Good Foods Co-op is Even Better

Senior Lindsey Elms was really excited.

"Our gravity feed bins are the newest, and we just got a new scale!"

No, Elms is not working at the nearest slaughter house. Rather, she has chosen a more environmentally friendly and wholesome place to work - The Good Food Co-op.

Formed in 1978, GFC has provided students and community members with organic and whole foods, primarily non-perishables, at reduced prices. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a part of OSCA, but members of OSCA are automatically members of the Good Food Co-op and other people can volunteer labor for discounts.

Elms explained. "It's related to OSCA in that they let us rent from them, but all OSCA members get 20 percent off. Did you know that? But I want to emphasize that we encourage everyone to stop by. There's a lot of stuff here that's untapped."

Elms and senior Ben Fried are student managers of the GFC. One of their primary goals this semester is to get the word out about the co-op.

"It's definitely not frequented by students," Elms said. "Not a lot of students know about it, which is something we want to fix."

The two plan to put up flyers and distribute coupons around campus to coax more students down to the basement of Harkness. "We're trying to come up with marketing strategies," Fried said.

Elms began working for the GFC two years ago when she needed a job. It is supported by the college, and the manager position she holds is paid through work-study. Having seen the co-op operate through a number of years, Elms has a unique perspective in observing the flow of business. She said that since the opening of Kotok's Market last year, she has not noticed any change except that the co-op is doing fewer special orders.

"We refer people to Kotok's and used to refer people to the Co-op bookstore when it was open," Elms said.

Having eliminated special orders from their services, the co-op is trying to better sell the products it does keep in stock.

The co-op sells bulk grains, pasta, spices, teas, snacks, cooking supplies and soap. "I would like to see more students go there for their basic needs," Elms said. Indeed, the co-op ients. "Community members definitely contribute more money than students," Elms said.

Fried expressed some confusion about why students don't take advantage of the co-op. "If there is a student who does any cooking on their own, they can get really good prices on spices," Fried said. "A lot of people think the food is too healthy, but we have snack food too."

Part of the confusion lies in the hours the co-op is open. Since it is run by only a handful of students, it is open only two hours at a time for a total of 12-and-a-half hours a week.

The new Lewis Center for Environmental studies might encourage foot traffic past the co-op and generate interest, Elms said, and consequently, more business.