“Water, feed, collect eggs,” say Hannah, Serah, and Seth Sukut in unison, describing their daily duties as owners of Sukut’s Farm Fresh in Kamiah, Idaho. Together along with the help of their parents, Melissa and Danny, they have provided chicken eggs to the Co-op since July. You can find a colorful dozen in the refrigerated section at the back of the store.

Through a 4-H project that started last January, the family continues to learn the ins and outs of raising chickens and operating a business. With 290 laying hens and 40 roosters, the sibling trio is especially busy during the winter when their birds eat less grass and bugs and require more feed, up to 75 pounds a day. Seth, 13, cares for a mixed coop of birds, mainly the roosters. Serah, 11, works with about 50 birds, and Hannah, 10, oversees nearly 200. Smiling, Hannah said, “Everyday is an Easter egg hunt,” since several hens prefer laying eggs around the pasture rather than in their nesting boxes. These hens “fly the coop” daily.

“We keep it simple” says Trish Vieria when describing her way of life and business with her husband Mike, owners of Spokane’s Family Farm.  Their dairy has provided natural, non-homogenized milk to the Co-op for over two years. You can pick up a gallon in the refrigerated section at the back of the store. 

Spokane’s Family Farm started in 2008.  Although a relatively young business, Trish and Mike are not new to farming.  Both are third generation farmers; Trish’s background is in cattle and Mike’s in dairy.  While living near Walla-Walla, the couple began searching for a community that would support their dream of a small dairy; they chose Spokane.  About 13 miles west of the city, they purchased a 100 year old farm that hadn’t been operated since 1962. After finding a Holstein herd and upgrading the barn with modern milking equipment, they were ready for their first bottling in April 2009.

“In this area people grow things. Looking down at a meal I think, ‘Wow, everything on my plate including what I’m drinking is local” said Melissa Sanborn, who owns Colter’s Creek Vineyard and Winery with her husband, Mike Pearson.”  Check-out the Wine, Beer and Cheese Department to find their wine that the Co-op has carried for about the last two years.

The vineyard located in Juliaetta, Idaho was originally planted in the mid-1980s.  It went through three owners and lay abandoned for five years before Mike and Melissa took over the land in 2007.  Two years later, after completing the arduous task of reworking and reviving seven acres of grapes, the couple had their first harvest and production of wine.  Currently, the vineyard is 15 acres and 75-80% of their wine comes from their grapes with another 10% from grapes grown in the LC Valley.

“Everything about bees is sticky,” says Jason Escapule, owner of Harvard Yale Honey Company, while discussing his life as a commercial bee keeper.  For the last seven years, the Co-op has carried the company’s “sticky” products.  In Grocery, you can find jars of local honey, orange blossom honey, buckwheat honey and comb honey.  For larger quantities and refills, head over to the Bulk section.

When starting the business nine years ago near Princeton, Idaho, Jason said “I didn’t even know how to spell ‘bee.”  Before making the switch to beekeeping, he worked in construction for 12 years.  A coworker, who was a third generation beekeeper, initially presented him with the idea.  Starting with 200 colonies, he learned his trade through trial and error and has expanded the business to 2, 500 hives.

“Right product, right time, right couple,” says Simon Thompson when describing the origins of Cravens Coffee Company, which he started in 1993 with his wife Becky Templin.  They have provided the Co-op with a variety of coffees for about ten years. You can find this caffeinated goodness in the Grocery Department.

Food Co-ops are great places to hang out and meet people.  I did just that when interviewing Liz and Glenn Ward, owners of BumbleBar, at the Main Market Co-op in downtown Spokane. The Moscow Food Co-op has carried their organic, vegan and gluten-free energy bars for over twelve years. You can find these nutritious and delicious fruit and nut bars in the Grocery Department.