All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for the week of April 13th-17th.

• Gold Nugget Mandarin –$2.89/lb
• Murcott Mandarin  –$2.89/lb
• Tango Mandarin –$2.89/lb
• Rhubarb –$4.79/lb
• Hass Avocado –$3.59/lb
• Broccoli –$2.49/lb
• Radish bunches –$2.69/ea
• Vine Tomatoes –$3.89/lb

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

Both stores will be closed on May 1st in honor of International Worker Day.

Check out the new online DEI Resource Library under the “Community” tab under DEI.

Or click here to directly go to our Resource Library website: https://ofcresourcelibrary.my.canva.site

Our hope is that this library becomes a valuable tool for not only all Co-op staff but for our wider community as well.

Event: “Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Life: Community Conversations with a Therapist”

Presenter: Scarlett Ekeroma, MA, LMFT, CMHP

Time: 11:00am – 12:30pm

Dates: Apr. 11, April.25, May 9, & May 23

Location: ASHHO Cultural Community Center, 5757 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater (across from Tumwater Costco)

Cost: Free, including lunch courtesy of ASHHO

All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are our produce specials for the week of March 30th- April 5th.

• Kiwi –$5.59/lb
• Tommy Atkins –$ 2.29/lb
• Pineapple –$2.19/lb
• Brussel sprouts –$3.19/lb
• Cauliflower –$1.89/lb
• Delicata Squash –$2.39/lb
  Zucchini Squash –$2.19/lb

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for the week of March 16th through 22nd.

• Opal Apple –$2.19/ea
• Strawberries –$4.98/lb
• Murcott, Satsuma & Tango Mandarins –$3.29/lb
• Navel Orange –$2.39/lb
• Cara Cara Orange –$2.39/lb
• Bartlett Pear –$2.59/lb
• Asparagus –$5.98/lb
• Broccoli –$2.59/lb
• Cauliflower –$2.49/lb
• English Cucumber –$2.59/ea
• Sugar Snap Pea –$4.98/lb
• Vine Tomatoe –$3.79/lb
  

  ---

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for the week of March 9th-15th.

• Strawberry 1#– $4.98/ea
• Cara Cara Orange– $2.39/lb
• Broccoli– $2.79/lb
• Brussels Sprouts– $3.49/lb
• Green Cabbage– $1.69/lb
• English Cucumber– $3.49/ea
• Lacinato & Green Kale– $2.49/ea
• Shiitake Mushrooms– $10.49/ea
• Red Onions– $1.59/lb
• Mini Mixed Peppers– $3.59/ea
• Red Potatoes– $1.39/lb

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for March 2nd-8th.

• Evercrisp Apple … 1.89/lb
• Strawberries … 5.59/ea
• Blood Orange … 3.19/lb
• Navel Orange … 2.29/lb
• Cara Cara Orange … 2.29/lb
• Navel Heirloom … 2.29/lb
• Asparagus … 6.29/lb
• Brussels Sprouts … 3.89/lb
• Red Onions … 1.49/lb
• Mini Sweet Peppers … 3.59/ea
• Spinach Bunch … 3.49/ea

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

In Conversation with Zach Be of Honeybird Apiary   By Monica Peabody, Staff member

I spoke with the appropriately named Zach Be of Honeybird Apiary over a cup of tea at his farm and apiary in Little Rock.

Zach: Yes. I’m exploring some new farms this year. At Helsing  Junction there is a lot of irrigated pasture around, so late in the season the bees there made a lot of clover honey, which I wasn’t  expecting at all. There are different perks from different places. Some are earlier, some are later.

Monica: We are very excited that you are a new vendor at the Co-op, providing delicious local honey. Tell me all about Honeybird Apiary.

Zach: I have about 100 hives now. I have 25 here and the rest at different local farms.

Monica: What’s the reason for having them in different places?

Zach: If you have too many in one place, they’re not as productive; the bees use up all the nectar and pollen resources. If you spread them out, you get more honey.

Monica: That makes sense, and you probably get different flavors as well.

Monica: How can you tell when it’s ready?

Zach: The bees cap it. They bring it in as nectar and evaporate the  water off it. When it’s honey, the sugar content is so high it won’t allow any microbial growth, so it can’t spoil. When it’s at that stage the bees put a thin wax capping over it to preserve it. When they start capping it you know it’s ripe and cured.

