This week at the Coop we have a lot of local produce and fruit.
Peaches, apricots, plums, arugula, padrones, gourmet salad mix, carrots, chard, micro greens, garlic scapes, sweet onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, Japanese eggplants and more, all picked within twenty miles from our front door. Next week we are expecting zucchini, cucumbers, kale and a few other surprises on top of what we have today. The fruit is amazing! Those peaches from Rinconada and Velarde are picked ripe on the tree the morning they are delivered and taste and smell like what you would want in a peach.
Our first week of local fundraising has gone well. We matched our challenge grants and have over $23,000 to add to the building fund. Thanks to all of you who brought in your generous donations to the store or donated at spotfund.com. It’s far from over, so if you haven’t had a chance to contribute don’t hesitate. We have started the construction with excavation and forming for concrete work beginning.
The joys of construction have begun! As I write this, a loud noise from a hammer drill on the outside of the office wall is tickling my eardrums, reminding me that some day we will have the space to actually let three people work in the office at once. That annoying noise means that some day we will have access to deliveries by pallets, and enough back stock space that I can order a pallet of something for a reduced price per item.
There are a few bits of good news I would like to share with the shoppers of the Dixon Coop this week. First of all, we are staffed and trained in the Deli. It’s been a long time coming, but we can finally give you fresh made sandwiches for lunch seven days a week. We will make you any of our deli sandwiches fresh and made to order. Our breakfast burritos are available every morning by 8 a.m. as well, so come on in and get your favorites before they are gone.
Greetings fellow Dixon Cooperative Market community members,
This is just a short note to announce that the co-op has been nominated for a Local Hero Award from Edible! It is an honor to be considered, and we deeply appreciate the recognition of how hard the co-op works to stabilize our local food economy.
We are not the only local businesses nominated! Old Gem Farm and Sugar Nymphs Bistro are also up for recognition.
Please vote and share some love for your hard working neighbors. Voting closes May 6th.
The Dixon Cooperative Market Board of Directors
https://www.ediblenm.com/local-hero-awards/
There are a couple of new initiatives the Coop is pursuing this year that we hope will help the people who need a boost in their nutrition and pocketbook. The first one is our new fund that will help the people who are most in need of support to feed themselves and their families.
The annual members’ meeting of the Dixon Cooperative Market will take place on Saturday, January 27th, at 1:00 pm at the Embudo Valley Library. All members are welcome to attend in person, and a Zoom invitation is available by contacting Board President Nancy Levit by email at nancy@dixonmarket.com. The agenda includes reports from the board president and treasurer, as well as a report from the manager. Public input will also be included. Finally, election results for new board members will be announced. Please come to the store to vote, or get your ballot in the mail so we receive it by Saturday.
Happy New Year from all of us at the Coop. We’re looking forward to providing you with good food in the year to come, and hope the addition that we are starting will offer an opportunity to give you better service and selection. It’s going to be a busy and exciting year here, full of changes and improvements, and I can’t wait to see what the year holds for our little store and our greater community.
Christmas is right around the corner and so we’ve bumped up our toy selection here at the Coop. If you think Santa might need a little help you can check out our selection on the end cap by the dairy refrigerator. The kids who have come in lately seem to naturally gravitate to that section, like a beacon for all of those kids on the nice list. For the adults on the list, we always have a selection of locally made arts and crafts, books, cards and sweets that can make anyone feel special. If you have any special needs for the Holiday dinners, let us know as soon as you can and we can get something ordered for you. And don’t miss Santa’s visit to the Coop on Saturday the 16th from 11 am to 3 pm on the front porch. He’s warming up for his sled ride in the Electric Light Parade later that night, but you can come and get the kids’ pictures with him here in the daylight.
I would like to express a huge thank you and congratulations to all of you for voting in the Barclays Bank Small Biz Big Wins Contest. It was revealed today that thanks to over 15,000 votes for the DixonCooperative Market during the 10 day voting period we placed second and will be awarded $40,000 in a couple weeks!
We have huge news! Barclay Bank has initiated a contest called “Small Business, Big Wins,” with a grand prize of $60,000. Of the 14,200 applicants, our Co-op has been selected as one of the ten finalists to qualify for the grand prize. As a top ten finalist we are assured of winning $5,000, but with your help we could win a larger cash prize.
Please vote once a day from today, April 1st through April 10th. Ask your family and friends to help, together we can win this award! The money will go a long way toward allowing the Co-op to improve the services we offer you.
It is quite an honor to be selected from so many small businesses nationwide; it reminds us that we are lucky to have this little store serving our small community. Let’s take this opportunity to show that our community supports the Co-op and the Co-op will in turn, fulfill its dream of improving our services to you.
This is a great opportunity for us and we would really appreciate your support!
Clark
The Dixon Co-op Board and Staff are currently planning for the first major expansion of the store in a number of years. Our goal is to increase our storage capacity for both shelf stable and fresh and frozen foods, allowing us to purchase in larger quantities and reduce the cost of goods sold. With the enlarged space and increased refrigeration we will be able to better keep local fresh produce and bulk items for sale to the community, as well as to better supply the Picuris Travel Center. We will also make improvements to the delivery area to improve safety and efficiency. In summer of 2022, the Dixon Co-op was awarded a USDA HFFI grant worth $200,000 for the work.
We will be open our regular hours all weekend, including Monday, for the Labor Day holiday. We open at 8 am and are here until 7pm every day of the week. Remember, the more you shop here, the better the local economy does. Read on about what's cooking at the Co-Op!
Welcome to the Dixon Cooperative Market’s new Website! Great thanks to Jeff Spicer and Spicer Digital for his help in getting this going. We hope you find it helpful and informative as you navigate our local food distribution effort.
The Coop is a community based food store that opened in 2006 in 500 square feet we rented from the Embudo Valley Library. We’ve grown to become an integral part of the Embudo Valley economy, providing over a million dollars worth of food to our over four hundred household members and all of the greater community. We employ over twenty locals and now operate out of our 1100 square foot building bringing a large selection of local and organic produce, grocery goods, local consignment items, and a popular deli that offers a menu of delicious sandwiches and pizzas all made in house.
