April 2025
2024 Was a Challenging & Rewarding Year
The Foodshed Cafe deck and reopening project was a BEAST and completely took it out of our entire team 🫠. In every aspect of life, there are both positives and negatives to every situation.
PROS:
- We increased local food purchases by 22%, almost what we used to do when our Food Hub DROPP was still open. We are grocers at heart, and if we are painfully honest, none of the upper leadership at the co-op wanted to delve into food service again (post-pandemic), but we knew what an incredible impact the Foodshed Cafe has on supporting local farmers and ranchers. We also know that we are the ONLY cafe restaurant in Reno that purchases all of the local goods that are available, and all other ingredients that we serve are certified organic. So, we bit the bullet and said, let's do this! Do we regret it? Yes... but seeing all of our happy member-owners and the local food growth numbers makes it (finally) worth it.
- It took a while, but we finally started to meet all of our financial benchmarks like margin and labor, but as of March 2025, we are BACK IN THE BLACK. 😎
- Despite a challenging financial year, we were still able to fulfill all our member lender agreements and bank loan agreements related to the Foodshed Cafe Deck and Reopening Project. As one of our Dads always says, "we trade blood for the co-op"... last year he was right. It was hard and exhausting, but we all learned A LOT and are already having an amazing start to 2025! 🥳🥳🥳
- The project exceeded its budget significantly (see infographic above), which put a tremendous strain on our cash flow.
- There were numerous systems to restructure across all 17 sub-departments and 3 floors! The salaried management team worked extremely long days and attended numerous lengthy (and occasionally tedious) meetings 😅, which were necessary to streamline our new operational landscape.
- Finding the ideal team members is crucial for a business to succeed. It took us almost 20 years to truly find our people - people who enjoy working hard for something they believe in, and who come together for the shared goal of developing a stronger local food system in Northern Nevada. Project years are always challenging because we need to hire a large number of new people, and the process of identifying who is a good fit and who is not, all while working to streamline and standardize new operations, can be rather exhausting. We’re happy to report that by the end of 2024, the team has solidified and the Prepared Foods leadership and entry-level crew is truly a DREAM TEAM 🫶🏻
- Long wait times for food were experienced at the cafe's initial opening, with plates sometimes taking 40 minutes or more to be served, yikes! Last fall, we all put our heads together and devised new systems to ensure customers receive their food within our 15-minute goal time. As of last month, we had smoothie bowls and build-your-own bowls ready in under 5 minutes. All other items, such as burritos and grilled sandwiches, are now ready within 15 minutes. All the while, we still encourage busy lunch patrons who are in a hurry to order ahead on our Toast app - this has been a big help!
The Foodshed Cafe Deck is NOW OPEN FOR THE SEASON! Come up and enjoy the beautiful view of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains with us. 🌞
Local Cows Have Come Home
You may not be aware of this, but the co-op purchases whole animals from most of our ranchers. One of the many ways we love our ranchers is by purchasing all parts (except for the heads & hooves) of their animals for a higher margin return to the producer.
In the fall of 2024, we reset the entire local frozen meat department to increase the space. With more doors and dedicated bind, we began to see much faster movement of local meat, mostly steaks! 🥩
So we started working with the amazing Dave Patchin, head Butcher at Wolf Pack Meats. Dave has been in the meat industry for his entire life, and he has a unique perspective on grocery stores, having served as the head of the meat department at Scolari's for 13 years. Dave helped us recreate the entire cut sheet so that we are getting primarily steaks, ground beef, bones, oxtail, and offal (liver, kidney, heart, etc). We will bring back more roasts and stew meat come fall. The new spring cut sheets kicked in this month, and we now have steaks and other cuts available from:
🐄 🐂. Snowball Ranch (Eureka, NV) - delivered a full cow on Thursday, April 17th, and each month thereafter. These grass-fed and finished Angus/Wagyu cattle graze on certified organic alfalfa and grass in Eureka, NV.
🐄 🐂. Avanzino Farms (Reno, NV) - delivered a full cow on Wednesday, April 2nd, and another on Wednesday, April 30th, and each month thereafter. Grass-fed and finished beef raised right in Reno since 1925.
🐄 🐂 Hulsman Ranch (Susanville, CA) - delivered a partial cow on Thursday, April 3rd, with more coming in about 2 weeks and each month thereafter! Hulman's Shorthorn cattle have been raised and finished on the native grasses of Lassen County since 1862.