Monica: We have a couple of hives, and our bees have not yet survived a winter. Do you have good luck with survival?

Zach: Yes, I have good luck, a 90 – 100% survival rate over the last few years. I put a lot of work into it. I treat them for mites and make sure they have good queens and good food. They make more honey in subsequent years too; the first year they are just getting established. My goal is to get up to 150 hives next year.

Monica: I think yours is the most local honey we have at the Co-op.

Zach: I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that it’s the least commercial too. A lot of honeys are from big commercial beekeeping operations who mostly focus on pollination contracts as their income source and honey is a byproduct.

Monica: Pollination contracts?

Zach: Farmers pay beekeepers with a large number of hives to bring the hives to crops that need pollination. Almonds are a classic example, clover, meadow foam, alfalfa are others. There are huge conventional farms in Eastern Washington, Oregon and other parts of the country. My bees are on small organic farms around this area. I don’t use any antibiotics in my hives. A lot of commercial beekeepers treat prophylactically with antibiotics and they use really intense systemic miticides and strong synthetic chemicals. I don’t use any of those. I use organic acids; oxalic acid is the main one. It’s food grade and doesn’t absorb into the wax or honey and it’s easy on the bees. It takes a lot more work, because you have to treat multiple times at the right times. The chemical ones are a plastic strip coated in the chemical that you just put in the hive once and you’re done. I have to vaporize mine into the hive, so it’s more work.

Monica: Which farms do you have your hives on?

Zach: This past summer I had them at Piece by Piece, Wobbly Cart and Helsing Junction and they all want them back next year. I had some at Calliope Farm the summer before last and I’m going to bring them back next summer. Kingfisher Farm is just up the street from me so my bees definitely go there. I’m hoping to bring some new products to the Co-op next year. I’d love to offer fresh frozen or dehydrated pollen, honeycomb and propolis extract too. I’m hoping next year to have some more varieties. I want to take some bees out toward the coast in search of fireweed and knotweed honey. Knotweed honey is really good, it’s black like molasses and super tasty. Fireweed is on the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s lighter in flavor.

Monica: Tell me why people should eat local honey?

Zach: Supporting local businesses keeps money in our local economy.

Monica: Very important right now!

Zach: A lot of people talk about how local honey is good for allergies because there are bits of pollen and propolis and different parts of all the plants in the area in the honey, so you are giving yourself a homeopathic dose of those when you’re eating local honey. Our honey isn’t filtered; we just put it through a pretty coarse stainless steel screen. We don’t fine-filter out all the little bits, so there’s a lot of good medicine in there. Everything is from plants; the honey, the pollen, the propolis is all plant based so you’re getting exposure to all the local plants when you eat honey. Scale is important. We’re really focused on making good quality honey; that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. Commercial beekeepers are not focused on that, it’s a really low priority for them. They are much less thoughtful about the chemicals that they use and the way they treat the bees. Often, they feed sugar syrup or corn syrup to the bees and then harvest honey not long afterwards. There are a lot of questionable practices that are not regulated at all with honey.

Monica: I guess you couldn’t certify honey as organic because you don’t know where the bees are going.

Zach: When you go to the Co-op, you see USDA certified organic honey. That’s a dead giveaway that honey is from another country because domestically we don’t have any organically certifying program for honey anywhere in the country. But the USDA does have reciprocity with other certifying agencies in other countries, so if you see USDA certified organic honey it means it’s from another country. As domestic honey producers that’s not a thing we can get
because there’s not a program for it.

Monica: That’s an important thing to tell our shoppers, because people are often looking for organic and may not know this.

Zach: Yes, and while this honey meets all the organic standards, the USDA can’t regulate all the land around where the bees go. And they can’t do that in other countries either, but because they have reciprocity with the certifying agencies from those countries, if that agency says it’s organic then the USDA agrees and stamps it organic. Brazil is a big producer of honey.

Monica: Another good reason to buy local honey is because it doesn’t have to travel great distances so it’s more ecological.

Zach: Totally, we shop at the Co-op all the time, so we just drop it off when we’re shopping.There’s not even a delivery; it carpools with us.

Monica: That’s why I love our local vendors. Our local farmers often do their shopping after bringing in their deliveries. I love to buy food from people I know!

All our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for the week of February 9th-15th.

