Davis Food Co-op

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Location
620 G Street (at 6th Street, in the G Street Shopping Center)
Hours
Daily 7 AM-10 PM (the meat counter, deli, and olive bar close at 9:30 PM)
Phone
(530) 758-2667
Website
[WWW]DavisFood.coop, [WWW]DavisCoop.com (same website)
Established
1972

  1. Membership
  2. History
  3. Foods, Services, & Products
  4. Current Issues
  5. Past Issues
    1. Past Elections
    2. Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
    3. Election: Loan for Remodel; Board of Directors
    4. Satellite Store
  6. Special Events
    1. Wine Tastings
    2. Classes
    3. Annual Meeting
    4. In the Media
  7. Reviews
    1. Older Reviews

The Davis Food Co-op is a natural food-oriented grocery store. It is one of many cooperatives in Davis. They position themselves as a "crossover" store, meaning they have health/natural foods as well as traditional supermarket items. They are complete with bulk bins, organic produce and natural foods galore. Anyone can shop; non-members pay 5% over shelf price. If you volunteer, you get discounts (see below). They publish a number of helpful food-related pamphlets. Look for them in their demo kitchen in the back of the store.

They have a full deli, with a selection of goodies that changes daily. Baked goods are made in-house. They also offer a variety of bulk coffee (including from the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative), tea, spices, and herbs. The Co-op used to provide a free Public Internet Terminal, provided by DCN — but there is no longer a space or a well-configured [WWW]booth box kiosk to run it. Outside the Co-op is a rather large tomato and two more meaningless lumps of concrete. The entire frontal exterior is a useless salute to a local architect's desire to be put on the post-modernist map. Sheesh, you could put a tractor on top of the girdered front roof and it would not sag a millimeter. There's also a Wellness (Health and Beauty/General Merchandise) section with books, candles, yoga accessories, small toys, clothing (such as socks and underwear — pricey because they're organic), make-up and skin care. The Wellness guys and gals are very helpful and they really know their stuff. The Co-op offers probably the largest and best bulk foods section in Davis. Many of the prices are mismarked by a tiny amount, but employees are happy to correct the price if you bring the discrepancy to their attention. Also notable is their peanuts/chocolate-containing machine, which somehow turns whole peanuts and chocolate chips into a creamy, almost buttery substance suitable for spreading with a butter knife. Call it... peanut/chocolate butter.

co-op_mural.jpgMural behind the cash registers Shopping here is a social occasion, as one may always finds one's friends (or acquaintances) here. Even the employees — if in a "good" mood, you will probably come to know by their first names. Beginning April 22, 2011 (Earth Day), the Co-op will change it's paper bag policy: they continue to offer a 5¢ rebate for every bag you bring and use for groceries, but they will begin charging members 5¢ for every new handled paper bag. Per their [WWW]website, "[t]o make it easier to bring your own bag, the Co-op will provide one FREE reusable bag to every shopper on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. We will also provide one FREE reusable bag for every $40 grocery purchase from April 23 through May 31, 2011. [...] For non-members, the bag charge will be included in the non-member surcharge of 5%."

The Co-op offers "Weekly Specials" and "Co+op Deals" ([WWW]changing every two weeks). They used to offer "11 on 11" sales on the 11th day of the month, which featured 11% savings in a particular category of food or objects; some examples were "beer" and "personal water bottles." When the checkout lines get long, particularly during sales and holidays, you'll often find Co-op employees walking around offering free cookies to customers waiting in line. Patrons looking for free food should be aware that the dumpster is now under lock and key.

The Co-op is known for being a generous and helpful member of the community. They have supported the Holiday Meal, Food Not Bombs, On Campus Co-ops, and KDRT among others. In other words, they really "walk their talk". The DFC roof is festooned with photovoltaic (solar) panels that provide "substantial" power, although that's a small portion of the store's electricity usage (given the number of freezers, refrigerators & other electrical equipment).

