Davis Food Co-op - Davis Wiki

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 mainstream grocery products. They are complete with bulk bins, organic and non-organic produce, and so-called natural foods galore. Anyone can shop there but non-members pay 5% over shelf prices. If members volunteer, they enhance their member benefits with 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, or find them on the website.

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, with their bulk and packaged offerings including coffee from the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, Equal Exchange, The Pepper Peddler and Folgers alike, 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 booth box kiosk to run it. Outside the Co-op is a rather large tomato and four lumps of concrete for future art display. The entire frontal exterior was originally a 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.

Mural 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 changes 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. For non-members, the bag charge will be included in the non-member surcharge of 5%. This charge reduced paper bag usage by about two-thirds from Earth Day in 2011 to 2012.

The Co-op offers "Weekly Specials" and "Co+op Deals" (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 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.

The 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 from 2007 to 2011.

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 drive 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),

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

Largest organic produce selection in Davis.
Fresh fruit
Large bulk bin section including

Coffees: Over fifty roasted selections.
Teas
Grains
Breakfast cereals (granola, muesli)
Staples (flour, sugar, olive oil,...)
Soup mixes
Pasta
Dried fruit
Chips
Chocolates (both fair-trade and conventional)
Health-oriented candy, such as carob confections and honey or cane juice-based sweets - Isn't this an oxymoron? Candy is dandy, and you can't change that! :) -AH

Drinks (juices, teas, sodas, beer, wine.)
Dairy (yogurt, organic or non-organic milk)
Cheese display island
Olive Bar
Tofu (including organic bulk in the refrigerator at the end of the bulk aisle)
Kitchen & household goods (recycled toilet paper, cleansers,...)
Pet food
Beer & wine
Several varieties of mead
Breads (including Acme bread & Village Bakery products)
Canned goods
Frozen goods
Deli department
Meats
Books
Cosmetics
Bulk water
Newspapers (in front of store; as of March 2011, the daily Sacramento Bee is for sale inside near check stands 2 & 3)
Classes
Outside dining area
Large buffet
Message board for community postings
Teaching Kitchen
More I can't remember...

I want a doctor to take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well

— The Vapors, Turning Japanese

Current Issues

Spring 2012 Election

Voting began April 25, and will end on May 25 at the close of business, in the 2012 Co-op election. Wiki users can comment with a visit to the 2012 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 Co-op's Election "hub" page.

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 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 Voter's Pamphlet is available for download. (Some grammarians feel that "Voters' Pamphlet" would be more appropriate, but the Co-op Bylaws use the singular possessive.)

2009 Election

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

2008 Election

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 http://davisbds.org/ proposed a member initiative to have the store boycott Israeli products. The Co-op Board of Directors reviewed the initiative and 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). This required a large loan, which is expected to consume DFC's profits, meaning that members can expect no patronage refund for some years to come, but the other benefits to members have kept cash-flow positive during a period of intensifying local competition, and recession. 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. Cooperatives exist to meet common needs of members, not to produce profits per se.

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 flight of beers), with profits donated to a charity or event. Tastings to March 2011 will benefit One Farm At A Time, a "farm, co-op, and community partnership to ensure local food availability. "

Upcoming 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 Co-op website.

Annual Meeting

To be held May 20, 2012 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.

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 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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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

I don't know about you, but I really prefer all-chemical groceries. This is also the store that sells preservative-free pickles. -NickSchmalenberger

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

Are we talking about artificial preservative-free pickles? I think the point Nick was making was that labels like preservative- or chemical-free are incorrect and, to a lot of people, silly. —JoePomidor

I don't know about you, but I really prefer my food to be free of dangerous chemicals such as dihydrogen monoxide and phosphorous. —hankim

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

Well, maybe their products cost what they really cost, while cheap industrial food supermarkets are really the ones with outrageous costs, and in the big picture is it destructive to shop there. And I dont think people are going to starve and miss anything if they shop in the sustainable way at the coop, instead. You tend to eat less , when it actually has nutrition, what you are eating.

For comparison sake, can you identify which products were "outrageous" and what the comparison products were at a local grocery store? It's easy to make this allegation when comparing organic apples to conventional grapes. —ScottLay

An example is normal (to me) cucumbers that cost 5$ while in Denmark they cost 1$ incl the 25% tax :) But then the trick is that there's a good reason they cost 5$ here, while the weird (to me) cucumbers are cheap, and you are actually paying for that reason.

