Much Bigger Than Just One Storeit. This way we can be independent and well suited for Asheville, able to change if our more than 1700 owners see fit. This also means we have great prices!

Clearly the current corporate business model leaves a lot to be de-sired, as the middle class continues to shrink and those below the poverty level find more and more social programs disappearing. Companies typically pay huge salaries to those at the top, while paying as little as possible to those below. “Income inequality has soared to the highest levels since the Great Depression and the recession has done little to reverse the trend, with the top 1 percent of earners taking 93 percent of the income gains in the first full year of the recovery,” The New York Times reported in October 2012.

Co-ops, on the other hand provide communities with shared busi-ness assets, which build local economic and community vitality. In fact, with the UN’s events surrounding their “International Year of Co-operatives,” a lot of light was shed on the promise of the co-operative economic model benefitting our shared futures. As co-operators got together globally they got to share a lot of local perspectives about an increasingly global issue.

One attendee at the 2012 International Summit of Co-operatives in Quebec City, Canada “left strongly impressed by the sheer

With so many new stores in Asheville, we at the Co-op have been talking a lot about what really sets us apart from the rest. Many who walk in our store probably don’t realize the fundamental difference we have as a business structure, which prevents us from selling out, or changing our policies based on the whims of powerful financial interests. So, though “health food” and “local” products are available today like never before, we would say that so too are the reasons co-ops started in the first place. Our world desperately needs thriving co-ops in every sector, so that we can continue to grow our communities, instead of simply enriching a few individuals.

When co-ops were first formed, according to Weavers of Dreams, Founders of the Modern Cooperative Movement by David Thompson, they were responding to “keenly felt needs. These were primarily economic needs, but to a significant extent they were also social – a desire for basic education, for political rights and for more equitable participation of women. The Rochdale Pioneers, as Co-operative leaders after them have done through-out the world, were concerned with both economic and social forms of justice. They sought to combine the development of a strong, economic enterprise with contributions towards social and political reform.” (pg. vii)

The good news is that we are now part of an almost 200 store national organization, which allows us to have the buying power of a chain, without the standardization that usually comes with

Bobby Sullivan, GM

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Bobby Sullivan General Manager

Sage Turner Finance & Project Manager

Clare Schwartz Outreach Co+ordinator

Ryan Prenger Grocery Manager

Darren Stroupe Produce Manager

Greg Mosser Deli Manager

Melissa Fryar Health & Body Care Manager

FBFC Board of DirectorsJustina Prenatt

President

Danielle Goldstein Vice President

Jennifer Gustafson Secretary

Bob LeRoy Treasurer

Sarah OramAlanna Hibbard

Kelly FainPauline HeyneJosh Littlejohn Daav Wheeler

Rosemary FletcherJean Karpen

Board Assistant

French Broad Food Co-op90 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801Tel:828.255.7650

info@frenchbroadfood.coop www.frenchbroadfood.coop

Monday-Saturday 8am to 9pmSunday 11am to 7pm

continued from page 1

magnitude of the ideas, influence and people power that co-operatives have mobilized on our planet.” Patricia Cumbie, author of Paradigm for a New Economy (an article in the Coop-erative Grocer Jan. - Feb. 2013 issue), also stated that “it was really stirring to be in a room that held a conference crowd of thousands and to realized that every person there was deeply committed to their co-operatives ‘back home’ and striving to make them better.”

“Co-operatives were touted by many speakers, many of them newly converted by research, as a powerful solution to the world’s problems given their focus on solidarity, cooperation and compassion. To sum it up: Co-operatives need to come out from the shadows of perceived economic and social marginality and they need to grow for the sake of the planet.”

Today Asheville is known as a destination city for foodies from around the country. Restaurants feature an array of local products, ethically-raised meats and organic foods, meanwhile the French Broad Food Co-op has been providing these items for owners and customers for decades. Despite the economic growth in Western North Carolina and the foodie culture, a shocking number of families in the Asheville area are food inse-cure, not having the economic resources or access to fresh, local produce.

Our work as the Board of Directors has become more streamlined, allow-ing us to devote part of our time together towards edu-cating ourselves on issues we feel are important for the FBFC’s Board growth. January through March 2015 our theme is “Understanding the Communities of Ashe-ville,” specifically looking at social and economic injus-tice in our communities and how we as a board can affect change in these areas.

