Viroqua Food Co+op Blog

We asked Prepared Foods Manager Sam Witte & she delivers!

VFC: The pandemic changed how our customers shop as well as how we operate. What challenges has the Deli Department faced in the past year?
Sam: At the beginning of the pandemic, we had to close some of our most popular services including the hot bar and the salad bar. We knew it was important to continue to provide hot and nutritious food and had to get creative about how to bring some of those services back. We currently have hot meat and vegetarian options on the hot bar daily and will be adding some family-sized portions later in the day. We have also seen a lot of success with pre-made salads in the grab-n-go, in both the single-serve and the family sizes. It is encouraging now to see people get back into regular routines.

In October, National Co-op Month gives us a lot to celebrate! We honor the spirit of cooperation and a model of business that: builds community; strengthens relationships; empowers people to collectively realize their social and economic aspirations. 

Community Hunger Solutions (CHS) exists to connect locally produced food with community members who lackaccess. To accomplish this, CHS works with farms, food processors and others to source locally produced foods that would otherwise go to waste. Then, volunteers sort the food for distribution to food pantries and other community partners. CHS averages about 150,000# of produce annually – plus a growing amount of Organic Valley dairy, such as milk and cheese. While the primary source of food is through donations, CHS purchases anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 worth of food from local family farms each year.

Bike Repairs – On the Go!

Minnesota-based bicycle rack manufacturer Dero describes themselves as “bike parking nerds.” We love that! Dero’s mission is to populate the world with bicycle infrastructure. While they may be fulfilling such world-wide dreams, they have also claimed their stake right here at the Viroqua Food Co+op.

Our friends at local nonprofit Vernon Trails donated this Dero Fixit Station to the VFC in 2018. We’re so glad to see it be utilized by our fellow bike riders, more and more each year.

Each year, the Vernon County Cooperative Association (VCCA) awards $500 scholarships for area high school seniors to continue their studies at a two- or four-year institution of higher education. Applicant’s parents or guardians must be members of, or employed by, a VCCA Member (see list*).

In the Driftless region, we are blessed with ample numbers of local farmers growing and producing everything from vegetables and fruits to dairy, hops, wheat, and more. It is only fitting that VFC’s most local brewery – Driftless Brewing Company – is focused on creating tasty sustainable ales and lagers that are rooted in local agriculture.

Update: 40 Acres & A Mule Project

In the 2020 Autumn Pea Soup Newsletter, we featured the 40 Acres and a Mule Project headed up by Uptowne Café’s (La Crosse) owner Adrian Lipscombe. This project is raising money to purchase at least a 40-acre farm for black farmers to produce food for the local food industry, serve as an outlet for black foodways, and be a safe haven to secure the legacy of black foodways.

It's the Gift Giving Season here at the Viroqua Food Co+op