City Foods is a food co-op just getting started in the local Greater Lafayette Area. The store will be opening very soon! Show your support and look into becoming a member.
October Board Meeting Minutes
November 14, 2011 | 
Author 10/27/11- 6:30
Rachael, Cody, Cara, Ben L, Mary, Ben A, Falon
Old Business:
Call to Arms sent by Ben L
Issue with user emails has been resolved
Get it on website homepage-on FB already
Volunteer Opportunities:
Need to provide calendar so volunteers have dates
Response to generic emails to confirm (Rachael)
18 volunteers have filled out form to date
Log-out button
*Need separate inventory of unpackaged product
Benefit Concert:
$438 total for City Foods ($100 total went to A.D.)
Lots of prizes/raffles
New Ideas:
Winter solstice benefit-hand out winter collections
Screen cast-video with php list, explain what to do (audio overlay)
Packing:
No way to print sheets
Automatic response is confusing
Put screen/curtain in front of dirt bike
Taxable v. Non-taxable-add tax into cost of item
Date of pick-up should change for Thursday order
*Distribution: Saturdays 11-1
*Packing: Friday 6-7 PM
Shelves need to be organized-shelving plan to label permanent locations on shelves
Inventory: Saturday after 1:00 PM
Feedback survey
Product numbers & reordering system
Notifications to members for repacking
Reorder point (every 25 lbs)- item-specific
Inventory instructions sheet for volunteers
Need 1 person to set inventory/reorder trigger
Quickbooks Pro-Inventory (generates reports)
Use City Foods laptop for email
Cody: Baseline for packed/unpacked/space
Beta Run:
Fix brown rice button
Feedback survey
Overlapping for out-of-stock items
Timing: 2 weeks-November 2nd- email for Beta
Email all City Foods members
Select 25-30 for Beta test (~email selected participants Nov. 10th)
Open store: November 12th
Pickup: November 19th (pack on Nov. 18th)
First email-include dates
Reorder Product-Cody
100 lbs. Pastry Flour
100 lbs. Buckwheat Flour
New Products:
Soy & Oats
Lentils (?)
Coffee- 20 lbs/mo, $4-6/lb
*After Beta Run unless it’s from Greenfield
BP-commerical kitchen (Rachael will contact)
Must be packed before November 9th
Beta Run Reminders:
Email on Tuesday before (Nov. 15th), 2 days
Order prepped email (Nov. 18th)
Stamps: 2.5×4, $34-Cara will order
Paypal deducts fee-charge tax/raise price
Google checking?
Visa merchant?
November 15th-Green Drinks
Ads in Lafayette Independent/article
Keep website to members only
NOTE-Pick up only
Next board meeting: November 30th @6:30
Posted in 
September Board Meeting Minutes
September City Foods Board Meeting Minutes
Date/Time:
September 29th, 2011, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM
Location:
Spurlocks
Board Members:
Present: Ben A, Ben L, Cody, Mary, Rachel
Farmers Market
- Would like to do one each month (1 in September and October, Harvest Market, and Dickens of a Christmas)
Online Store
- The call to arms is ready to send out, but details with the PhP mailing list needs to be finished first. Rachel will send Ben L the information for the PhP list, so that he can work on this.
- Testing of the online store has been completed. There are still some difficulties with the “not enough stock to complete order” message.
- Ben A successfully ordered food from the online store.
- An online store test is scheduled for the weekend of October 14th
- Friday, Oct 14th: 2 people are needed to pack food (7:00 pm)
- Saturday Oct 15th: 2 people are needed to distribute orders (10:00 am-1:00 pm)
- Sunday Oct 16th: Review test and plan for store; 5:00 pm at Java Roaster
- The inventory for the store needs to be reviewed and a mastor inventory needs to be created
Benefit Show:
- At Nickerbockers on Saturday, October 15th
- Bands will be playing from 9:45-2:00
- There is a $5 cover some of which will go to pay the bands
- There will be a raffle with drawings throughout the night
Product Issues
- The rest of the product should be packed after the trial run for the store
- We may be able to use the church next to the Dojo for packing
- Ben A will order the stamps, ink and anything else which can be bought over the internet
- Several other purchases of packing materials will be made at Sams’ Club using a check
Upcoming events
- Next board meeting: 27th of October
- Indiana Coop Summit: 28th of October (Ben A and Rachel may go)
Update
CITY FOODS UPDATE!
As you may know, City Foods’ Board Members and other active volunteers have been working very hard for nearly three and a half years to create a member-owned, full-service grocery in downtown Lafayette. Much of this time has been spent setting up accounts, attending seminars and conferences, visiting other co-ops, fundraising, and educating the community, and more.
One year ago our Board of Directors worked with the generous help of Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network’s Jillian Miller to develop a Strategic Plan which outlines steps to be taken in order for City Foods to reach its’ goals. During the development of this plan one of the conclusions that were made was that in order to open our food co-op, we need to start small.
There has been great success in getting support and capital for City Foods through community outreach such as having a presence at the Lafayette Farmer’s Market and holding fundraising events and educational workshops. However, those efforts have simply not been enough in the way of growing the membership base and gaining capital funds for the store.
Through research and surveying City Foods supporters it has become apparent that the divide between where City Foods is now, and reaching the goal of a full service grocery cooperative, needs to be bridged. The best way to do this is through an online store—a place where we can market our goods with the least amount of overhead, allowing us to build a member and customer base and bring in steady income before moving into a physical storefront. Customers will order products through the City Foods website and pick up orders on specified days at the distribution location. Anyone will be able to order, however, City Foods members will be entitled to special benefits during this transition period. Further, City Foods supporters who are on the fence about investing in a membership will gain a clearer understanding of City Food’s mission and have a chance to see the co-op in action!
