Dear Co-op Members:

Not all of you could attend the 2015 Phoenix Earth Annual Membership meeting. Let me tell you that it was a productive and inspiring meeting. Three new Board members were elected: Adrienne Armstrong, Caitlin Cousino, and Tiffany Hubbell. At the first meeting of the newly reconstituted Board, Anita Levin was elected to be the new secretary and I was elected to be the new board president. Sándor Halász and Tom Fine remain in their positions of vice president and Treasurer, respectively.

I am very excited about this new opportunity to serve the Co-op. Our membership meeting offered important clues as to what the focus of the Co-op should be. A wish to strengthen the Co-op community was a recurring theme in many of our member’s contributions. A strong sense of community is what distinguishes us from other much larger stores even if they offer similar products.  While other vendors have discovered that organic products offer larger profit margins, the Co-op has long been guided by values that have made the health of our shoppers, and the wellbeing of our community and our environment overriding priorities. Our store offers a much more personal shopping experience than larger stores could ever provide. Much of the Co-op’s success during the past year was only possible through the effort and dedication of our members and the goodwill that our value- and community-oriented organization has generated. If we dedicate ourselves to further strengthening and enlarging the Co-op community, many of the Co-op’s remaining problems will take care of themselves. Let’s make that our most important goal. 

On behalf of the board I invite all of you to play an active role in shaping the future of the Co-op. As members you are eligible to serve on the Co-op’s committees and most importantly, participate in the Co-op’s outreach activities. Visit our website (phonixearthfoodco-op.com) and follow our Facebook and Twitter posts for meeting times and updates. Tell your friends about the Co-op. I am sure that many of you have interesting ideas as to what the Co-op should be and do. We want to hear from you!

A happy Thanksgiving holiday to all of you,

Hermann von Grafenstein
Board President, Phoenix Earth Food Co-op