You can learn about the more than 30 other co-ops in Davis and Yolo County by visiting them at the same web site [WWW]http://www.community.coop/davis

On July 7, 2005 60-year old Ed Maxie, a Co-op employee, collapsed from a heart-attack while working. CPR was performed by another Co-op employee, but Ed died in the store. The store stayed open for the day.

coopbuffet.jpgThe hot foods section of the buffet The 2008 Renovations include a large new buffet. Currently, there's a Indian food buffet, a general hot food buffet, and a salad bar. There's quite a bit of variety in the general hot food buffet (chicken, turkey meatballs, macaroni and cheese, baked potatoes, vegetables, etc.) and in the salad bar (not just lettuce and other salad components, but pre-made salads and fruit as well). All the different items are labeled and marked if they're Vegan or Co-op Creations. The buffet food is all $7.99/lb.

Their Annual Report (June 2010, page 3, mailed with the June newsletter) reveals that their gross profit margin was 35.72% in 2009 (end date was misprinted). It also reveals that even with a margin target of over 35%, their profit margin was only 0.55% of income. One primary cause is the massive investment in fixtures and equipment over the past several years.

There is a Safe Credit Union ATM at the store. It is part of the Co-op ATM network and is free of charge for members of credit unions.

Membership

To join, you need to pay a $5 one time non-refundable membership fee and buy at least $10 worth of shares. In each successive year, you will have to contribute at least another $20 worth of shares annually. If/When you decide to leave Davis, or the Co-op, you can cash out your shares. If you don't want to pay the five bucks for the membership card, wait until September when the new member recruitment programming occurs. There is a $300 share cap, which can be changed by a majority vote of members in any election. You can do all $300 the first year, or at any time. Feel free to also list other members of your household (roomies, family members) under your membership - they get cards too, and then you can make your spouse or whoever go and do the shopping.

Note that the Co-op encourages member participation on several levels. There are a variety of volunteer positions available within the store and during special events, such as the community meal, the haunted house, or the Annual Children's Parade. For a mere 2-8 hours of service per month, you can get 5% off your purchases. If you can work 4-6 hours per week (Monday to Sunday), you qualify as a Super Worker and get a 16.5% discount on all purchases. Your household members can volunteer for you. The amount of time you need to work to qualify for discounts depends on how many members there are in your household. Member Work hours bank/roll over; for example, you could work an 8 hour stretch and get 4 months of 5% off. But because of the higher skill/training requirements of a Super Worker position, you can't bank Super Work hours. It's never completely simple, is it?

You have to attend a Member Orientation, which is about 90 minutes long, before you can start volunteering — however, you can apply this time towards your service hours (sometimes even retroactively so your discount starts the same month).

With your member card, you get a discount or special offer at:

Watermelon Music (207 E St.),
Vitality for Life Massage (681-0475),
University Imports Automotive (1505 A Fifth St.),
Three Palms Nursery (756-8355),
SPCA Thrift Store (corner of Third & I Streets),
LoisRichter, Computer Training & Editing (758-5058),
Redwood Barn Nursery (1607 Fifth St.),
Optical Phases (718 Second St.),
The Naturalist (605 Second St.),
The Bo Tree (757-6463),
Balance the Center Massage (758-9339),
Armadillo Music (205 F St.),
Angie's Beauty Salon (759-0775),
[WWW]Scott Albert (530/848-8262)

History

Started in a Davis campus co-op living room in 1972 with Ann Evans as one of the founders, the Davis Food Co-op has grown into a full-service food cooperative owned and operated by almost 10,000 local households.

When operating as a buying club in 1972, the organization was known as "The People's Food Conspiracy." Ann Evans hired Martin Barnes to be manager soon after he arrived as a UCD student in 1972. The workers would meet at the Methodist Church on Anderson Road and divide up blocks of cheese, bags of flour, etc. Each block captain would pick up the food and bring it to their neighborhood.

At a meeting in 1976 in the CA House backyard Jim Eklund and Martin Barnes proposed to move the buying club into a storefront. At the next meeting Henry Esbenshade said he found an empty storefront on L Street. Mary Tappel offered to pay the first and last month's rent to get them started.