After months of researching products, health codes, storage, and distribution possibilities, we are launching our online store this month! This is a very exciting time, and we hope that you share in our excitement!
It is in regard to this news that we are sending this message.
This is a Call to Arms
We need your help.
Currently we do not even have enough volunteer power to reach our goals. City Foods is a community-owned and operated food co-op. In order for the co-op to operate, we need our community to step forward and help us.
Below is a list of tasks that must be staffed by additional volunteers in order for the online store to be viable:
1. Tech Support—We need at least 3 volunteers working week to week. The tech support team would help add products to the online store and maintain our website. Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below. *Approx. time commitment: 1-2 hours each week*
2. Packing Lists Coordinator(s)—This person will organize, print, and deliver the packing lists to the “packers” every ordering period. Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below.
*Approx. time commitment: 1-2 hours every two weeks initially (with more than one PL Coordinator this would be reduced)*
3. Repackaging—We will be receiving products in large amounts and will need help repackaging these products about every two weeks. The more volunteers, the merrier! Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below.
*Approx. time commitment: 1-3 hours for one packing session. No long term commitment, sign up for as many packing session as you wish to participate in*
4. Order Prep—Initially, online store orders will be picked up every two weeks. The night before pickup we will need at least 2 volunteers to put our customer orders together. Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below.
*Approx. time commitment: 1-2 hours per each order preparation day. No long term commitment, it is up to you how often you sign up and participate *
5. Distribution—We will need at least 2 volunteers every order pick-up day to collect money and hand out orders when our customers pick them up. Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below.
*Approx. time commitment: 3 hours per order pick-up day. No long term commitment, it is up to you how often you sign up and participate*
6. Inventory—We will need 2 volunteers to do a manual inventory after/ at the end of each pick up day to ensure that our online inventory is correct. Sign up using our volunteer web form listed below.
*Approx. time commitment: 1 hour per order pick-up day. No long term commitment, it is up to you how often you sign up and participate*
Now it’s time to get working! Fill out this quick volunteer form to get involved! Please email us at contact@cityfoods.orgif you have any questions about the volunteer positions listed or if you have any trouble accessing the Volunteer Form listed above. We encourage you to sign up for as many positions and time as you are interested in and able to participate in.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET THIS STORE UP AND RUNNING.
volunteer form
About
The City Foods Mission
The City Foods mission is to serve the nutritional, social, and economic needs of our members and community by providing a market for local, fair-trade, sustainable, independent, and healthful goods and services in a friendly, cooperative environment.What is a Co-op?
A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.
What are principles of cooperatives?
City Foods subscribes to the following cooperative principles:
Voluntary and Open MembershipDemocratic Member Control
Member Economic Participation
Autonomy and Independence
Education, Information and Training
Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Concern for Community
August Board Meeting Minutes
August Minutes
8/30/2011
Rachael, Cara, Cody, Mary, Ben L, Ben A, Brittany
Cooperation Celebration: List of possibilities:
>Puccini’s? >Copper Dog- Cody will ask
>Spurlock’s- Rach will ask >Artist Own- Cody will ask
>Knickerbocker- Cody will ask >Friends of Bob- Ben will ask
>Java Roaster- Rach will ask >Virtuous Cycle?
>9 Irish Brothers?
Farmer’s Market: went very well; 1 friend signed up, 2 other potential friends
- Made approx. $208; biggest seller BB PC mix; people very interested in buckwheat & gluten-free products; much excitement about City Foods(CF) & products; no complaints or neg. comments on price of items
- Found old e-mail list; need to create master excel sheet to consolidate all e-mail addresses; idea discussed using CF laptop @ FM to collect e-mail addresses
- Look into: FM boot camp classes/seminars @ Purdue; Mosey Down Main St is 9/3/11 NOT 9/10/11 as discussed
Online Store Progress/Discussion: getting closer to being ready
- Approx. 415 lbs. packed 8/23/11; need to secure packing location
- Rach worked on price list; bread flour & shipping went up; NOT included in prices: kitchen, bag & freezer tape costs
- Member benefit to stay @ 10% for now; possibly raise non-member prices by 10% in future
- Motion to pass pricing w/ an addition of $0.10/lb for kitchen cost- PASSED
- “Call to Arms” E-mail: send out after changes are made, then on Facebook
- Brittany assigned to review volunteer forms & to contact when needed; Need specific prompt/template to send to all volunteers once they sign up; Ben L. to look into setting up an auto-respond program
Financial Issues:
- About $300 on hand; now have credit card for CF
- After online store set up, look into new products (dried spices)
- UU Church-could be used again @ discount rate; Ben A. will look into a possible dinner benefit (sell products, talk about co-op, gain members, etc.)
- Shipping expensive; discussed possibly driving to IN & MI farms next time (save money, take pics of farms)
- Labels- too expensive; Motion made to not stick w/ old labels- PASSED
- Raj’s idea: No glue; won’t work w/ packing situation
- Rubber stamp w/ “City Foods”- good idea; Cara will look into
- Possibly print labels (Avery) w/ CF computer & printer; Mary will work on
- Rach will send e-mail on Tues 9/6/11 to vote on labels
Other Issues:
- Raj’s list -packing jobs; need to create checklist for packing sessions- Cody will consolidate list by Wed 9/7/11
- Website needs to be done; Rach will have online store/starter website ready: Thurs 9/8/11
- Tues 9/13/11: Meeting @ 6:30 pm at Dojo (test online store; discuss next packing day after trial run)
- Thurs 9/22/11: Next board meeting @ 6:30 at Spurlock’s