• Evercrisp Apple –$1.89/lb
• Kumquats –$/lb
• Ataulfo Mango –$3.98/lb
• Minneola Tangelo –$2.19/lb
• Blood Orange –$2.89/lb
• Danjou Pear –$1.69/lb
• Pineapple –$1.98/lb
• Asparagus –$6.98/lb
• Brussel Sprouts –$5.79/lb
• Carrot Bunch –$3.49/ea
• Cauliflower –$1.89/lb
• Lacinato, Green & Purple Kale –$2.49/ea
• Shiitake Mushrooms –$10.29/lb
• Vine Tomatoes –$3.69/lb
• Heirloom Tomatoes –$3.89/lb

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

All of our produce is grown using organic methods! Here are the produce specials for the week of February 1st-7th.

• Blackberry– $3.98/ea
• Lime– $2.98/lb
• Tango Mandarin– $3.69/lb
• Shasta Gold Tangerines– $3.69/lb
• Navel Orange — $2.59/lb
• Cara Cara Navel Orange– $2.59/lb
• Avocado Hass– $3.19/lb
• Carrot Bunch — $2.98/ea
• Celery– $1.79/lb
• English Cucumber– $2.59/ea
• Romaine Leaf– $2.59/ea
• Jalapeno Peppers– $4.29/lb
• Roma Tomatoes– $2.19/lb

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

To our wonderful Community,

The Olympia Food Co-op is aware of the nationwide call for a general strike and economic boycott taking place tomorrow.

Organizers nationwide are encouraging everyone to pause work and shopping as a way to draw attention to concerns about immigration enforcement practices and their impacts on workers, families, and communities.

Our staff are supported in making their own choices about how they observe the day, and we are working to ensure that everyone is treated with care, dignity, and respect regardless of how they participate.

The Co-op will remain open and operating at a minimal level and we encourage you NOT to shop tomorrow if at all possible.

We understand food is essential, and the Olympia Food Co-op offers a non-corporate option.

If you need essential items, we ask that you consider using cash when possible and avoiding large corporate or big-box retailers, in keeping with the strike’s goals of limiting corporate profit and economic concentration.

We encourage individuals and businesses to endorse the shutdown by signing up at https://nationalshutdown.org/home#endorse.

Beyond tomorrow, our cooperative is committed to continuing conversations and exploring meaningful, long-term ways we can support workers, immigrants, and community members impacted by these issues.

We appreciate our community’s thoughtfulness and solidarity as we navigate both the immediate moment and the work ahead.

In solidarity,

Olympia Food Co-op

We proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

All of our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the specials for the week of January 19-25.

• Evercrisp Apples– $1.89/lb
• Blueberries 6oz– $3.89/ea
• Kent Mango– $2.69/lb
• Minneola Tangelos– $2.29/lb
• Asian Pears– $3.79/lb
• Pineapple– $1.98/lb
• Carrot Bunch– $2.79/ea
• Collards– $2.59/ea
• Snap Peas– $7.39/lb
• Red Bell Pepper– $2.98/lb

We currently proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

by Sarika Igloi, Staff member,

In collaboration with Co-op members/grocers

Recently, I was able to attend the Provender Conference, a regional
gathering for northwest co-ops and vendors in the natural foods
industry. Through one of its educational opportunities, and spending
time at the Columbia River, I learned more about the Goldendale Energy
Storage Project, a proposed renewable energy megaproject, and it
generated so many questions. Is the use of artificial intelligence so
important to us that we would allow power companies to develop this
power project along the Columbia, illegally taking Yakama Nation Land?
The original name for this land is not Goldendale – these lower elevation
mountains and the sacred site proposed for development have been
called Pushpum, or “Mother of All Roots” since time immemorial. It is
an area of immeasurable beauty and importance to the Yakama Nation
Tribes, who, along with several environmental groups, have opposed
the project for many years. The specific site has been a Tribal food and
medicine gathering area, providing abundant resources for animals,
insects, birds & plants alike, as well as holding sacred importance for
ceremonies and fishing, and is the location of a historic village.

The development company (Rye Development) secured a key state
permit to move forward with plans on the 680 acres near Maryhill, WA
this year in February, despite the land being clearly part of 12 million
acres ceded by the federal government in the 1855 treaty. In addition,
the ongoing findings are that the development would destroy a site of
importance to both the Indigenous People who live there and the plants
and animals who rely on the land and water.

