Wheatsville Co-op Austin, TX

[Dan gillotte <dangillotte AT gmail.com>]

Hello Wheatsville friends!!!

I hope that you are having a great week! Don't forget to use your owner benefit, the 10% off Member Appreciation Coupon in the Breeze from July. Redeem the coupon anytime from Tomorrow through July 26th.

Scroll down for:
Renovation news with a dollop of important Parking information!
I think it's time for a party!
Show your Wheatsville pride!
Can Beer can be delicious!
OH boy! New food bar and other deilcious deli news!
Set sail for new dairy products when Cheese Island is opened next week!
New from Meat and grocery!

Expansion/ renovation  news!
We are so close to the end of this momentous project, I can barely believe it! All signs point to having a lot of exciting changes in the coming week and then having about a week of wrap up to remain. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your amazing patience during this year plus long process! I hope that you are enjoying the fruits of our labors.

Some specific things for you to know about:
Parking should be improved greatly the next time you come in. But, it won't be in its final flow for a little while longer. That's because we decided to bite the bullet and fix the old concrete entrance and exit driveway areas (where your car might scrape sometimes) while we were already in the state we're in. What this means to you is that we will have a lot of new parking open (about 15-20 more spaces) but you'll just have to follow the directions of the flaggers to get the flow down. For the next week or so, you'll continue to pull in as you have been, but we'll have some added parking for you. This parking will require you to backtrack little to drive around the building and leave, but it will keep you from having to drive away without finding a spot. 

Next week, the bulk department will be relocating into its permanent home just past the produce department. (Check out the beautiful wall behind it made of bricks salvaged from earlier demolition of the walls of the store!)

On Tuesday, you'll see our deli food bar set in place and our Cheese Island start to get stocked for business on Wednesday.

On Thursday, our long awaited and highly anticipated food bar will OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Look for lots of delicious ingredients on our salad bar! Our hot food will have yummy options from 11am-2pm and from 4-7pm each day. We also hope that you'll be delighted by our selection of olives and other marinated goodies from our olive/ antipasto bar!

Party like construction is over
Please save the date, Saturday August 15th from 12-4 for our end of construction party! We'll have a REALLY big grand opening party later, like in October, but we do want to officially acknowledge the end of the project with something fun and as a HUGE thank you for all of your incredible patience and support! We'll have tours of the new store (including a peek into our backrooms and kitchen!), fun kid's stuff including the awesome Laura Freeman, local vendors sampling their products and live music from 2 great local bands! We hope to see you there!

Show us your love and Help us win Best Neighborhood Grocery
We would love to win Best Neighborhood Grocery in the Chronicle’s Best of Austin poll again this year and YOU can help!http://www.austinchronicle.com/feedback/bestof/09/ VOTING ENDS THIS COMING TUESDAY  July 21, 2009. 

Steam Engine beer for steamy hot days!
We have a great new beer in the singles cooler and this one is in a can. Great beers like Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale and New Belgium Fat Tire have started showing up in cans and now Steamworks Brewing Company from Bayfield, Colorado have joined the party. Steam Engine Lager is an American classic noted for its malt sweetness and hop spice with a smooth, dry finish. You can find single 12oz cans in the singles cooler for only $1.49 a can !

Beat the heat with a perfect summer aperitif
Looking for a refreshing wine to beat the Texas heat? Then look no further because Gazela Vihno Verde from Quinta de Azevedo located in northwest Portugal is the perfect summer aperitif. An irresistible bright fruity white wine. The bouquet is a lively mix of citrus and floral aromas. Soft flavors of apricot and grapefruit are perked up by the sparkling bubbles and balanced by delightful crisp acidity and strong minerality. At only $5.99 a bottle this wine is  the perfect  picnic wine.

From the Deli
Well, it’s almost time for the installation of our Deli’s new hot bar and salad bar, and we are soo excited to be bringing you lots of tasty new dishes!
In the meantime, come on in and cool off with our Grab’n’Go spreads like the fabulous pecan and apple-studded Chicken Salad, creamy, buttermilk Pimento Cheese, Tuna Salad chock full of crunchy and sweet veggies, and the vegan, tofu-based Eggless Egg Salad! 

Our spicy, delicious and refreshingly cold tomato Gazpacho Soup is also in stock in the self-service case for your summertime delight!
Green salads will give you the nourishment and energy you are sure to crave during these humid days, either veggie-only or made into a meal topped with strips of baked tofu, slices of all-natural lemon-pepper roasted chicken breast, or fresh, soft cubes of mozzarella cheese! Each salad comes with your choice of our Cashew-Tamari or Cilantro-Lime dressings! Don’t forget the Green Salad with Grilled Chicken is on sale all this month!!

Also on sale for July is a new favorite lunchtime treat – our BLT! This toasty sandwich is stuffed with six slices of tasty Boar’s Head bacon, fresh Greenleaf lettuce, sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, and a smear of mayonnaise on Rudi’s organic sourdough! An instant staff favorite, this fabulous sandwich is on sale for only $3.99! That’s 50 cents off the normal price of $4.49! 
Our large, 16 ounce bottles of the beloved Cashew-Tamari Dressing are only $3.99 this month, lowering them from $4.49. So come on in and take advantage of your savings!
Did someone say SMOOTHIE? It’s that time of the year, folks! Come get your all-fruit, no-filler, icy-cold and super-thick smoothies, made just how you like ‘em with all sorts of add-ins possible! Choose your fruit(s) and build from there: pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, mango, raspberry, banana and peach are all on the menu!
And, for a fantastic way to cool down a hot day, be sure to try our renowned Iced Coffee Toddy (called Austin's best iced coffee by Rosie, Dan G's wife), a cold-pressed coffee that takes over 24 hours to create! Other cold brews available include our sweet and milky Thai Iced Coffee, the pink and sweet Nile Valley Hibiscus Mint iced tea, the classic China Mist’s organic black iced tea, Yerba Mate and Chai iced tea!
Whole roasted chickens, fresh-baked artisan breads, buttermilk scones, big muffins, espresso coffee drinks, bacon!… there are so many new Deli items already available in our new space – just wait for the hot bar and salad bar, and you’ll get to try so many more!
 
