 Foodies of the central coast are cordially invited to the Paso Food Cooperative’s November “Local Bites” event hosted at Calcareous Vineyard on Sunday, November 18 from 11:00am - 3:00pm to learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products. Entry is free to this event and will feature:
The Local Bites event series provides fun, community gatherings for existing members to reconnect and for potential new members to find out what the co-op is about. Hosted by a local business, the event celebrates local food and drink producers, healthy eating, and lifestyles of the Central Coast. Ultimately, the event supports the co-op’s mission to create and embrace abundance, balance, and diversity through investment in the local food system. Event Location: Calcareous Vineyard 3430 Peachy Canyon Road Paso Robles CA, 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.
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 Join us for our “Local Bites” event at Serrano Wine on Wednesday, July 11 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products.
Event Location: Serrano Wine 1244 Pine Street Paso Robles, CA 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for our “Local Bites” event at Black Diamond VermiCompost on Thursday, June 28 from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. Learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products.
The Local Bites event series provides fun, community gatherings for existing members to reconnect and for potential new members to find out what the co-op is about. Hosted by a local business, the event celebrates local food and drink producers, healthy eating, and lifestyles of the Central Coast. Ultimately, the event supports the co-op’s mission to create and embrace abundance, balance, and diversity through investment in the local food system. Event Location: Black Diamond VermiCompost 5325 Broken Spur Place Paso Robles, CA 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for an Herbs & Spices Cooking Class with Courtney Coleman of CookWell on Saturday, June 23rd from 11:00am - 1:00pm at Oak Creek Commons in the Kitchen.
Suggested Donation: $30 Get your tickets at prfc-cookwell-cooking-class.eventbrite.com. Class size: 12 people, space is limited; No drop-ins accepted. Event Location: Oak Creek Commons - Kitchen 635 Nicklaus St Paso Robles, CA 93446 Questions? Email us at hungry@pasofoodcooperative.com.  Join us for our Annual Member Meeting on Wednesday, June 20 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. All are welcome so be sure to invite a friend, even if they aren't yet a member. Please bring a dish to share for our family-friendly potluck!
We'll update you on our progress, we'll hear from the president and CEO of Farm Supply, Cara Crye, and last but not least, we'll nominate a new board member to serve as one of the leaders of our thriving group. Members and non-members are welcome! Event Location: Oak Creek Commons - Community Room 635 Nicklaus St Paso Robles CA, 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for our “Local Bites” event at Castoro Cellars Winery on Thursday, April 26 from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. Learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products.
Event Location: Castoro Cellars Winery 1315 N Bethel Rd Templeton, California 93465 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for our Members & Friends Networking event on Tuesday, April 17 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at Oak Creek Commons.
It’s amazing what we can accomplish together in 2 hours when we show up! Imagine if all of the wonderful people you know in town who are business owners or have amazing talents or products were to come together and meet each other. Imagine all of that wisdom in the room! There will be two outcomes to this evening together:
This is something a committee cannot accomplish. We need ALL OF YOU and your friends. Forward the email invitation, share the Facebook event, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, personally invite the cleverest and most creative people you know. Invite anyone you know who:
Event Location: Oak Creek Commons 635 Nicklaus St Paso Robles CA, 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for our “Local Bites” event at LXV Wine on Tuesday, April 10 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm! Learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products.