They had a lot of fun opening the new store. It was something in real life that was theirs and they spent countless hours there away from their studies — painting, organizing, and having hours of meetings with lots of laughter.

In 1978 the Co-op moved to a larger location, behind the car wash on L Street - the address was now on Fifth Street. Because the store was successful, it was gradually able to expand into more rooms of this building, eventually taking over the whole back half. Ann Evans spearheaded the incorporation of the Davis Food Co-op as a California Cooperative corporation. She became the President of the Board of Directors, and the Davis Food Co-op, Inc. gradually took over ownership and operation of the Davis Food Co-op store.

Since March, 1984 the Co-op has been at 620 G Street. In 1990, the Co-op purchased the G Street building which it had been leasing. Renovations and remodeling were done in 1992 and 1997. In 1997 the final quarter of the G Street building was purchased by the co-op. 1 Doug Walter describes the early history of the G Street location as "...shaky, burdened by the failure of other shops in the rest of the building. We continued to improve our store, took over the master lease, found tenants for empty spaces, and finally (in the late Eighties) began a double-digit sales growth spurt."

Foods, Services, & Products

Current Issues

Past Issues

Past Elections

Spring 2011 Election: voting ended on June 10 in the 2011 Co-op election. Wiki users can comment with a visit to the 2011 Wiki Co-op election page. The election calendar and links to the Declaration of Candidacy form & background for the Board of Directors is available on [WWW]Co-op's Election "hub" page.

The 2010 Co-op Election voting ran from April 27, 2010, when ballots were first received in the mail by shareholders, to Friday, May 28. To see what wikizens had to say about this, please visit the 2010 Co-op election page. The [WWW]Voter's Pamphlet is available for download. (Some grammarians feel that "Voters' Pamphlet" would be more appropriate, but the [WWW]Co-op Bylaws use the singular possessive.)

There were a number of views expressed about the 2008 Co-op election and you can view the page by visiting the link below.

Two major issues facing the Davis Food Co-op in early 2007 were the planning of a remodel of the G Street store and the possibility of opening a smaller satellite store in West Davis, in the former location of Food Fair.

Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

A group of members of the Co-op [WWW]http://davisbds.org/ proposed a [WWW]member initiative to have the store boycott Israeli products. The Co-op Board of Directors reviewed the initiative and [WWW]found it not to be for a "lawful and proper purpose", as required under the Bylaws. A Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions page has more information.

Election: Loan for Remodel; Board of Directors

The DFC has finished the phases of a major remodel proposed in 2007 (and first discussed in 2005). According to then-Board President Darius Pazirandeh, the renovation was necessary due to safety issues that naturally result in aging stores. Problems such as crowded aisles and other inconveniences will be addressed in the project. Mr. Pazirandeh, other current Board members, and current DFC management support a 30-year loan with a principal of more than $3.5M to finance this remodel, while a number of past Board members and other DFC members oppose this method of financing.

All parties agree that a remodel is necessary and desirable; the debate is centered around how extensive the remodel should be and how to finance it.

On 30 May 2007, the membership voting concluded in the Davis Food Co-op Spring 2007 Election. In addition to electing three directors to the Board, the membership voted to approve a 30-year loan to finance a store remodel. The Pro and Con arguments regarding this loan measure are available on the Remodel Ballot Argument entry.

Satellite Store

In late 2006, several long-time DFC members publicly advocated for a satellite store in West Davis. West Davis residents responded favorably to a poll.

Special Events

Wine Tastings

Wine tastings occur in the Co-op Conference Room (usually) the first three Friday nights of the month from 6 to 8pm. There is a fee of $1.00 per wine tasted (usually $4 for a slate of beers), with profits donated to a charity or event. Tastings to March 2011 will benefit [WWW]One Farm At A Time, a "farm, co-op, and community partnership to ensure local food availability. "

Upcoming [WWW]Tastings are updated on the Co-op's Events web page.

