Based on recommendations made by both, local producers and Co-op managers and buyers, as well as insightful evaluation by members of the committee, we came up with both short-term and long-term goals as well as an action plan to meet them. The short-term goals include:
Increase the percentage of local goods we sell in the store
Create sustainable relationships
·        Create consistency
·        Develop fair practices
·        Strive for continual improvement
·        Educate consumers/buyers/producers
·        Increase consumer and producer capacity

The long-term goal is:
1.      Strengthen and grow the local food systems infrastructure.
Based on the above goals, we developed recommendations to get started:
1.      Set goals and review annually.
2.      Create a process to connect store buyers with local producers.
3.      Develop purchasing/selling guidelines to provide consistency of expectations and accountability.
4.      Create more formalized relationships between the store and local producers.
5.      Develop an annual reciprocal evaluation process between producers and buyers.
6.      Create opportunities for education of our members, shoppers, Co-op staff and producers.
7.      Implement managers/buyers training in Co-op values (our mission and strategic plan) and how these values can or should guide specific decisions.
8.      Define local. During our listening meetings, we heard feedback from both producers and co-op staff that there were many different definitions of "local" and "regional".  The Green Commerce committee is proposing this consistent definition of the terms to accomplish several things:
1) to make it possible for the Co-op to establish a good baseline and measurable goals for increasing products in these categories
2) as a way to help consumers be better informed about what they are buying as well as a marketing tool to support local producers.
3) as a way to continue to differentiate the Co-op from other grocery stores.
We came up with a definition that will distinguish goods produced here on the Palouse and our immediate vicinity, from more regional products, in order to highlight production that is taking place in our immediate vicinity. We would use the categories of grown, made, and distributed within each definition “sphere” to emphasize and market the range of products that are available to us.
Local-goods produced within about a 50-mile radius
Regional-goods produced within about a 100-mile radius
Inland Northwest-goods produced within about a 200-250 mile radius. This is approximately from the eastern Cascades to the Bitterroot Mountains, and what we would like to call our “food biome”.
Pacific Northwest-goods produced in Washington, Idaho, Oregon or Montana
 
Developing and supporting a strong network of local, regional and Inland NW producers is integral to growing and maintaining a healthy, sustainable community. We are hoping to listen and dialogue with producers, Co-op managers and buyers, and our Co-op members and shoppers to further refine our recommendations and move forward toward our goals. Please send any input, questions or ideas to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or place suggestions in the suggestion box at the front of the store. Thank you for helping us support our producers and our community.