Category: Community
Women Powered! Harmony Valley Farm
Andrea Yoder Co-Owner of Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin As she sees it, Andrea Yoder’s background as a dietician and chef is a natural complement to her life as a farmer. “I’m still a chef,” says Yoder. “My job now is to nourish people by growing organic food, but I also try to help … Continued
Lakewinds Loves Our Staff
What’s the secret to Lakewinds’ success as a co-op retail grocery store and active member of our community? It’s our fantastic staff, both on the sales floor and behind the scenes! We decided to sit down with Grocery Category Manager for Refrigerated, Bulk Foods, Bread & Coffee, Paris, to learn about her time at Lakewinds, … Continued
Round Up Recap: Small Donations Create Big Change
Our community giving Round Up program is one of the ways Lakewinds cares for the communities we serve and call home. By rounding up their grocery bills at the register each month, Lakewinds shoppers contribute thousands of dollars to local nonprofit organizations doing important work in the Twin Cities metro area and surrounding communities. In … Continued
Raised in Healthy Harmony
FARMER SPOTLIGHT: Peterson Craftsman Meats Meadow grasses and flowers bend in the breeze. Birds alight on a picture-perfect pond. In the distance, Limousin cattle happily graze on pasture. This prairie vista looks like a postcard, but it’s part of Peterson Craftsman Meats farm. “We start on one side, go across, and circle back,” says farmer … Continued
Lakewinds Volunteers – Tree Trust & Wilderness Inquiry
As a co-op, we’re dedicated to caring for our communities (one of the 7 co-op principles). We show our care for the communities our stores serve through programs like Round Up, which lets our shoppers choose to round up their grocery bill to the nearest dollar to donate to a local non-profit organization. Occasionally, we … Continued
2019 Annual Meeting
Thank you to all of our owners who celebrated Lakewinds with a day at the farm! Yesterday (Sunday, Sept. 22) was the Lakewinds Annual Meeting at Gale Woods Farm. In addition to the business meeting, activities included a cooking demo from local cookbook author Beth Dooley, Maker to Market food accelerator samples, LOFF recipient … Continued
Farm to Food Bank
In 2018, Lakewinds and The Food Group, a local food bank, created a partnership we call “Farm to Food Bank.” This partnership is designed to fight local childhood hunger by providing kid-friendly organic produce to local food shelves that struggle to keep enough fresh produce on their shelves, and who serve a large population of … Continued
LOFF Update: Alternative Roots Farm
We spent the summer checking in with some of our 2018 Lakewinds Organic Field Fund grant recipients – touring their farms, learning about what they do and how they operate, seeing the projects LOFF helped fund, and hearing about how it will impact their livelihood. Alternative Roots Farm Madelia, Minnesota Drive through Mankato and keep heading … Continued
WoMN Power
Here in Minnesota, female food makers are a powerful force in our booming local food economy. They are combining personal passion, global flavors, and local organic ingredients. Meet some of the women entrepreneurs whose innovative products are lighting up the shelves at Lakewinds. Nonna’s Best Antipasto Like many of our featured entrepreneurs, Dina Swanson keeps … Continued