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Village Squire, 1977-10, Page 14possible. After the food is delivered to the Co-op, there is a 20 per cent markup put on it. This. Eric Eberhardt says is to cover things like packaging (because they do the packaging themselves), his salary and any trucking expenses that Eric has such as picking up local items. They get granola in Sebringville and milk powder from Stacey's in Mitchell. Eric's family itself has been making use of the Co-op type of food sources for about seven years and they have belonged to two Co-ops previously. Eric said that one of those competed on the level of a Loblaws. During the winter, Eric provides the Co-op with soy milk and soy cheese. The Co-op also has a supplier of goat's cheese and a lot of their foods come from Oak Manor farms in Tavistock. Wheat products, triticale and oats were grown on the farm. Other things the Co-op sells includes oils, granola and peanut butter which Eric says is a lot different from the peanut butter that you buy in stores. He said that whereas the peanuts found in the peanut butter at stores have been roasted in oil, the peanuts in their peanut butter have just usually been heated to make them roasted. They sell a full line of roasted nuts and have about 50 different herbs and spices. A five percent reduction is given to members who work at the Co-op doing such things as setup. spice packing, scale duty. cleanup and typing of newsletters. This applies only for the co-op session at which the member works. Those doing the cleanup carry' the five percent to the next co-op. Members pay a refundable 515 membership fee and a $1.25 surcharge which is collected every month whether members shop at the co-op that month or not. The $15 membership fee is the one criteria for a person becoming a member. Two things that the Co-op tries to do is to use Ontario produce as much as possible and to use food that is organically grown. The organically grown food is not necessarily a policy of theirs according to Eric but if the price is comparable they prefer to buy natural food. For people who don't live close to Kurhyville it is possible for a group of people to get together, making their orders and taking turns coming up shopping. People can also shop one time at the Co-op without becoming a member. The S15 membership fee is inclusive for a household. If there's a group of people who want to shop at the Co-op, they have a varying rate depending on the size of the group. Eric says that the majority of people that belong to the Co-op use the store for supplementary sources of food. Members can also sell anything they want to through the store. People have brought in produce from their gardens. baked goods and pastry. Eric has been a member of different co-ops for about four years. He became interested in them. he says because he and his family try to grow their own vegetables and food and they are concerned about the residue effect of chemical fertilizers. not only on their own bodies but on the land. A lot of farmers say you couldn't grow food without using modern techniques. which are basically a chemical process of feeding bu: Eric says the man who lives across the road from him does mixed farming and without the use of chemicals. "The people who belong to our Co -op --a lot of them are farmers. A lot of the people are concerned about having organically grown products and then on the other hand. there's a lot of people who could care less one way or the other as long as it's cheap," Eric said. Eric has had various careers and lived in various places before becoming the manager of the Co-op. He taught in Goderich at a school for the trainable retarded and the family once lived in Cape Breton for three years on an abandoned farm. They were also involved in a Co-op there which was much looser than their present Co-op. People got together. made their orders and when the food came in. it was simply taken to someone's house, and divided up according to what was pre -ordered. For the past two years, Eric worked on a dairy farm. but retired from doing that when his wife started back to school this fall. Eric is looking after the two children as well as taking ,t,, COUNTRY CRAFTSMAN CHARG EX � VISA Kos OPEN •1e —5:l• - i.+. /210-i40 ca••lO ruelOMYS h•s 221.421 gel Mint MtlL Mra-WYiM1t P.S. If you please AUTUMN is upon us - it's time to RELAX & take that drive to OUR HOUSE • bring a Friend or ...YOUR HUSBAND!!! Now specializing in - OLD ONTARIO FURNITURE • Refinishing & Repairs • Custom wooden home accessories • Country & Cottage Crafts • Canadian & Natural Living books as well as Children's books WE hope to see you real soon. plan to come in a Targe group, call. THANK YOU 12, VILLAGE SQU1RE/OCTOBER 1977.