Marketing Manager of the French Broad Food Co-op
Since 1975, the French Broad Food Co-op has been with the Asheville area. From its early beginnings as a buying club between families down by the French Broad River, to its current location on Broadway in downtown Asheville, the co-op is supplied as much as possible by local products and held together by the community. Kelly Fain, the marketing manager, sat down with Rapid River Magazine to tell us more about this unique store.
Rapid River Magazine: What exactly is the French Broad Food Co-op all about?
Kelly Fain: The French Broad Food Co-op is a cooperative, which means we are owned by the community, by people who work here, and shop here. You don’t have to be an owner to shop here, but we welcome people to join and become owners to help support us. Other than that, we’re like any other natural foods grocery store only very, very localized. We’re a member of a larger cooperative that is called the National Cooperative Grocers Association. This allows us to have a greater buying power, so that allows us to keep pricing really competitive.
One thing that we focus on is our Triple Bottom Line. We have a fiscal responsibility to keep the co-op going, we strive to stay in business, and being profitable so we can share the profit back with our owners and then we balance this with an extreme concern for the community and environment.
RRM: What sort of programs allows FBFC to maintain these responsibilities?
KF: All of our utensils at the 100% Organic Salad Bar are compostable. We have a cooking-oil recycling program and the Asheville Recyclery is located in the basement under the store. It helps people get their bikes working for better transportation. We are also big proponents of the non-GMO movement. You’ll notice labels on certified non-GMO products.
Finally, one of our newer things is a company called Field Day. It’s only available to co-ops, it’s 65% sourced from the United States, 97% certified GMO-free, and very, very affordable. They make just about everything. It appeals to people on fixed incomes or don’t have a lot to spend but want to eat well. Field Day allows consumers to save money and not shell out $3 for a small can of something.
RRM: So, your supplies? How much is local, how would a shopper know what’s what?
KF: We definitely do as much local as we possibly can. If you walk into our produce room, you can see that everything is marked local that is local. We have a big board that tells what just came in, what farm it’s from. We have a lot of local products throughout the store. For things we can’t source locally, we get from the National Cooperative.
RRM:What is FBFC doing different from other co-ops or natural food stores?
KF: There’s a couple ways we’re different, one ultimately being the localization. Another, is we’re the only cooperatively owned grocery downtown. We have the largest bulk herbs collection in the whole southeast. So if you’re cooking and you need one vanilla bean, you can come here and get one vanilla bean. Or you need one teaspoon of activated charcoal to give to your dog, we have that.
The farmer’s market is in it’s 25th or 26th year now. It’s one of the longest running farmer’s markets in Asheville. This year the market features Pisgah View Peace Gardens and the Bountiful Cities Project.
RRM: What does it take to become an owner and what are some of the benefits?
KF: Most people pay $25 per year, and after you’ve paid $250 you’re considered a lifetime owner and you never have to pay more. Being a lifetime owner allows you to vote in elections for our board members, and you get deals on 200 to 300 items that will mark prices down by 20% to 30%. When you are an owner on any level, you get discounts and a patronage rebate.
The patronage rebate is a program that cuts owners a check for being a shopper here based on the profits from the products sold the previous year. When you’re an owner, you’re allowed to volunteer in the store and you get a discount for every hour you work. If you order a case of something, there’s a discount. We have discount days. Five percent off on the fifth of every month, and every quarter we have a customer appreciation day with 10% off.
RRM: Describe your role at FBFC and how you started down the co-op path.
KF: Currently, I am the Marketing Manager. I do our advertizing, our newsletter, website, facebook page, and twitter. But in this co-op, lots of different people wear lots of different hats, so, I could very easily be working the register one day. I also go to events and talk about what’s going on at FBFC.
Part of my job is to go out and educate the community about what exactly a cooperative is and why it’s important to buy local. On Wednesdays, I help manage the farmer’s market in our parking lot. I started out working as an editor for a local newspaper, but I’ve always been a huge supporter of organic foods. I was a small-scale farmer/grower, myself and just really got passionate about the co-op idea.
RRM: What would you say is your favorite thing about this job?
KF: Gosh, you know, I’ve worked for co-ops for the past ten years and what I love is the business model. I really believe in it. It’s a way to have an active economic participation in my community, but in a way that’s not exploitive of anybody at all.
Everything is fair trade or direct trade. It allows me to have a job in food – which I love – and I can really feel good about it. Because we are owned by the community, so much of the money we make goes right back into the community. It goes to our employees, the patronage rebate, the owners, and allows us to keep this area economically viable and keep our farmland, farmland. All that is really important.
The French Broad Food Co-op is a lively place full of people who want to help the average, everyday person live healthy and happy. The members are passionate about what they do and come to know each other on a first-name basis.
Reach Kelly Fain at her email marketing@frenchbroadfood.coop or call the store at (828) 255-7650. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.