To try and make an impact in neighborhoods with higher rates of food insecurity, local activists Olufemi Lewis and Calvin Allen steward Ujamaa Freedom Market, a mobile purveyor of fresh local foods which is building a bridge between the foodie culture of Western N.C. and the under-served commu-nities of Asheville. The mission of Ujamaa Freedom Market is “to feed and nour-ish the whole community through access to healthy, fresh food.” Outfitted with a repurposed school bus, Uja-maa Freedom Market travels throughout the city Wednes-day-Saturday offering fresh, local produce at a reason-able cost to the residents of public housing and other underserved communities.

The concept of Ujamaa was sparked when a group of young African-American Asheville women were sit-ting around conversing and dreaming of ways to make life better. They were tired of the trucks that come through public housing selling candy and ice cream while living in a place that is defined as a food desert, meaning they have no access to fresh food within walking distance. As these women were sharing from their hearts, they were inspired by a group in Chicago who took an old city bus and transformed it into a traveling grocer, and from that Ujamaa Freedom Market was born. In the beginning, Ujamaa was solely a wom-en’s collective, with the hopes of inspiring women of color to become

Understanding the Communities of AshevilleDanielle Goldstein, Vice President, Board of Directors

entrepreneurs and make social change happen in their backyards. Today, Ujamaa still stands for building economic freedom within the Afri-can-American community while serving fresh, delicious produce that would normally be unavailable.

Ujamaa is a concept developed by Julius Mwalimu Nyerere, the first post-colonial president of Tanzania. The term itself comes from the Swahili word for “extended family,” and was developed into an economic policy focused on community development. Olufemi Lewis

describes Ujamaa as hav-ing cooperation amongst like minded individuals, realizing a shared vision for future generations, collective working, unity and ultimately family. Supported by various grants and donations, Uja-maa Freedom Market has also developed partner-ships with local organiza-tions, including the French Broad Food Co-op.

Ujamaa is greatly appre-ciative to the individuals who have given and believed in them as they have strengthened their foundation over the past couple of years. Address-ing race and class issues are some of the bumps in the road Ujamaa has dealt with such as internal and institutional oppression, all while learning how to run a business. They are excited for 2015 and plan to move forward with full force, greater organization and increased consistency as they do the important work of shifting the paradigm. Our FBFC community can assist Ujamaa Freedom Market in a variety of ways. Ujamaa is always looking for future collaborations, partnerships, financial investments and any leads on resources that would assist the business to grow.

We can also support hunger in the Asheville area through the Nourish-ing Foods Drive in collaboration with MANNA Foodbank that goes through the end of January. Your generous contribution will help pro-vide healthy, high quality foods to our community. And to learn more about food insecurity, please come to a talk by Lindsay Majer of Green Opportunities on January 23 at 3 pm.

Whether you scribble your resolutions into a journal or post them on the refrigerator or just repeat them to yourself in your head as the New Year approaches, you have probably made New Year’s resolutions before. According to the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, and although 75% of resolutions are maintained through the first week, the number drops significantly with each passing week, so that by six months, barely anyone is sticking to it. A lot of people don’t even remember what their resolution was anymore by June. Bummer.

Yet, I love New Year’s resolutions. I think they are sweet signs of optimism. They prove that people still want to better themselves, and believe they can do it, no matter how many times they fail. I even think my own New Year’s resolutions are adorable. Lose 20 pounds? Aww. That’s so cute, the way I keep thinking I’m going to do that!

But every year’s experience begs the question: Why is it so hard to execute a perfectly reasonable decision to do something good for yourself, like get healthier or spend more time with people you love? The problem, says many an expert, is that our reso-lutions are either too various, and/or too lofty. We set too many goals and we lose track. We also set goals that are a little bit too difficult—just outside the realm of reasonable.

But what if I told you that just one simple resolution could ac-complish just about every resolution I’ve listed at the beginning of this article, all in one fell swoop? Eleven resolutions in one? And what if I told you that one single resolution could actually be easy?

