Wheatsville Co-op Austin, TX

[Dan Gillotte <gm AT wheatsville.com>]

Howdy Wheatsville friends!

I am so pleased to be typing this e-mail from my new office space! I am looking out the beautiful windows at the excavator that just demolished the tin stocking shed and I can see our hardworking staff adjusting to life with portable coolers and a new office and breakroom. We'll have some video up on our web-site by next week showcasing the demolition fun we've had as well as a tour of our new offices!

Scroll on down for:

A longer description of our office  as well as the many green features in our soon to be certified Austin Energy Green Builder office! Plus more expansion updating!

A sad story about our friends at Goodflow.

The great food the deli wants you to eat!

Amazing Wine deals.

A shout out to our friend Aunt Penny.

Save some dough with the Co-op Advantage Coupon books!

Movin' on up!

The Wheatsville executive offices or Wheatsville world headquarters has been stationed in a "temporary" mobile home for about 25 years. The 700 sq ft sardine can/ submarine/ oven served us in its own way that entire time as we fillled it with more and more people, equipment and technology. There is a picture of the old Wheatsville offices on Wiki-pedia illustrating the term "Bursting at the seams." (OK... not really, but there could have been!) The two axioms of the expansion have been to create a better place to shop and to create a better place to work. This first completed phase of the project definitely addresses the second axiom. The new offices while not the Taj Mahal seem light years ahead of the conditions that staff had been working in. And, this office space includes new bathrooms (the old trailer had exactly none), two meeting room spaces, air conditioning and heat (the trailer could keep us at 85-90 in the summer and at about 50 in the winter), and a new and comfortable break room! 

Thanks to your incredible support, we are able to finally have this great space. We're delighted to host our next owner gathering here in October so we can show you around in person! (Date and details to be announced.) 

For now, let me give you a rundown of the green features of our new office:

Lots of natural light. (So far, I haven't needed my lights on at all!)

High efficiency AC.

The work stations/ table and break area cabinets were all made from an extremely green product made of very high recycled content. 

We chose concrete in most places instead of the less eco-friendly vinyl tile that was originally specced. In places where concrete wasn't an option, we went with a carpet made with recycled plastic soda bottles!

Our new bathrooms have super low flow plumbing and we went further and added a dual flush toilet that lets us save an additional .6 gallons when flushing liquid waste.

All of the paint in the office is low or no VOC.

While we upgraded nearly all the office equipment, we got most of it from TOPS second hand. (Reuse really is one of the best Rs.)

I feel like there is more on this, but it's not coming to me at the moment. If it does, I'll be sure to let you know!

Other expansion news of note!

We have quite a bit more car parking on the east side fence area. Feel free to use it up! Also we still have parking in the back on weekends and after 5 pm. (Though this will change in the next few weeks.)

We may begin using our new doors if the contractors start to demo the other part of the patio. The earliest this would happen would be at the end of next week. 

There will be demolition of the retaining wall near the pecan tree this week and next as well as the start of demolition on the north area where the shed used to be. This demo is in preparation for building our new addition to the store! Now the fun is really starting!

Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for your continued support and patience!

The news about Goodflow from Mike Crissey.

Dear Wheatsville Shoppers, 

You may be wondering where the Goodflow Juice has gone. A federal judge last week ordered Goodflow to stop making and distributing their freshly-squeezed unpastuerized juices. Goodflow had been seeking an exemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration so they would not have to pasteurize their juices, arguing that it makes and delivers its juices within 24 hours. Goodflowhad an exemption from the FDA as recently as 2006 to operate as a juice bar, which allowed them to avoid pasteurization, according to Judy Crofut, co-founder of the 25-year-old company.Goodflow plans to resume production as soon as they can begin pasteurizing their juices or the FDA relents. Goodflow will continue to gather and distribute its honey. Wheatsville has every intention of continuing our decades-long relationship with one of our valued suppliers and Austin icon.

Mike

The deli loves to cook so you don't have to!

Renovation is well underway and the Wheatsville Deli is celebrating with a variety of delicious items! First, our beautiful Fresh In The Deli special of Corn and Cilantro-Stuffed Baked Tomatoes has been selling at an incredible pace! Come try one for a slightly spicy, filling meal in itself! And it’s the perfect foil to another September special, our cobalt-speckled Blueberry-Banana Dream smoothie! In the case today we have spicy gazpacho, paprika-rubbed grilled ahi tuna steaks, lemon-pepper Texas catfish, Fog City Macaroni, Creole-roasted sweet potatoes, sesame baked tofu patties, lemon-miso kale, Israeli couscous with feta and fava beans… And of course we have everyone’s favorite vegan treats – Popcorn Tofu and Southern Fried Tofu patties! Come on in and eat up!

 

It’s that time of the year again.  That time when our fresh produce starts to remind us that even though we’re in Texas, fall is around the corner!  Pick up some crisp, juicy apples and enjoy your favorite cheddars, jack, and pepper jack cheeses with them.  Apples and other fresh fruits will also go well with the myriad of special bries we have.  The perfect treat! 

 

Clearance Cart of Comestibles

Look for some killer deals on wine in the wine aisle this week! Great deals for your wine cellar! Take note of the new arrangement in wine. We've set it up for reds to be with reds, whites with whites, and all the organics are together, too! Enjoy our new easier to shop wine set!

So sad, so glad

Earlier this week an e-mail came out from our friend Carol Ann at Boggy Creek Farms that their favored matron/ chicken Aunt Penny was on a hunger strike and probably in her last days. This was a very sad story as we all delight in the wonderful Aunt Penny. But, Aunt Penny was apparently just taking a break from eating and has renewed her interest in White Mountain tofu and other foods. As Aunt Penny herself says in an e-mail update, "...the rumor of my impending death is "greatly exaggerated." I say Thank goodness! The world needs Aunt Penny! To subscribe to Carol Ann's delightful weekly update which includes many great chicken stories go to www.boggycreekfarm.com 

Save yourself!

You've probably gotten your CO-op Advantage coupon book in the mail by now. (If you haven't there are more in-store...) I did a quick calculation and found about $37 worth of savings on items that we currently carry in the store! Wow, what a great perk! Even if everything isn't your cup (or box) of tea, there is probably something in their that you purchase. So use your coupons and save some green! You'll be glad that you did.

Thanks and have a great week!

Dan Gillotte

GM, e-mail guy and delighted new office denizen!