Classes

The Co-op Teaching Kitchen is located at 537 G Street. Adult classes are demonstration-style with samples and recipes, and are limited to 14 adults. Kids Can Cook! classes are hands-on, aimed at 8 to 12 year olds, and are limited to 12 students. Classes have a fee (with a discount for members); details and schedule are available on the [WWW]Co-op website.

Annual Meeting

To be held this year on May 22 at the Davis Senior Center Multi-purpose Room, this event is a free, ticketed event for members and their guests. Co-op members are introduced to the candidates for the Board of Directors and hear highlights from the year. All are invited to share food and discussion of the Co-op.

In the Media

The Co-op was featured on Fox40 in a ~2 minute bit at 7:10am on Friday, July 16, 2010. The story talked a little bit about their history, their cooking classes, and foods featured there.

[WWW]Feature story about one of the cooking class instructors in a July 2010 blog post by Davis Life Magazine.

Students in a UC Davis Technocultural Studies class created a short film piece (~9 min.) about the Davis Food Co-op and the community around it. The film won Best Community Media at the 2011 UC Davis Film Festival [WWW]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW1D8JVdzfo Please note that there at least one fundamental inaccuracy in this film: the Co-op is a consumer cooperative, not "worker owned" as it says about 0:35 in.

Reviews

Older Reviews

Current Reviews

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2009-01-03 19:43:32   The Co-Op sponsored the 2008 Souper Bowl. Someone who knows more about it, please integrate into this page. —EdWins

2009-02-09 20:23:25   Has anyone heard of ReCork America? [WWW]http://www.recorkamerica.com/ I know the Co-op has a lot of wine so I thought it would be cool if they started a cork recycling bin, or two. :) —gurglemeow

2009-03-12 14:30:17   It's a nice store and has a decent deli. It's definitely overrated, and overpriced as well. Nugget's better in my opinion. —film

2009-03-17 15:31:32   I love their kefir. its the most delicious thing on earth. Get Nancy's blackberry kefir. I think its the best. Peach is nasty. There are some gritty kefirs(clover farms) that taste okay, but I bet they are healthier. Also, I got red peppers here for extremely cheap. Unless I recalled incorrectly, red peppers were about 4$ a pound at Safeway and only one dollar at the co-op. I am also starting to volunteer here. Yes things are expensive here, but its close to where I live.

Also, this place is good to get ingredients for baking here. I like getting the exact amount of things I need. —chand3123k

2009-04-23 18:58:30   I love my co-op. I trust the people who get elected to help make the decisions that make it run. I think it's a sign of its health that there's so much heated discussion around so many co-op issues. I do, however, have some suggestions that I've been wanting to make for some time. First, I think the co-op should bring back the 11% sale. Some of us who live on tight budgets really depended on that sale to buy nonperishables to stay within our budgets and still remain forward-spending co-op shoppers. The 7 on 7 sales are not a comparable substitute, and I'm surprised there hasn't been more community discussion about the disappearance of the sales around the renovation. Second, I think the co-op should rethink its superworker requirements for households of one. There's a big difference between households of one and households of two, and I think the co-op would attract more 'single' superworkers if they reduced the hours proportionately. Third, I think that the co-op does an exemplary job of helping build the health of our community, so I hope they'll continue concentrating on those issues best supporting our health - offering real food, local food, organic food, affordable food, and items for our minds and homes that help us thrive. Please keep focusing on that - not bringing into stock all the 'extras' that make the new store feel more like the kind of emporium for the bourgeoisie that I am trying to avoid (at Whole Foods, etc). P.S. - I really hate to say this, because I really do love my co-op, but even post-renovation, the deli sandwiches pale in comparison to Nugget's! I have a dream... that someday... I will be able to get a giant mess of a sandwich at the co-op for $6.99... made quickly (and perhaps even a little overdramatically)... by someone who graduated from sandwich school... —calvin2

2009-04-28 19:46:44   If anyone wants to know (and I know you do) the co-op has marmite! I couldn't believe it! —CarrieBishop

