Seward Co-op opened the doors of its new store on January 8, 2009. The 25,600-square-foot building is the culmination of more than three years of planning and work, and features expanded departments, more product and a kitchen classroom on the second floor. Everyone is welcome!   

IN THE NEWS  

Sprout! Wins Award
Seward Co-op’s member newsletter, the Sprout!, is a Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) 2010 Communications Contest award recipient. The Sprout! took second place in the “member newsletter” category during CCA’s recent awards ceremony, held in downtown Minneapolis. CCA is a Pennsylvania-based organization of professionals who communicate for cooperatives.

Solar Panels Installed at Co-op
In partnership with Minneapolis-based Solarflow Energy, a 140-panel solar system was installed this spring on the co-op's roof. This is Solarflow's ninth Twin Cities area project; and is expected to generate 32 kilowatts of renewable energy for 18 years. Learn more here.

Nice Ride MN Debuts
Nice Ride Minnesota introduced their bike-sharing system -- the largest in the United States -- on Bike Walk to Work Day, Thursday, June 10. Hundreds took part in an inaugural bike ride from the Central Library down Nicollet Mall to Peavey Plaza, where Mayor R.T. Rybak hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the Downtown YWCA bike share station. And Seward Co-op's Deli provided cake for attendees. See photos from the event here. 

Seward Co-op's Nice Ride kiosk 

 Strib's Taste 50
Congratulations to The Seward Co-op Meat & Seafood Department. Their in-house deli meats came in at #19 on the Star Tribune's annual Taste 50, a list of the best things to eat in Minnesota. Other products that the co-op carries that made the list: hand-rolled Rochdale Farms butter (#14), Restore the Earth environmentally-safe cleaning products (#43) and duck eggs from Khaiti Kahleck at LTD Farm (#48).

Minnesota Women's Press Readers Pick Seward Co-op
Readers of the Minnesota Women's Press named Seward Co-op one of their favorite co-ops/healthy grocers. Seward is honored in the recent "What Women Want" issue, specifically for our initiative on saying farewell to small plastic water bottles.

Seward Co-op Wins City Pages' Best Natural Foods Grocery -- Again!
For the second year in a row, Seward Co-op has been named Best Natural Foods Grocery in the City Pages' annual "Best Of" issue. The article notes the co-op's shopper-friendly store, impressive cheese section, great meat department and newly renovated deli as reasons for the honor. Read more here.

Read the new Hot Dish blog at City Pages praising Seward Co-op's selection of local foods. 

Co-op-People's Center Partnership Featured in Strib
Seward Co-op was featured in a recent Star Tribune article, which focused on the co-op's partnership with Cedar-Riverside People’s Center. After a series of flu clinics, the People's Clinic will start offering a variety of different services at the co-op beginning in May. The article discussed the various proposed services.

Sno-Pac in Caledonia, MN
A local producer and distributor of organically grown frozen vegetables. Their efforts are discussed in this City Pages article, including a Seward Co-op mention!

Kudos to the Meat Department
Congratulations to Seward Co-op's Meat & Seafood Department, which was recently honored among the area's finest meat purveyors in Twin Cites Metro.

Seating Area Windows
Seward Co-op's seating area recently got a facelift, courtesy Spunk Design Machine. The new windows feature a fresh leafy design, much like that used in the Sprout! and other co-op materials. Spunk also came up with a bold new design for the upstairs office windows and the classroom.

 As a bonus, Spunk worked very hard to make the whole project as sustainable as possible. The inks are all water based and the project, which spanned several days, generated very little waste -- just enough to fill a small bag (see links). A big thanks to Spunk for the cool designs and thinking proactively about the environmental impacts.

UPDATE: Spunk was recently awarded the AIGA Minnesota Green Leaf Award (below), which recognizes design leadership in environmental responsibility, for their work on the co-op's seating area. Award winners were selected for demonstrating excellence in designing a project with a sustainable life cycle. 
  
Seward a Symbol of Hope in Tough Times
During his state-of-the-city address, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak cited Seward Co-op as an example of a successful small, local business in the midst of recession. The co-op was the recipient of a Minneapolis Great Streets loan, which aided it during its recent expansion. Read more of Rybak's address in the Star Tribune. [Ed. note: The Friday, Aug. 14, edition of the Star Tribune has several full color photos of the co-op.]

Cutting and Chopping Locally
The Star Tribune features fellow Seward neighborhood business, Wood from the Hood, in the Taste section. The co-op sells their cutting boards and picture frames. In addition, Seward Co-op's classroom tables were custom-made by Wood From the Hood. Wood from the Hood will be in the store demonstrating their cutting boards on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Roll Out the Barrels
In response to the current draught, WCCO recently ran a piece on the growing use of rain barrels throughout the metro area. Seward Redesign, which coordinated the sale of 100 rain barrels during Seward Co-op's grand opening, was featured in the story. (And look for the co-op in the background of one of the shots). Watch the clip here.

Minneapolis Climate Change Grants Announced at Seward Co-op
On May 7, Seward Co-op served as the backdrop for the City of Minneapolis’ announcement of 15 climate change grants awarded to various local neighborhoods and organizations. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was on hand to greet the representatives from the various organizations.

Seward Co-op was chosen as a host location for its commitment to equitable economic relationships, positive environmental impacts and inclusive, socially responsible practices.

The climate change grants were initiated to empower individuals to reduce global warming pollution, support local businesses and save energy costs. The City pioneered the award-winning grants in 2007, and with the subsequent success of those grants, Minneapolis residents and businesses have pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions my 10.9 tons and save themselves $1.33 million in energy costs each year. To learn more about the sustainability initiative and the climate change grants, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability.

Seward Co-op Wins Best in Real Estate
Seward Co-op took home the award for Best in the Retail Development or Redevelopment category at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's 11th annual Best in Real Estate awards dinner. The event, held Thursday, April 16, at the Hyatt  Hotel in Minneapolis, honored businesses that are investing in and building up their respective communities.

The award was an acknowledgement of the co-op's new building, which opened in January. An article in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's described the new store as "a shining example of green design." Mary Bujold, one of this year's judges, said of the project: "Due to a significant interest in organic food and sustainability, it stood out as something that was timely. ...Their expansion and redevelopment really spoke to who their target market is."