Hulsman Ranch (Susanville, CA) - Shorthorn cattle raised and finished on native grasses of Lassen County since 1862.
Avanzino Farms (Reno, NV) - Grass-fed and finished beef raised right in Reno since 1925 by the Avanzino Family. Doug, the current operator, pictured below
Snowball Ranch (Eureka, NV) - These grass-fed and finished Angus/Wagyu cattle graze on certified organic alfalfa and grass in Eureka, NV.
Doug Avanzino - The G.O.A.T.! If you know, then you know. What Doug does for local food in Reno, NV is beyond comprehension at times.
LOTS of new items at the co-op this month!
As we said above, 2025 is off to an excellent start for our co-op. The Category Management Team finally has the time (following last year's projects) to explore and discover new products that we know our thoughtful shoppers will enjoy.
- NATURAL EARTH PAINT WOODEN EGGS - With eggs in high demand and short supply this Easter, paint your wooden eggs with Natural Earth Paint. These wooden eggs are perfect for spring craft activities and are sustainably hand-crafted in the USA. They are reusable at Easter for years to come.
- New Animal Based Protein Bars! Many of the bars on the market today are made with plant-based proteins, derived from soybeans, peas, and rice, which are processed to isolate the proteins. These are more challenging for some people to digest, so the nutrients are not as readily absorbed as those from animal proteins. With the growing popularity of high-quality animal products, there are more animal-based protein bars available, and we have some of these at the co-op!
- New Prima Bars, three Flavors: Cacao, Mocha, Salted Caramel. Free of industrial seed oils, refined sugar, artificial additives, or flavorings. Made with 100% Grass Fed Beef Tallow*, 100% Grass Fed Bovine Collagen*, 100% Grass Fed Whey, Organic Honey*, Organic Cacao, Organic Coffee, Organic Coconut, Organic Agave Inulin, Organic Vanilla and Sea Salt
*Beef tallow is a nutrient-dense fat source that contains powerful fatty acids that have been shown to improve mitochondrial function, create stronger cell membranes, increase fat burning, and even regulate insulin sensitivity.
*Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body; however, it is not a complete protein. The addition of whey provides all nine essential amino acids, making these bars a complete protein source. Whey is very easily absorbed and excellent for building and maintaining muscle as we age.
*Honey is a natural sweetener that contains many beneficial antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. - New Stars and Honey Flavors. We now offer two new flavors of Stars and Honey Collagen Protein Bars: Cookies & Cream and Maple Blueberry Muffin. In addition to the previously stocked flavors: Birthday Cake, Cacao Caramel, Berry Donut, and Peanut Butter Berry
Just in time for warmer weather, we have expanded the offerings found in our beer cooler:
🍻 Gold Vibe Red Sunrise - Rose, Blood Orange, Cranberry - Inspired by modern folk duo Two Runner’s, Red Sunrise presents a flavor as unique as their shared hometown in the Sierra foothills. Blood orange, cranberry, and rose blend together like Two Runner’s vibrant and colorful vocal harmonies.
🍻 Gold Vibe Moonlight Mojito - White Tea, Lime, Mint - Brewed using a delicate moonlight white tea, then paired with organic squeezed lime juice and fresh mint, it creates the perfect kombucha cocktail.
🍻 Gold Vibe Hard Kombucha - Located in Grass Valley, CA, Gold Vibe Kombucha starts with fair trade and organic Oolong tea inoculated with an heirloom kombucha SCOBY and blended with 100% organic fruits and herbs. During secondary fermentation, their products are flavored by fermenting whole fruits and herbs- never flavored with extracts, essences, preservatives, or concentrates. Their vision is to provide the healthiest, tastiest, and most unique kombucha beverages possible, utilizing sustainable and environmental practices while providing living wages for employees.
🍻 ORGANIC Pinkus - UR-PILS (Unfiltered Pilsner) - Golden pilsner with bright, elegant bitterness brewed with organic malt and hops- no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used in the production of the malt and hops. "Ur" translates roughly from German to "original."
Pinkus - World's First Organic Brewery. Founded in 1816, Pinkus is still owned and operated by the original family and became the first all-organic brewery of the modern era in the 1980s.