2009-05-13 23:23:37   grapefruits at safeway are 1.49 ea. at the co-op, they are 89 cents ea for the same size conventional ones. even with a non-member surcharge, its still cheaper than safeways' grapefruit. —chand3123k

2009-07-10 09:30:38   there is a green tea white chocolate ice cream of the ciao bella brand and its so delicious. —chand3123k

2009-08-15 21:46:23   I haven't shopped at the co-op for a few years now. I do remember very nice selection. Their selection of fresh meat at the deli is outstanding. Their bulk coffees are also great, and priced reasonably. They used to have the best beer selection in Davis back in the 1980s-early 90s. That has changed, and their selection is about average when it comes to this, and a bit on the pricey side. They still have a nice (also a bit pricey) selection of wines last time I checked. The building is about as ugly as a mud fence though. —Darren22

2009-08-26 11:57:33   Just a short response to Darren22 above...as a big fan of craft beer, I can't see any credence to the claim that "their selection is about average when it comes to this, and a bit on the pricey side". The Co-Op clearly has the best beer selection in town. They carry beers that you would otherwise have to drive to Berkeley or San Francisco to get. Beers from: The Bruery, Stone, Fantome, Mikeller, Nogne O, Russian River, Deschutes special releases, Oskar Blues, Rochefort, Cantillon, Victory, etc. I honestly can't think of a better beer-buying destination within 50 miles of Davis. —aforbes

2009-12-07 14:30:42   true the above comment: best beer selection in the greater sacramento area. the tea / spices selection is equally good. and those three items (beer / spices / tea) account for about 95% of my visits. the rest i get from more affordable markets (nugget / trader joe's), because i do not have the financial comfort to pay for them at the co-op, though i wish i did. the staff is almost always nice (except for those grumpy old men in the meat department) and my trips are usually quite pleasant, even while i wait a long time in line. it is also a damn good place to people watch. its a good place to support when you can. —leiris

2010-02-22 15:55:27   I try to shop at co-op often. The food tastes fresh, and yummy almost all the time. Its a great place to go for organic food. Don't be throwen off by the hippies who work and shop there, b/c some people just shop there to get healthy food. Co-op also has a cosmetic center, and a selection of vitamins and cough drops you couldn't get anywhere else. When your at co-op you feel like family. —GiulianaWasHere

2010-02-26 11:26:12   Here's a huge and grateful tip of the floppy snapbrim cap to all the adroit Co-op cashiers and support supervisors who, despite the new improved checkstands, credit card swipers and cash registers, continue doing their jobs cheerfully and efficiently while making their on-the-job training look effortless. —BrianElsasser

2010-03-09 17:49:58   I shop at the COOP for certain items. I like buying my milk, eggs and asiago cheese here. They have a great selection of coffee beans and a grinder, which is great! It turns out to be less expensive than buying pre packaged coffee from other stores, 2-3 dollars cheaper! They have an amazing blend of tea called 'Stay Well' it's full of great things..I try to buy some every few weeks to boost my immune system! It's great if you have a cold too! The German Sausage is too die for! You can get two of them for about $3, not bad for the quality. I also buy my shampoo and conditioner her in bulk, 3.99/pd much cheaper than any decent shampoo/cond out there. PLUS, the sham/cond are mostly natural/oragnic instead of putting a ton of chemicals on your head! overall, I love shopping here! Some things are expensive but you can find good deals and items you wont be able to find in traditional stores. —TICKtacTOEtag

2010-03-09 20:06:32   This is my favorite grocery store in Davis. Unfortunately the meat is very expensive, so I have to shop elsewhere for that.