What can we do to align with Washington & Oregon Tribal members
who are our last line of defense to safeguard a declining original food
web? Here, in our state of Washington, Indigenous tribes continue to
harvest wild carrot, huckleberry, *wedaxac ( stsaql huckleberry picking
tah-HAShk), camas bulb kwetlal (kweh-THAL), and pine needles from
*c’apac, as a vegetable to be stored. I was deeply saddened to learn of
the mistreatment of Yakama Nation elders while harvesting wild carrot,
*sagaqac” in Twulshootseed, who are not unaccustomed to being
harassed by local law enforcement as they go to harvest. Tribal right to
harvest must be defended.

In 2025 the documentary film, “These Sacred Hills” from Jacob Bailey
& Chris Ward won best feature documentary in the World Culture Film
Festival in Los Angeles, California. This summer it was shown at the
Capitol Theater, along with a panel of speakers. The panel included the
filmmakers along with Elaine Harvey, activist and organizer and Jeremy
Takala of Rock Creek Band, Board Chair of the Yakama Nation. Perhaps
more viewings in a wider area of this documentary could help spread
the word of this issue further.

The major driver of Washington’s need for more energy in the future
(currently our state produces a surplus over basic need) is the expected
need from power-hungry data centers supporting AI technology. This
leads me to wonder, how do we use AI at the Co-op & what are those
impacts? How does this relate to wild foods? Do we really want to
compromise hundreds of acres of land supporting plants and animals for
a power plant? Do we again hold power generation above the lives and
treaty rights of Indigenous People? Could we be harnessing power for
electricity in completely different ways in the next quarter of a century?
I wonder, what can I do to improve our relationships with each other
and with our earth? I am left with more questions than answers.

Hopefully more of us now are asking, how can I support Project Pushpum?
How can we participate in reparations for our local Tribes? By supporting
the safeguarding of their land & food supply. By telling our legislators
to honor treaty rights. By educating ourselves about the truth of
Thanksgiving’s history and what it means for many tribes. We can support
Native-owned companies, products and artwork, throughout the year.
Columbiariverkeeper.org is a great resource as well as the Columbia River
Intertribal Fish Commission, or critfc.org where donations are accepted.
Collaboratively written by members/grocers at the Co-op, language
referenced tribal dictionary: puyalluptriballanguage.org

All our produce is grown using organic methods. Here are the produce specials for the week of January 12-18

• Evercrisp Apples– $1.98/lb
• Blackberries 6oz– $3.69/ea
• Grapefruit– $2.69/lb
• Kent Mango– $2.49/lb
• Avocado– $3.49/lb
• Avocado Bags– $ 4.69/ea
• Broccoli– $3.69/lb
• Broccolini– $2.98/ea
• Rainbow Chard– $2.49/ea
• Romaine Lettuce– $2.49/ea
• Romanesco– $2.89/lb
• Heirloom Tomatoes– $3.59/lb

We currently proudly carry locally grown produce from:

• Boistfort Valley Farm (Curtis, WA)
• Brownfield Orchards (Chelan, WA)
• Burnt Ridge Orchards (Onalaska, WA)
• Helsing Junction Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Here To There Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Kingfisher Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Little Big Farm (Olympia, WA)
• Newaukum Valley Farm (Chehalis, WA)
• Okanogan Producers Marketing Assoc. (Okanogan, WA)
• Piece By Piece Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Rising River Farm (Rochester, WA)
• Wobbly Cart Farm (Rochester, WA)

We appreciate your support!

Our Eastside store will be closing early at 8pm on Tuesday January 6th  for inventory. The Westside store will be open regular hours.

The Eastside Store is busting at the seams. Our operations are severely limited by our tight retail space, warehouse, and parking lot. The store is hard to shop and it’s challenging to keep the shelves adequately stocked. We’re considering expanding the Eastside store in order to make improvements such as more retail sales space, wider aisles, a service deli and hot bar, expanded dining area, and more bathrooms and parking, all in an ecologically sustainable facility.

We’ve been in our current location for over 30 years with very little remodeling or reconditioning. We’ve been putting off addressing the above needs for way too long and have reached a critical juncture for our operation.

The Board of Directors is seeking input from our membership on the direction that expansion of our Eastside store might take. We want to know what you think…

Take the survey!