One and Done: The Only New Year’s Resolution You’ll Ever NeedEve Adamson

It usually goes something like this

I will lose 20 pounds!

I will finally get in shape!

I will eat better!

I will be more environmentally conscious!

I will cook for my family more often!

I will spend more time with my family!

I will stop ordering pizza and eating fast food!

I will save more money!

I will enjoy life more!

I will be better about helping others!

I will be a better person!

When you focus on one resolution instead of many and that one resolution is something you can actually do, you are about a zillion times more likely to stick with it (that’s the official statistic—a zillion).

What could this magical and powerful resolution be? Are you ready for this? It’s kind of radical, so maybe you should sit down. Here goes:

This year, I will eat mostly whole food.

Wow. I know, right? You have to admire the simple elegance. This one resolution is powerful because you don’t have to think about all those other things you want to do, and yet, they will all start to happen, just because you are eating whole food. Let me explain:

1. I will lose 20 pounds! The number might not be exact, but whether you need to lose 20 pounds or 10 pounds or 5 pounds or 50 pounds, you’ll start moving in the right direction when you eat mostly whole food. Whole food fills you up faster than packaged food. It’s also more nourishing, so your body feels like it actually ate a meal and you aren’t as hungry later. The more you get into the whole food habit, the more your bad eating hab-its will fall away; you’ll feel better, and your weight will normal-ize. Sure, there are overweight whole food eaters. If you eat too much whole food, then you might remain a bit broader around the middle. But while you can probably imagine eating too much candy or too many doughnuts, not very many people binge on apples or carrot sticks or home-roasted chicken with brown rice. Try it. You might find it’s the easiest way you ever lost weight.

Q: What’s the most frequent request coming to the Deli Department?

I suspect many of you can already guess the answer to the above question, having posed it to a member of our Deli team yourselves in recent months.

It’s hot breakfast. Now that we have a hot bar in our co-op, shouldn’t we have hot food earlier in the day? In short, yes! It’s been part of our plan since we got our hot bar in early 2014 – and it’s getting closer! We’re currently in conversation with mentors in the Green Opportunities Kitch-en-Ready program and are working to dial in a morning hot menu to suit our discerning pa-trons. As always, any suggestions or requests are welcome in this process – feel free to talk directly to any of our deli staff, or fill out a cus-tomer comment card.

We’re into the colder, darker part of the year. The classic dietary response this time of year is for comfort – more rich baked dishes and roasted veggies, more soups, more meats and cheeses…and larger portions, too! We know that many of you are looking for these kinds of items, and we do our best to make sure those desires are met (truth be told, many of you are looking for our baked Macaroni and Cheese year ‘round – so we never stop making it!).

Many of you want other options, though. Here in the Mountain South, it’s not always the deep dark cold of other locations in the winter. So we try to make sure we’ve got plenty of lighter, more fresh options as well. It doesn’t have to be summer for you to enjoy our Alpha-Omega Salad, after all.

Greetings from theDeli!Greg Mosser, Deli

2. I will finally get in shape! When you eat whole food, you are better nourished, so you feel better, you have more energy, and you are more likely to feel compelled to move your body the way nature intended. Simple.

3. I will eat better! Whole food = eating better. Done and done.

4. I will be more environmentally conscious! Whole food, especially if it’s locally produced and/or organic, is much kinder and less invasive to the environment than packaged food churned out in a factory and packaged up in lots of cardboard and plastic.

5. I will cook for my family more often! You can eat a lot of whole food raw, like fruits and vegetables, but you’ll likely want to cook some of it, especially in the chilly weather. Roast meat, boil and mash potatoes, steam veggies, stew fruit or bake it into pies. You don’t have to spend hours every day. Cook on the weekends and store foods for the week, or just whip up simple things during the week—a big salad, turkey soup, rice and peas. It doesn’t take long to throw a few potatoes in the microwave and broil a couple of steaks. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at it, and it really can be fun. Consider it your new hobby (you were thinking of adding, Start a new hobby to your list, weren’t you?).