It is understandable that they sell expensive organic meat, and I'm glad that they do. But if they would also sell more affordable meat, they would get more of my business. Going to Safeway for meat and the Co-Op for everything else takes a lot of time, and so I end up doing most of my shopping at Safeway because I can get everything all at once. —twblalock

"2010-03-20 11:08:59"   Hey, I've heard tell of how the coop wants to maybe boycott stuff coming from Israel. Seein' as how America got humiliated over there by them when our Vice President went for a visit and the gov't told him they was gonna build even more houses on land that they taken from the Palestinians...well, it's up to individual Americans and small stores to say that ain't right. Can't be insultin' our vice president like that. Especially after all he could do back was show up late for dinner with their head man. He should'a got on a plane and flew on home after that kinda treatment. But anyways if our gov't can't step up to the plate, well don't buy that Israeli stuff, even if the boycott don't go through and the coop don't cooperate against it. Send 'em a message on the internet: tell 'em you didn't buy their stuff at the Davis Food Coop. —DickLiddle

2010-05-31 06:52:23   When I was in Davis this past week, I stopped by and picked up some more "obscure" Japanese beer to take home with me back to Colorado. Good beer selection ! —BradCuppy

2010-07-17 21:43:34   I love the Co-op! Yes, it's expensive. But it's a dream come true for someone with caliac disease! —nataliesadler

2010-07-22 11:12:59   This is the best place to find bulk hard-to-find grains, spices, and herbs. You end up saving a lot of money by only buying what you need. —Bobalice

2010-08-06 15:18:51   Some produce is on the pricier sides, but I've found really great deals on sustainably produced dairy, eggs, dry goods and meat here. Some of my favorite — the frozen meat section (discounted because of being frozen and close to the fresh sell-by date), bulk (i can spend a ridiculous amount of time in this section), and cheese. I like how they try to carry as much local products as possible (yay Vega eggs and Clover milk!). —AmberMa

2010-08-15 17:07:50   Random Rant:

Many places in Davis sell old-style Coke in glass bottles, but the Co-Op is the only store that I have found that has no bottle-openers around for you to open the coke. I used to buy my cokes in the glass bottle, then go find one of their cork-screws they sold that had a bottle opener and use that to open my bottle, but then the Co-Op sold out of those and never re-stocked. After that, I used the can opener which had a bottle-opener on its side, but they sold out of that too and never bothered to re-stock. So today I tried to ask if they had a bottle-opener in the store, and was told they had one in the deli. When I went to the deli, they said they had one but weren't sure where it was so I was out of luck.

Even the tiny little Crepe stand in the Silo has a bottle opener for people who buy Cokes or Jarritos, what gives? —ColinDoyle

2010-09-12 00:59:20   The only thing i buy from here is peanut butter...yes its because of the awesome machine that entertains my inner 5 year old self. —hkaeley

2010-12-19 19:51:59   The DFC is the first co-op I've ever encountered, and I absolutely love it. Although it's a little pricey, especially for a college student, I do regularly get items like produce, milk, and eggs here. It's sad that they've been struggling since Trader Joe's came around. —Michellaneous

2011-03-12 23:53:23   I love the DFC. I work there (In the deli and in the meat department), most of my friends work there, i spend most of my time there, and I buy most of my groceries there...pretty much everything I remember to buy before 10pm when the store closes. To me, here are the best deals/secrets in the store:

*bulk dried refried beans. They sound gross, but they're just as good as normal refried beans! Add hot water and a little salsa, and you have some really really inexpensive chili, mi amigo. Dip some chips in it.
*bulk tea. A great opportunity to try out new types. You can use a lot of the teas to make infused vodkas too! Hibiscus vodka is delicious, by the way.
*MEAT: fresh, or on aisle 4 by the cakes! Usually 3 types of ground meat, as well as a bunch of meat marked 1/2 off, all the time. You never know what it's going to be, but usually there's some really good stuff! Take it home, throw it in the fridge for tomorrow, you're set for dinner. Aisle 4 meat is a good opportunity to try the weird stuff, like elk, buffalo, or the ridiculously expensive cuts that you could only afford if they're half off.
*Deli stuff: Hot Food goes on sale around 7 every night, hot food and salad bar DISAPPEARS at 8. So, 7-8 is the magical time, people. Also, you can get pretty much the most delicious sandwiches ever until around 9pm every night. Veggie $4.99, includes tofu!
*TUESDAY MORNINGS 10AM we have a new parent network. If you are a new or expectant parent and you want to hang out with other new or expectant parents, come by the Teaching Kitchen every Tuesday! It's fun, there are lots of babies, and there's always a cool topic and there are definitely snacks. I like it because babies are adorable. Dads are welcome and encouraged to come too!! —mshernock