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

- Nevermind, just added the hours

2012-01-22 22:17:04 Most definitely the best store in Davis! The vegan American flatbread pizza () is soooo delicious. We can find everything we need here. Almost everything, because Co-Op doesn't have fresh yeast! Hint Hint Hint! (this: ) Fresh yeast is better for baking bread and we bake fresh bread. So please, Co-Op? —ConstantiaOomen

Apologies for the delay, but we've found a supplier for cake yeast and should have it on the shelf in a couple of weeks (mid-March). —DougWalter

2012-03-08 16:12:10 Wow, thanks so much, Doug & Co-Op. I hope other people will start buying it too, it's makes your fresh bread, cake etc. so much better. Bread etc. rises a lot better with fresh yeast. —ConstantiaOomen

2012-03-27 17:14:10 The red bananas are amazing! And the cashiers and staff are super nice too. Good prices, good people, good food. One of the reasons I love Davis. —Ziwei.Hu

2012-04-18 18:28:18 Today I baked bread with the (new) fresh yeast of Co-Op Davis. It's the best. The bread is well risen, has an airy structure, tastes a lot more natural and the bread is a lot softer. I recommend every one who bakes anything, to use the fresh yeast (in the fridge) of Co-Op. —ConstantiaOomen

2012-04-29 15:26:18 Does any know if they carry Shirataki noodles? —ttl
* Yes, we have "House Foods Tofu Shirataki" spaghetti and fettucini noodles on Aisle 8. The spaghetti is on sale through tomorrow, 5/1/12 —DougWalter

—Wonderful!! Thank you so much for the answer! I'm ON it.—ttl

2012-05-05 13:59:07 I am reading "the Vine" newsletter of the Co-Op of May 2012. On page 12 H.L.C. makes a remark on push pins on the "public notice board" and the wind making them fall down. I know H.L.C. who is writing this, because I was talking to her that day we stood there, and we kept picking them push pins up from the ground. There were dozens of them lying there! in front of the public notice board. The wind was blowing hard, like today, and we saw the push pins fall down on the ground because of this. We stood there, talking for about one half hour, and we both saw what the wind did. I reject the answer of Julie Cross (sorry, Julie), who makes the suggestion that "a bigger kid entertained himself by pulling those tacks out". This simply isn't true, because H.L.C. and I were standing there, and saw the wind rip them out, especially on the left side, like H.L.C. stated in "the Vine“, piece by piece. At some point we had picked them all up, but ten minutes later, again there were at least a dozen on the ground. The wind rips at the paper on the board, and the tacks come loose.

IMO Julie's remark that she has been keeping a close eye on them, and then coming to this conclusion, can't be true. The public notice board is totally rotten, especially on the left side, and H.L.C. has a substantial point in pointing (!) this out. This IS very dangerous to children, and I sure hope that the board will be replaced instead of waiting for that one, maybe lethal, accident with a push pin.
I invite everybody to go check the bulletin board on windy days, like today, because I am quite sure with strong winds, there again will be tacks on the ground.
The wind is “that bigger kid.” ;-)

PS: here a recent, lethal accident with a push pin, a three year old boy dies: http://www.sandiegopersonalinjury-law.com/2012/01/boy-fatally-chokes-on-pushpin-family-files-wrongful-death-suit.shtml

—ConstantiaOomen

2012-05-06 12:25:28 Thanks for the reminder, Constantia. I've just texted the co-op to remind folks to check and see if this is a problem today - it hasn't been since the day I saw you there. —JulieCross

2012-05-06 15:36:02 Hello Julie... great, thanks. I hope that Co-Op will be able to replace the old bulletin board. It would look nice and is safer... —ConstantiaOomen

2012-05-07 19:42:06 Having been a member of two other co-ops and shopped at numerous others, I continue to be disappointed at DFC. There's a lot of love expressed for this store, perhaps from people who just haven't visited/been a member of enough other co-ops and natural food stores to have a fair comparison of excellence and fair pricing. The prices are inexplicably high ($3.20 for a cup of bulk canola oil?!) versus comparative stores locally and regionally (yes, I've done a comparison), the customer service is lacking (checkers chat with friends while handling orders and don't reliably take off the tare weight, damaged/moldy produce is not culled, hot bar gets dried out because employees don't refill the water pans underneath, suggestion and comments are not answered, staff can be hard to find), etc. Th store also sells a surprising number and range of items that are far from natural, as well as mass market chocolate, coffee, sugar and other items that are known to be produced with unethical labor and wage practices, including child labor in cocoa. I always through co-ops were committed to organic and fair trade practices until I came here. Unlike other co-ops I've been in, members haven't received patronage refunds for a few years, there are no member coupons or other financial incentives apart from getting the already-too-high shelf price, and there's a $5 non-refundable membership processing fees. Though I'm a fervent supporter of co-ops, I have to say that I'm looking forward to Whole Foods opening up in Davis, Ca, because I think DFc needs some serious motivation to improve its cost, service and mission alignment. —emmes

1Source: Doug Walter's article in the first edition of the Reorientation Guide, 2006