More details to come... The Local Bites event series provides fun, community gatherings for existing members to reconnect and for potential new members to find out what the co-op is about. Hosted by a local business, the event celebrates local food and drink producers, healthy eating, and lifestyles of the Central Coast. Ultimately, the event supports the co-op’s mission to create and embrace abundance, balance, and diversity through investment in the local food system. Event Location: LXV Wine 1306 Pine St B Paso Robles, CA 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.  Join us for our March “Local Bites” event on Thursday, March 29 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at Railroad BBQ Co. Learn more about the Paso Food Co-op’s mission to build a member-owned community food market featuring local products. Join us for:
The Local Bites event series provides fun, community gatherings for existing members to reconnect and for potential new members to find out what the co-op is about. Hosted by a local business, the event celebrates local food and drink producers, healthy eating, and lifestyles of the Central Coast. Ultimately, the event supports the co-op’s mission to create and embrace abundance, balance, and diversity through investment in the local food system. Event Location: Railroad BBQ Co. 1335 Railroad Street Paso Robles CA, 93446 Please RSVP on our Facebook event page. By Greg Ellis, Volunteer
If you have been around and following our progress since March of 2013 when the idea of the Paso Food Cooperative first saw the light, you might, now coming up on our 5th anniversary ask, "Why is it taking so long to start this co-op?" For a moment I feel a bit of shame and doubt, as I've been so invested in this endeavor and it seems our goal is long overdue. But it's a very reasonable question! Here's a little insight on why I wake up every morning and keep working on this thing, without a doubt: 0. We're Actually Having Fun Yes, starting the co-op is hard work. And no, we're not there yet. But actually, this has been an incredible journey. I have made more new friends in this than through any other group I've been part of. We have created lifelong relationships, learned to make big decisions together, extended our abilities and personal capacities, hosted joyful events, met dedicated local producers and done a little to support their businesses, even though we don't have a store yet. Being a part of this group is life affirming, and even though we haven't built a community store yet, we are half way there--we have built a heck of a community through the friendships, connections, and relationships created by starting this store. 1. This Is A Normal Timeline According to the Food Co-op Initiative which has helped over 120 food co-ops open over the past 10+ years, co-ops take time. Very rarely, a co-op will open after only 3 years. The average is 4 to 7 years, though, which puts us well within the range of a normal timeline. They have also seen co-ops take 10 years or longer to finally open as resounding successes. 2. It's A Complicated Processes Taking time to do something right is a good thing, especially when it's as complicated as a community-owned grocery store. Before we can build a store, we need to build a community of 500 owners. We need to build relationships of trust and shared vision. We need to raise $1,000,000+. We need to build our own understanding of the process, from the background of non-grocers. We're building a community resource that will last for decades to come. It's not every day that a group of people gets together as volunteers to do something this big. It's not every day, but it has been done over 120 times in the last couple of decades, and with the support of groups like Food Co-op Initiative and SLO Natural Foods Co-op, we're traveling a well-marked path. 3. Life Happens As with any business, organization, family--anything human, really--life happens, for better or worse. The original leader of the co-op developed a life-threatening condition and underwent surgery, leaving a void in leadership for over a year. Our Chief Financial Officer died unexpectedly of bladder cancer last year. Spouses have died, and members have stepped back to grieve. My mother committed suicide due to chronic pain, and I stepped back temporarily. A member's son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. People move away, get jobs, lose jobs (we all have jobs and commitments beyond our volunteer efforts to start the store). All of the realities of life are layered on top of the complexity of starting a store. Even with all of this complexity and difficulty, we've maintained a strong, core group that has progressed significantly for 5 years. 4. It Won't Take Forever With all the quick conveniences and sources of instant gratification available today, it's sometimes hard to maintain determined, focused action towards long-term goals. Try learning a new skill, learning to play the piano or draw, saving money towards a goal...it takes focused effort over extended periods of time. There are no shortcuts. Sometimes I feel the child rising up in me, asking "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" These are the facts that quickly subdue any doubt, and keep me going everyday: + We have a clear, tried and true, path to creating the store. We have a business plan that has been reviewed by our mentors. We've built strong relationships with support organizations like Slow Money (a local group of investors), SLO Natural Foods (a food co-op in San Luis Obispo), local producers (we have over two dozen local small business owners that have joined and supported the co-op). + We only need 1 in 20 families in Paso Robles to join, or 1 in 40 in the greater Paso Robles area (the surrounding area within a 10 mile radius). That means we can get 39 "no's" for every 1 "yes" and still meet our membership goals. And in fact, most people who are asked do join. + If every member recruited 2 new members, we'd reach our goal tomorrow. Of coarse, recruiting members means building trust, understanding, and shared vision, and probably won't happen tomorrow. Most people need to have 7 - 9 exposures to the co-op before they join. We are steadily building up our presence, having hosted over a dozen events in the last year alone, and attending many more. Overall, our membership goals are very feasible and I keep meeting people who haven't heard about the co-op, so we haven't hit a wall. We've accomplished a lot in the past 5 years: + forming a kickass volunteer group that can work together effectively + incorporating w/ bylaws, paying taxes and writing a successful grant + conducting a feasibility study that shows that Paso Robles can support a store + developing marketing materials, a website, newsletter (800+ subscribers), social media (1000+ Facebook followers) + recruited 160 member-owners (most of whom have been recruited in the last year since we launched our full fledged outreach). If we all get involved, we can open this store in the next two to three years. Please join us if you haven't already, spread the word, and get involved as your time and talent allows. Source: Why does opening a food co-op take so long? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMyJUCLkuaM |
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