyptus/spearmint blend. Sale runs until April 30th, so come stock up!

In coalition with the soap sale, new this month we started carrying "Ayate" 100% natural agave fiber washcloths. The word ayate is a native term which translates into loose-woven products such a bags or cloths from agave or century plant material. These cloths can be used as personal washcloths but also work great in the kitchen as they resist mold and are quick driving. Retail price for each washcloth is $5.59 but the material will endure for years. I've had my agave washcloth for the past three years and it still works great, just remember to hand wash the cloth only.

HELP WANTED!

a few days left!

Just Local Food is opening its doors to new worker / owners. Part-time and full-time positions available. We’re looking for enthusiastic individuals with interest and or experience in the following ways:

~In store cashiering shifts
~Weekend and Evening help
~Design/Marketing
~Various Departmental work

If interested please submit a resume by May 15th

To be included on resume:
~Work Experience
~Interests in departments
~Collective/Cooperative Involvement
~General availability including number of hours/week and preferred shifts (i.e. week days, weekends, day or evening)

Please email , drop off, or mail your resume to:

Just Local Food Cooperative
772 First Avenue
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703
715.577.5564

Produce

This week available to you from the produce department there will be; red & green kale, broccoli, green top beets, royal mandarins, lemons, limes, tangelos, navels, grapefruit, ginger, savoy spinach, romaine lettuce, spirng mix, nantes carrots, green peppers, zucchini, pink lady apples, bananas, avocados, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, kabocha squash and plums. Local produce includes mississppi greens, hydro tomatoes, crimini mushrooms and white button mushrooms. New this week we have white and red spring onions, peaches and cara cara oranges. So come on down to the store and get what ever you need.

more hours!

Hey, we're now open until 5pm on Sundays!

Monday through Friday 9-7
Saturday & Sunday 9-5

Marie’s bread now at Just Local!

We just received our first batch of Marie’s Original Bakery 10-grain bread, frozen for your convenience. Now you can have the best bread in Eau Claire, whenever you want. Stop by and pick up a loaf or two, and see why we’re so excited to be the first store in town to carry her bread.

From her site:
Ten Grain Bread, a Marie’s original recipe, dense slice-able bread with an organic ten-grain cereal blend added, similar to cracked wheat but better, has oats, corn, flax etc… you know, all that healthy stuff, makes great sandwiches.

Local Food Week on UWEC campus

Perhaps you can make it to one of several local food events on campus, particularly the lunch buffet at the Dulany Inn on Wednesday and later in the afternoon, Ken Meter of the Crossroads Resource Center will give a presentation titled "Where Does Your Food Come From?" He will discuss local foods and sustainable agriculture. See more local food week info at the foodlums abode.

Moving along....

We finally met with the County this morning. Jail Building Project Manager Frank Draxler gave unofficial notice that they would be "closing" on the buildings we're in on April 11. Then we have six months to move, according to their word. Frank also claims that the County is under no obligation to compensate our cooperative whatsoever, and only offers the possibility of assistance to us because the County wants to be a good neighbor.

I'm sad to leave this great neighborhood, and the river, and the hard work we've put into renovating these old buildings... but remember the words of Joe Hill: Don't mourn, organize!

And that's exactly what we're doing. Organizing and planning our growth and prosperity!

Oh, you might learn something from this Spectator news article.

Freshest Produce in Town

That's right I said it, JLF has the freshest produce in town. Did you know that the micro greens we receive from Dragsmith Farm on Thursdays is cut that morning? We are also carrying local organic tomatoes and two different kinds of locally grown organic mushrooms. That's pretty fresh I think. Just wait for June when we're receiving the vast majority of our produce from local farmers. Also, this week we have strawberries, dates, kiwi, mixed salad greens, red romaine lettuce, carrots from "Willey Farm in Ca.", shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, green kale, celery, cabbage, green top beets, broccoli, eggplant, grapefruit, tangelos, limes, royal mandarins, cherry tomatoes, plums, bananas, pears, mango and potatoes. I want to make a special mention to the spinach we got in on Thursday, it is the best I have ever tasted. So come on down to the store and pick up some fresh produce today.

Fatty Boombalatty

The guys from Furthermore just dropped off a fresh batch of Fatty Boombalatty. It's going quick so stop in and pick up a six pack for $7.99.

Off their website...
Fatty Boombalatty: a dangerously drinkable Belgian

Availability: Spring/Summer. ABV: 7.2%.

The conception and naming of this beer happened in one fell swoop. Unsure whether to offer a light session beer or a fun ball-buster as our warm weather seasonal, we decided on a beer that would be “a big, fatty boombalatty” version of a Belgian white. And away we went, taking a recipe for a white beer and ramping up the grain bill by 50%; we dropped the amount of wheat by 75% to keep the beer rough around the edges. We bucked tradition by steering the bitterness in the direction of a pale ale, and coupling hops with coriander in the fermenter. The resulting beer gives you all the bubblegum goodness of a big Belgian, with enough crispness to cut through the sweet profile, thus making you want to sip it again and again. Dangerous, indeed!

furthermorebeer.com
ready.fire.aim

Paper or Porcelain?

Ok. You've heard the bag debate, paper or plastic, right? Well obviously you've already figured out you should really bring your own. We collect paper bags from you, your friends and neighbors to share when you forget. It's really no problem.

You drink coffee, too, eh? So do we. And there's a debate here, too. It's styrofoam or wax coated paper, right? Not really a choice, when it comes down to it. If you drink coffee, chances are you're drinking it just about every day. So it should come as no surprise to you, if you leave your house for awhile, especially in the morning, you'll be looking for some joe at some point. Bring a mug! If you forget, and you will forget, we all do, there should be an ecological choice where you get coffee. And it's not styrofoam or wax paper or even made of genetically engineered corn. It's you - taking the time to drink your coffee "in house" so they'll give it to you in a mug, or having them fill the one you brought.

At Just Local Food Coop we've been thinking and talking about this. We are committed to being good stewards of our environment. And we want to support you in doing the right thing, too! So when you stop down and forget your mug, no problem, we've got a rack of clean mugs waiting for you. We also serve our coffee "to go" at the Farmers Market in this same fashion. Yes, we could probably sell more coffee if we gave throwaway one-use cups to folks down a the market, but thankfully we're not just about making money. We're different. We're a co-op. And we're finding new ways to make businesses work for people and the earth we inhabit!

Thanks for your support.

Alchemy is Back!

Alchemy Fine Foods is back in the business of producing high quality foods. Instead of a retail location they are again working through local groceries/specialty stores, like Just Local Food. We are proud to be carrying a diverse range of their products and look forward to the new endeavors Bradley and his family are undertaking.

In stock currently...
Russian Potato Salad 16oz $4.39
Apple/Beet Salad 16oz $4.79
Curried Yam & Walnut Salad $4.79
Hummus 8oz $3.79
Aegean Tapenade 8oz $4.99
Artichoke Antipasti 8oz $4.99

Check out this section often for new products coming in weekly, maybe even salads and sandwiches in the future.

Holyland flatbreads are a perfect way to shovel in these addictive deli items.

On the Menu: Local Hospital Thinking Local

Just Local Food Co-op workers have been working with farmers and local institutions on developing a far-reaching sustainable food system in our area. Check out a recent TV spot from WQOW on the first stages of a "buy local consortium" being developed with Sacred Heart Hospital and soon other local institutions!