🍻 Mammoth Brewing Co Huckle Berry Sour - This fresh new brew has a bold purple color from huckleberries, which are indigenous to the Northwestern US and Canada and grow abundantly in forested mountains near lakes, streams, and bogs. They have a lightly sweet taste with mild acidity, similar to blueberries, yet are rich and distinct in their own right! Mammoth Brewing Co is Located in Mammoth Lakes, CA, 170 miles South of the co-op, Mammoth Brewing Co is determined to produce mouth-watering beer, inspired by their natural surroundings and local ingredients.
🍻 Boulevard Brewing Co Bourbon Barrel Quad Barrel-Aged Ale - separated into several oak bourbon barrels where it ages for varying lengths of time, some for up to three years. Cherries are added to make up for the beer lost during barrel aging, and the resulting beer retains only very subtle cherry characteristics, with toffee and vanilla notes coming to the fore. Boulevard Brewing Co is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest to produce fresh, flavorful beers using the finest ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques.
🍻 Pigeon Head Black Lager - German Style Schwarzbier - is light in body and dark in color. It balances roasted malt flavors with moderately low hop bitterness.
🍻 Revision Lettuce Believe It - Hazy Double IPA - A delectable combo of sweet pine and lemon-lime with a hint of gooseberry.
🍻 North Coast Brewing Brother Thelonious - Belgian Style Abbey Ale - A rich and robust strong dark ale. A donation is made to the Jazz education programs of the Monterey Jazz Festival with the sale of every bottle. 🍻North Coast Brewing Red Seal Ale - Red Ale - Malt and hops are beautifully married in this full-bodied, copper-red Pale Ale. An excellent accompaniment to grilled meats and rich sauces.
Bertagna Walnuts is a family-owned operation located in Chico, CA, just a bit over 2 hours from Reno. In 1937, at twelve years old, Bernard Bertagna started working in a neighbor's almond orchards. Within 5 years, he had saved enough money to purchase the first 20 acres of planted almond trees. He married Carmen Bertagna in 1946, and together they had three boys, Ben, Nick, and Andy, all of whom grew up to join the family orchard business. Ben and his wife, Mary Jane, added another generation of children who had a passion for orchards and agriculture. Berton Bertagna and his wife Carol, along with their sons Colton and Barron, have continued on the legacy of the Bertagna name with Bertagna Family Farms. From almonds to beef and even wine & spirits, they offer quality, sustainably grown products direct to your door.
Our favorite is their RED WALNUT - a cross between a Persian red-skin walnut and a creamy English Walnut, the result is this brilliant red nut that has less tannins than other varieties, making them less bitter than more mainstream varieties. They are a great addition to any salad, banana bread, or can be enjoyed as a snack all by themselves.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS ARE BACK!!!
*Peanut Butter, *Chocolate Chip, *Gluten-Free Rolled Oats, *Maple Syrup, *Warrior Food Protein Powder, Vanilla *Indicates Organic Ingredient Contains: Peanuts
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN RENO IS BACK!!!
*Grapefruit, *Orange, *Carrot, *Apple and/or *Pear, *Lemon, *Turmeric, *Ginger *Indicates Organic Ingredient
BOGO! Buy One Get One Free SALES 4.16.25 - 4.29.25 🥳
SAPPO HILL SOAPS - ALMOND, CUCUMBER, JASMINE, OATMEAL, NATURAL OATMEAL, NAT UNSCENTED, SANDALWOOD, GARDENER & LAVENDER
HUMBLE TOOTHPASTE TABS - MINT FLOURIDE FREE
HUMBLE FLOSS PICKS MINT
PRESERVE ADULT TOOTHBRUSH SOFT
PRESERVE JUNIOR TOOTHBRUSH
Join our Edible Landscape team and the legand himself, Tom Still, owner of River School Farm for a fruit tree pruning workshop outside of the co-op at 5pm on April 23rd! No RSVP necessary, just show up!
Member-Owner's Buying Club Website - Save $$ Buy in Bulk
Anyone can shop, everyone can join!
Grocery Store Open everyday from 7:30am – 9pm
Foodshed Cafe (upstairs) Open everyday from 7:30am – 3pm
Great Basin Community Food Co-op
240 Court St Reno, NV 89501
775.324.6133
info@greatbasinfood.coop
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