Chris Maher, General Manager
BriarPatch is supporting the Food for Change film with a donation of $5000, to be paid in two years. As one of very few cooperatives in our region, it is a challenge to communicate what co-ops are all about. People in our community, especially younger people, are unfamiliar with the concept and history. As natural and organic foods become increasingly popular and large grocery chains carry more of them, communicating the value of our food co-ops is increasingly important.
Video/film, as a friendly and popular medium, is an ideal way to communicate the complex ideas of cooperation, and the rich history of food co-ops in particular. But since producing films is time-consuming and expensive, it is out of the scope of what we could achieve ourselves for the foreseeable future. We look forward to having the Food for Change film as an educational tool for developing our community’s understanding of the broader benefits of food cooperatives and for increasing our ownership base.
BriarPatch Co-op Natural Foods Community Market is nestled in the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Grass Valley, California. Founded in 1976, today BriarPatch is a thriving market with 165 employees, annual sales of $16.6 million in 2010, and 4,500 owners. We offer abundant fresh organic and local produce, an extensive bulk foods section, local grassfed beef, sustainable seafood, organic pantry staples, natural cleaning supplies, the very best vitamins and supplements, and a smorgasbord of delicious, nutritious, ready-to-eat breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
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“Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm.”
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