Category Archives: Local Eats

Magic Kombucha Vinegar

Now at the Eastside, Magic Kombucha vinegar! Great in beverages and however you might use a champagne style vinegar.

Anargonic Creations zodiac shirts

Beautiful bright zodiac shirts made by Anargonic Creations aka Bradley Naragon, a local Olympia artis.

Come by the eastside and check them out!

Daniel G. Bernstein’s cards

Beautiful blank inside cards for any occasion are now avaiable at both stores made by local photographer and staff member Daniel. G. Bernstein.

Healthy Cultures fermented foods

Healthy Cultures are now available at our Westside location. Located in Tumwater, they use all fresh natural ingredients, and no chemical additives or preservatives. Supporting local farms is very important to them as well and they strive to source their produce locally as much as possible.

“We use all fresh natural ingredients, and don’t use any chemical additives or preservatives. Supporting local farms is very important to us, and we strive to source our produce locally much as possible.” Find out more about them here and stop by our Westside store to pick some up!

Oyster Bay Farm

Oyster Bay Farm is located on Totten Inlet right here in Olympia.
As you can see below, it’s a gorgeous farm that provides us with these delicious
and gorgeous multi-colored eggs!
They offer our community high quality, locally raised and processed
pasture based eggs and meat. Viewing Organic certification as a minimum
qualification for quality, they also focus on food security and safety, animal welfare
and biological diversity. Their products support their family while also providing
delicious, quality nourishment for all of us and caring for the environment.
How awesome is that?
All images provided by Oyster Bay Farm.

Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards

Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchard is an organic & GAP certified family farm located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Since 1980 we’ve been growing every fruit & nut tree that will grow in the Pacific Northwest, and providing the tastiest and most nutritious varieties to you, our most discerning customers.

We supply Olympia Food Co-ops with a seasonal array of nuts, fruits, jams and apple sauces. “We have a commercial kitchen at the farm, so these products are made right here on-site,” says co-owner Michael Dolan. In the summer, certified organic blueberries are available at the Co-ops. In fall, dozens of rare and unusual varieties of apples, Asian pears and kiwi berries become available along with fresh chestnuts.

Each April through December, we sell our whole line of products at the Olympia Farmers Market. Jams, jellies, fruit wines and apple sauces are always available, as well as rare heirloom fruits and seasonal nuts – including sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts, English and Black walnuts. You’ll also find a vast array of edible fruiting plants and trees ideally suited to the climate right here in South Puget Sound.

For more information about all Burnt Ridge does, visit our website
Check out our Facebook page for seasonal updates and specials!

Colvin Ranch

Located in Tenino, only 16 miles away, Colvin Ranch provides us with a great choice of grass fed beef, found in the frozen meat department in both stores. The Ranch has been in the same family for five generations, first homesteaded by Ignatius Colvin, who traveled the Oregon Trail from Missouri in 1851.

All the cattle are born and raised on the Ranch, fed a diet containing no antibiotics, hormones nor additives, and graze in grass pastures where sustainable practices allow native and endangered plants to flourish. This results in a beef that is healthy, with higher levels of nutrients, including Omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

All images of the farm are provided by Colvin Ranch.

Spring Creek Farm

Spring Creek Farm is a small family farm in Rochester. Since beginning the business, in 1996, Chris Robinson and Melis­sa Southwick have been committed to maintaining a low environmental impact, with both the farm and the home using solar power – even to water the plants! They build their own organic soil mixes, and use biological controls for the rare pest occurrence.

Chris and Melissa are dedicated to their work, and the care they take is evident in the health and quality of their plants. For over 10 years, they have provided the Co-op with beautiful vegetable starts. They also sell blueberry bushes, fig trees, strawberries, and hops. Their farm produces many varieties of culinary herbs, such as lav­ender, mints, thyme, as well as medicinal herbs that can be hard to find, such as motherwort, skullcap, and arnica.

You can also find them at the Olympia Farmer’s Market.

Jalisco Tortilla Factory

For many years, Jalisco’s corn chips have been one of our highest sellers here at the Co-op. They are a family owned and operated business since 1997. Their retail store and factory is in Shelton, only 14 miles away from us!

Our stores are carrying most of their products… here is the breakdown…

Chips – eastside and westside

Maggie’s Salsa – eastside has Medium Red Salsa, Hot Red Salsa, and Hot Salsa Verde … and westside has the Medium and Hot Red Salsa

White Corn Tortillas – eastside and westside

White Flour Tortillas – eastside only

Here are some links to check out online…

Thurston Talks – a visit to the factory in 2013

FaceBook – for the latest news

Jalisco website – pictures, stories, and address to visit the store

Flying Cow Creamery

With a passion for respect of animals and producing high quality yogurt, Keith and Selma began Flying Cow Creamery in 2013. They package in returnable glass jars made in the United States, and take efforts to educate folks about what they are doing on the farm.  Their website is full of helpful information about their animals and their production processes of the delicious, simply-made yogurt.