6. I will spend more time with my family! Eating dinner at the table with your family is one of the nicest ways to bond. Even if the teenag-ers complain, all you have to do is say, “No, Junior, you are not eating your dinner in your bedroom while playing that video game. Your mother needs to be able to look you in the eye for at least 15 minutes per day to make sure your brain isn’t fried.” Meanwhile, teenagers are always hungry because it’s exhausting battling all those virtual aliens and doing homework and friending people on Facebook, so they might even gulp down the vegetables. It’s win-win.

7. I will stop ordering pizza and eating fast food! The more you gain a taste for real, whole food, the more the taste of cheap fast food loses its appeal. Sure, we all order a pizza every now and again, but it’s what you do most of the time that counts.

8. I will save more money! Whole food is cheaper. They say it’s not, but it is. Fresh veggies and fruits are cheap in season and frozen veggies from the off season can still be your friends. Whole poultry and roasts are cheaper than pre-made frozen dinners when you figure how much meat you get for your dollar. Buy staples in bulk. Rice, beans, nuts and seeds, oatmeal, flour, even special treats like local honey and ma-ple syrup and almond butter—the bulk bins are bargain central.

9. I will enjoy life more! When you’re feeling better, losing weight, ex-ercising more, eating better, and spending more time with your family, not to mention saving money, how can you not enjoy life more?

10. I will be better about helping others! Feeding your family whole food is a great way to help others. Buying local, organic, and/or fair trade products helps others in ways you might never even consider. It’s a ripple effect.

11. I will be a better person! Define better: Happier? Nicer? Healthier? If that’s what better is, then sure. Whole food will do you right.

So there you have it: One resolution. You can do that, right? Just the one. It’s all you need, and it can and will transform you if you let it. Whole food is that powerful.

Best of all, you can really stick to this one. It’s reasonable and realistic. Let’s do it together. We’re going to have a great year. I can already tell.

~ www.strongertogether.coop

By Melissa, Health & Body Care ManagerWelcome 2015! A very happy 2015 to you and yours. Another wheel ending and a new be-ginning. I always find the dark days of January perfect for reliving the past year and setting goals for the year ahead. My “resolutions” are not usually the standard American list of lose weight, buy a new car, etc. Though there is nothing wrong with setting those kind of goals, mine usually are more along the lines of:

Read 100 books this yearVolunteer more!Grow and wildcraft more of my own food and medicine this year!Save more seeds!Learn all of the trees in my areaGift the people I love more often... more time, attention, love

That is often my New Year’s day tradition: write a new goal list while eating collards, black eyed peas, sauerkraut, and cornbread to bring good health, abundance, and the wisdom from the past.

Your Co-op also has lots of goals and new plans for the year ahead! Here in our Wellness Department we are working on expanding a bit and resetting the department to be more customer friendly. More signage, some new products, and we are always learning more so that we can be a terrific resource for you.

Our bulk herb section has grown immensely! You all have bought a ton of herbs over the past year! We look forward to continuing that growth and take pride in being the best-stocked apothecary in town! Kudos to all of you for supporting that! As always, if there are products that you love and we do not carry, please let us know!

As for our monthly favorite book, I have to go with The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther. It is a modern version of our long time favorite Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I have learned so much about food and health through these books: basically that the old traditional food ways are the healthiest way for me to eat. All the new science and frankenfoods

and fads cannot compare to real food prepared in traditional, slow food ways. Some cultures spend over half of their income or energy securing food. Here in the states, we have come to rely on cheap fast food, much to our health’s detriment. This is a perfect time of year to get in the kitchen and cook some comfort and nourishment. The Nourished Kitchen contains all time favorites like meatloaf and gravy, as well as recipes for bone broths, some new delights such as potato and oyster soup, and baked oats with pis-tachios, dried figs, and honey. That sounds like a perfect breakfast on a cold morning with a good cup of tea or coffee.

If you are a crazy foodie like me, I also recommend True Brews by Emma Christensen. It is a phenomenal book on how to craft fermented ciders, beers, wines, sodas, kombucha, kefir, and other beverages.

For a holiday gift this past year I received Ashley English’s Quench book, which is full of recipes for delicious bever-ages of all kinds. She is my favorite local author and we do carry several of her titles, with more on the way!