2011-03-28 17:21:44   You have got to love the discount organic bananas! —DanielleC

2011-04-06 20:45:29   I love you co-op! You have the most wonderful staff and yummy food. Oh! and you have the best meat dept. in town. —MaryMurphy

2011-04-13 20:44:37   This is the best place to hang out in Davis. The staff is amazing, the events are fun and educational. The groceries are top notch and mostly chemical free. Great selection of wine, cheese and beer, and additive free cakes and bread. Groceries without plastic FTW :) —MichaelNielsen

Yes, preservative free everything is wonderful. You dont need chemical preservatives as the sugar/vinegar is preservative in itself. However, fresh food is so much better. Icecream with only 5 ingredients, milk without additives and homogenization, whipping cream with only 1 ingredient (I find it fail that the coop even has the ones with additives, though), jam containing ONLY berries and sugar, tomato paste with only tomato, etc... When I buy stuff I always look at the ingredient list if it looks industrial (fail) or like a homemade recipe (win). -MichaelNielsen

2011-04-14 22:12:07   @Joe&Nick Ah, haha :) Yes, I found it strange in the beginning, too - because to me it was a given that a lot of the things that aren't "natural" by default were "natural". When I first came to the US and didn't know of The CO-OP, I was appauled by the ingredient lists I found in the supermarkets, and would spend hours reading the lists on all the many manufacturers of each product in vain. When I found the CO-OP it was a like a safehaven :) But from reading all those crazy ingredient lists I realized why it is good to have those labels, even if "artificial" is implied. We know what they mean. I don't know if those labels are protected by law like biodynamic and organic is. They should be. —MichaelNielsen

2011-04-18 10:39:35   I've reviewed 6 different amber ales from the coop as to find the best one to stock up for my fiancée: Green lakes, Eel River, Jamaica "red ale", Full sail, Flat tire, Boont. No. 1: Eel River. slightly sweet, medium bitter and floral, 5/5, distinctive toffee flavor.
No. 2: Jamaica red ale: A powerhouse on all counts, well balanced sweetness, bitterness, floral notes, 4/5

These are the two I'd buy. I'd definitely go for the toffee notes in eel river as it is like the one I know she loves from a Slovenian restaurant that brews its own beer in the cellar.

I wouldn't buy the others. Full sail and Flat tire got 3/5, being mellow, Flat tire had some more bitterness and creaminess, but weak.
Boont and Green lakes got 2/5: Boont tasted like metal and green lakes was weird.

A coop employee was very kind to help select 6 ambers for me to review. —MichaelNielsen

2011-06-04 20:13:02   I have been living in Davis for a year and I believe the prices at the Co op are outrageous. Being a community oriented business, the Co op should consider lowering their prices so more citizens of davis can afford healthy organic foods. —DanRohn

2011-09-29 21:00:16   Big fan of the Co-op! While it can be expensive in some respects, I agree with a comment that someone else made about the "real" cost of food. My conscience feels at ease in the Co-op and the staff have always been super nice to my wife and I. I'm planning on volunteering for some discount and to just have another excuse to be in the store. I want to take some cooking classes also. Go co-operatively owned enterprises!!! —ConsciousConsumer

2012-01-22 20:14:18   How late is the Deli open? Not until 10pm, I've found. —NicholasBarry

2012-01-22 22:17:04   Most definitely the best store in Davis! The vegan American flatbread pizza (http://sometimesiveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/5935650656_808a0a6f3a-150x150.jpg) is soooo delicious. We can find everything we need here. Almost everything, because Co-Op doesn't have fresh yeast! Hint Hint Hint! (this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Compressed_fresh_yeast_-_1.jpg/220px-Compressed_fresh_yeast_-_1.jpg) Fresh yeast is better for baking bread and we bake fresh bread. So please, Co-Op? —ConstantiaOomen

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