Here is the current news from the creamery

Here our staff visits their farm…

“It’s so nice to have a place where we local people can go and just sell at the Co-op.” – Selma Bjarnadottir

Keith and Selma with Olympia Food Co-op staff member

Calliope Farm

Speaking of growing and eating locally… how about 3 miles from the Co-op’s westside location? Introducing Calliope Farm, a family operation that is certified organic and passionate about quality and diversity. “We grow on 10 acres of beautiful silt-loam soil divided between two sites on the very edge of Olympia.  Our practices emphasize soil building cover-crops and long crop rotations, livestock integration, efficient water use, and season extension to offer our customers and employees year round produce and employment.”

Here is current news from the farm (and great photos!)

Here our staff visits their farm…

“The Olympia Food Co-op works with local farmers to foster a sense of cooperation instead of competition.” – Jacob Wilson

Jacob with Olympia Food Co-op staff member

Yoga Way of Life (skin care)

We have enjoyed Yoga Way of Life‘s regular appearances at both stores, talking with folks, helping them to discover how Yoga Way of Life skin care products can help to meet their specific needs. Here is a profile write up from Bharti Nagal herself! And, scroll below to check out the short film about Yoga Way of Life that our staff produced!

Bharti Nagal, a Yoga and Ayurveda follower. A former IT professional, she ventured into the foray with an unflinching belief that natural and chemical free skin care products is the need of the hour. In the year 2014, she founded Yoga Way of Life, a company that has an array of natural products like topical creams, soaps, body washes, face scrubs and masks. Ms. Nagal says, “my pursuit and passion towards nature and health lead me to start an ayurvedic-style skin care line. I gathered a team of ayurvedic doctors who educated me about various aspects of doshas and worked with me to develop the recipes.” Today, Yoga Way of Life online store serves its customers all over the country with products available in more than 20 stores, mainly in Washington and Oregon states. Yoga Way of Life products are widely appreciated and accepted, thus proving the worth. Ms. Nagal believes that Yoga and Ayurveda can enhance the quality of life manifolds. Through this, one can attain the true meaning of life in a rather cohesive manner. Her belief and knowledge is the driving force to come up with Yoga Way of Life, which takes people a step close to the nature and its miraculous remedies.

Check out  Bharti’s blog and the website Yoga Way of Life

Here she meets with our staff in 2017 to discuss her products…

“I have a lot of respect for the Co-ops because they open their doors to local businesses.” ~ Bharti Nagal

Bharti with Olympia Food Co-op staff member

Stewart Organics

Stewart Organics in Puyallup are one of the top farms prioritized during our Local Buying season. Lots of fresh veggies all season make their way from their farm to our tables.

Stewart Organics also have been known to deliver these gorgeous dark green, bumpy Makrut limes in the winter.  Through the juice is seldom used in cooking, the peel of the fruit, with its high concentration of aromatic oils, is indispensable in many curry pastes and is one reason why Thai curries taste refreshingly unique. The zest also imparts a piquant flavor to such delectable favorites as fried fish cakes, and it blends in powerfully with spicy, chili laden stews.fe99980d-593d-4105-9116-244dc3341ffcTheir leaves are excellent in curry and soup. Thick and shiny on the top, porous and pale on the back, these leaves keep well in a refrigerator for two weeks, and can be frozen.

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Their leaves are excellent in curry and soup. Thick and shiny on the top, porous and pale on the back, these leaves keep well in a refrigerator for two weeks, and can be frozen.

Tieton Farm & Creamery

We have some great artisan cheeses in stock especially from this one creamery, Tieton Farm & Creamery, that we ordered directly from. This is their first time at the Co-op and we are probably the only ones selling their products in Washington State!

artisian cheese treton 540

Here are the varieties we now carry:

Rheba
A beautiful cheese inspired by the one and only Reblochon from the Savoie region of France except this one is with a mix of Sheep and Goat’s milk instead of cow’s milk)

Black Pearl
A cute ash coated bloomy rind with same mix of sheep and goat’s milk from their herds

Bianca
Fresh sheep and goat’s milk

Venus
Made with sheep and goat milk, then bathed in cider from Tieton Cider Works

Host Defense & Fungi Perfecti

Fungi Perfecti is a family-owned, environmentally friendly company specializing in using mushrooms to improve the health of the planet and its people. Founded by mycologist and author Paul Stamets in 1980, we are leaders in a new wave of technologies harnessing the inherent power of mushrooms and mycelium worldwide. Fungi Perfecti is Certified Organic …. see more at Fungi Perfecti

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Wobbly Cart

Wobbly Cart is a certified organic farm south of Olympia on the Chehalis River. They also have a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, with drop sites ranging from Olympia to Portland, including one for the employees of the Department of Ecology in Lacey!

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check out the latest from Wobbly Cart!

Cobb’s Handmade Desserts

Stephen and Rebecca Cobb started selling their Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups in 2013. Within two years, they quit their day jobs and expanded their product offerings to include Cashew Cream Cheese and dairy free Cheesecake. Here is an update from Stephen in the Co-op News, page 8 of May & June 2015

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Check out the latest news on their website

Their products are found at both eastside and westside Co-ops, and… at all these other locations… wow! congratulations!