As for new products in HBC, we have expanded our line of Herbalist and Alchemist herbal tinctures by David Winston. We also have Natural Factors Whole Earth and Sea Multis which are food based. More and more folks are demanding non-synthetic and non-GMO supplements and many more companies are stepping up and providing these. Be sure to pick up your non-GMO guide near the registers! Its amazing to see just how many items they have slipped genetically modified organisms into. Being educated really helps us to make better choices for ourselves and our families. Know that I am working hard to source products that are GMO free. As we demand, the market meets!

Also on the way this month is The Savannah Bee Company which produced some amazing honeys (including comb) and bodycare products such as Earl Grey Honey Lipbalm and Propolis Honey Cream. These are totally decadent products and also support the bees!

Sunfoods will be hitting the shelf before the end of January! Some of the items you have requested, such as mesquite powder, lucuma, and yacon syrup are included.

We are also looking forward to the arrival of Herbalogic, a Chinese me-dicinal line of tinctures. These blends are amazing and it is unique to find chinese herb blends in tincture form. Moving into February, it’s heart health and a little bow-chica-now-wow! We will definately sample some decadent aphrodisiac treats on Friday, February 13th from 2-4pm. Through all of the commercial pomp of the holiday, I have to say I love any holiday that celebrates love, in all of its facets. We do carry some wonderful massage and lubricant oils. I love the Good Clean Love line of oils. They smell and feel amazing! Locally we carry Moonmaid Botani-cals Lovers Lube with damiana infused oils ... YUM! If you are interested in making your own sexy treats, here are a couple of my favorite blends:

Lovers Liquor1 part damiana leaf1 part horny goat weed1 part rose petals1/4 part vanilla beanPlace all herbs in mason jar and cover com-pletly with brandy. Make sure there is 1 inch of alcohol over the herb mix. Shake regularly (adding more brandy if needed as the dried herbs will soak some up) and strain after 1 month. Can be enjoyed as is or add honey, pomegranate concentrate, etc. You can take this as a tincture throughout the day (20-40 drops 2-3 times daily) or simply sip as a cordial during a romantic evening.

Cardamom Orange Honey4 oz. local honey (any kind)1/4-1/2 tsp. cardamom powder (to taste)1-2 drops of organic orange essential oilBlend all together with a spoon or chopstick, infusing cardamom and orange throughout. This honey is delicious on yogurt, scones, as an ad-dition to the cordial above, or off of body parts! Enjoy!

We will restart our herb classes this month!

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015 Gesundheit! Herbs for Winter WellnessTis the season for sniffles and coughs, viruses and flu, and the creeping crud. Come learn easy recipes and herbal support to keep your family healthy during the season. In class we will make an elderberry syrup for you to take home!

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015 Nourish: Food as MedicineIn this class we will discuss all of the common foods that most of us have in our cupboards that are also healing medicines. From pineapple to enhance diges-tion to tumeric for liver health and to ease inflamma-tion, we will discuss a variety of foods that you can include in your daily diet to enhance health. We will prepare a medicinal gomasio seasoning in class that you can try and take home.

Tuesday, February 17th Herbal Love Class. Come learn to create good medicine for your heart and sexy places. We will cover aphrodisiacs and other foods and herbs to support a healthy libido, as well as how to maintain a healthy heart. Take home a healthy heart tea blend that we will mix in class.

Wednesday February 18thVibrant Winter Skin! We will discuss various skin issues, especially the dry winter skin so many of us suffer from during this time of year. Using various oils, butters, and essential oils, we will each blend up our own face elixir to nourish our skin through the winter months. We will also cover various herbs and supplements to maintain a radiant complexion, no matter the season.

All classes are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Move-ment and Learning Center upstairs and are $15 for members, $20 for non members.

I hope 2015 brings good health, prosperity, and much joy to you and yours! MelissaHBC Manager

Have you picked up your new Co-op card?

New owner cards are ready for pick up at the registers. Come and get yours today! Also, Co-op Worker Owners will be making calls to our entire ownership database to make sure we have all of the correct information to reach you and send you updates, deals and cou-pons. You can update your information over the phone or in the store next time you shop. We look forward to seeing you.

FBFC SCHEDULELot’s of great specials, events and classes!

For details on events come into the store or visit our website, www.frenchbroadfood.coop