From Greg in the Land of cheese- (soon to be Cheese Island!)
 
Hey folks! We are very excited to be bringing in some great new cheeses to celebrate our new space.  We will be moving the cheese department into the new case next week and we're very excited.  Here a couple of  the new cheeses we are bringing in:
 
Mt. Tam
Named after Mt. Tamaplais. This Signature triple cream brie style cheese, from Cowgirl Creamery, is made from organic milk produced from the nearby Straus Family dairy.  It is elegant, yet mellow and earthy.  Mt. Tam would best be served at the beginning of a cheese plate.
Pairings:  Champagne, Pinot Grigio, IPA, crusty bread, crackers, fruit preserves
Origin: Point Reyes Station, California
Milk:  Cow
Producer: Cowgirl Creamery
Rennet: Currently Sourcing Information
Web Site: http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/ 
 
Red Hawk
Named after a local raptor that soars the skies of Marin county, this triple cream , washed rind cheese is aged for a period of six weeks. It is washed in a brine solution that promotes the growth of bacteria that gives this cheese it's red-orange hue. It is made from organic milk produced from the nearby Straus Family dairy. Heady, stinky, pungent, robust, voluptuous, Red Hawk would best be served near the end of a cheese plate.
Pairings:  Syrah, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Rose Champagne, Reisling, crusty bread, fig conserve, infused honey, mashed Medjool dates, Pears, Apples.
Origin:  Point Reyes Station, California
Milk:  Cow
Producer:  Cowgirl Creamery 
Rennet:  Currently Sourcing Information
Web Site: http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/ 

Purple Haze 
This fresh goat cheese, topped  with crushed fennel and lavender pollen, is aged only 10 days before being shipped.  Floral flavors compliment a distinct and sharp earthiness. Try figs stuffed with Purple Haze  warmed and drizzled with Goodflow orange blossom  Honey.
Pairings:  Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Viognier, Cava, Old Zinfandel, Dry Rose, bruscetta, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, almonds
Origins: Arcata, California
Milk:  Goat
Producer: Cypress Grove Chevre
Rennet:  Vegetable 
Web Site: http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/
 
Truffle Tremor
A lightly aged goat cheese made with Black Truffles. It has a velvety texture and sophisticated taste that tends to linger long after the fruity flavor of the wine has left.  Sweet, musty, dense, cakey a thin slice of Truffle Tremor would turn a humble side of mashed potatoes and parsnips into a most decadent dish.
Pairings:  Dolcetto, Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, fruit preserves, fresh berries.
Origins: Arcata, California
Milk:  Goat
Producer: Cypress Grove Chevre
Rennet:  Vegetable
Web Site: http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/
 
From Bryan, the Butcher:
 
The biggest thing that we are excited about this week is being able to offer an exceptional ground beef at an excellent price of $4.99/lb – everyday!  This is a very exciting time for us because we negotiated a great deal with the great folks at Niman Ranch to be able to offer this price for our customers on such a good product.
 
Right now we are passing on a great manufacturer price from the folks at Niman. We’re offering Niman Ranch USDA choice boneless beef Ribeyes for $14.99lb! That’s 4 dollars off the regular price of $18.99lb, and $6 dollars off the price since the first of the year, wow.
These Ribeyes are unbelievably tender, juicy, and consistently restaurant quality beef.

We have more specials in the meat freezer. Look for Organic Prairie product specials; organic grass-fed ground beef $7.49 lb (regular $7.99lb), organic ground pork $5.99lb (regular $6.69lb), & organic beef patties $6.29lb (regular $6.99lb). Whew that’s a lot of great prices on Organic Prairie products. It would be a good time to fill your freezer, on the cheap! But we’re still not done with the low prices. There are World catch scampi shrimp in the freezer, on a buy one get one free special. Also Henry & Lisa’s wild Alaskan salmon burgers are on special for $6.29 (regular price $6.99lb). I had some of these for the 4th of July and they were great, and quick & easy to cook.
 
In The Grocery Aisle 
New! Pacific Organic Soups with Meat: You can now find all-organic soups with meat at Wheatsville. We’ve just started carrying  this line from Pacific Natural Foods. These are some variations on classic recipes like “Split Pea with Bacon and Swiss Cheese” and “Chicken and Wild Rice”. Pacific is known in the natural foods world as a quality brand that we can trust. All the ingredients in these soups are organic including the meat. We’re very happy to be able to sell a soup like this for just $2.99. If you would like to read more about them, check out their website at http://www.pacificfoods.com Justin Merrifield, Grocery Buyer

I hope you have a great week, find it easier to park here and come by next week to check out our new stuff! We're bursting with pride to show you it all!

Dan Gillotte
Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy
Oh yeah, I tweet occasionally at www.twitter.com/wheatsville and you can be our friend on Facebook as well as a fan of Popcorn Tofu!