Memories of the Chequamegon Food Co-op…in Chronology
March 9, 1976 Chequamegon
Food Co-op incorporated
August 1976 Storefront
opens on
Fall 1976 Co-op
moves to larger east side store
July 1977 Pat
Welch hired as first manager
April 1978 Co-op
moves to
April 1978 Co-op
gets first telephone
May 1978 Co-op
offers pre-packaged fruits and nuts
September 1978 Members
adopt first food policy – to buy organic foods.
September 1978 Store
is now open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
September 1978 Suzanna
Brand wins Co-op logo contest
June 1979 Move
made to Kuzzy’s Market
December 1979 Co-op
has up to 4 part-time employees
November 1980 Co-op
members boycotted Campbell’s/Libby’s
Winter 1980 First
cookbook published
August 1981 Our
5th birthday party!
September 1981 Began
buying bread as well as baking in-store
January 1982 Stopped
in-store baking and purchased from Millstone Bakery
February 1982 Eric
Sorenson hired part-time
September 1982 Mary
Bondeson hired as co-manager
April 1983 Began
offering vitamins and more Haagen-Daz flavors
November 1983 Moved
made to
January 1984 Peggy
Hakala hired as co-manager
May 1984 Store
open Monday-Saturday
June 1984 Board
holds first planning retreat to review mission & goals
July 1984 Bananas
no longer stocked because of political concerns
January 1985 Co-op
has $10,000 loss, 375 active members
January 1985 Bill
Welch hired as manager
April 1985 Store
survey held: shoppers want natural, organic, bulk and variety
October 1985 Board
discusses closing store due to low cash flow
October 1985 Members
vote to keep Co-op open & organize concerts, bake sales
February 1986 Store
almost closes again, but members commit to keeping it open
November 1986 Co-op
has 10th birthday party, 90 people attend, The Daily Press
covers the story
January 1987 Store
purchases building at
1988 Co-op
holds the 2nd annual Largest Pumpkin Contest
January 1990 Linda
Rise hired as manager
1990 Store
sign moved from window to over storefront
1990 Mary
Kuhlman hired, Co-op has 450 members
1991 Co-op
newsletter restarted after months without one
1992 Store
buys produce cooler, starts carrying more produce
1993 Grace
Heitsch makes green and white awning for the store
1993 Store
receives
1993 Store
distributor changes from North Farm to Blooming Prairie
April 1993 David
Genszler, Co-op Board member, appears in the Daily Press
grilling kabobs
for the Co-op annual meeting
May 1993 Linda
Rise, store manager, appears in the Daily Press ‘Round the
Bay publication
and promotes bulk products
May 1994 Store
floor renovated from brown linoleum to teal & beige tile;
we also have new
shelving
June 1994 Photo
of Julie North painting the façade trim of the Co-op appears
in the Milwaukee
Sentinel (taken by Jeff Peters)
August 1996 Store’s
20th birthday celebration held at the Black Cat Coffeehouse
August 1996 Co-op run/walk held
September 1997 Co-op
has a record day of $2,149 in sales
1998 Co-op
sales increase by 9 percent for the year
July 1998
February 1999 Fire
destroys One on One Hair Designing at
July 1999 Co-op
officially closes on purchasing
1999 The
Co-op has more than $500,000 in sales for the year, with sales
increases of 20
percent
February 2000 Dhooge’s
Store mural featured in Daily Press in process of being
painted in a
studio by Kelly Meredith and Sue Martinsen
Summer 2000 Dhooge’s
Store mural installed on the outside of 215/213 Chapple
December 2000 Article
in Northern Commerce runs about Co-op’s 25th anniversary
Winter 2001 Remodeling
of 215/213 Chapple Avenue takes place
Spring 2001 Co-op
expansion finished
2001 & 2002 Co-op
participates in 4th of July parade with veggie puppets
Fall 2002 North
Farm Cooperative files bankruptcy; Blooming Prairie
Cooperative Warehouse entertains
purchase offer from United Natural Foods, Inc.
Summer 2004 Co-op
sponsors “Supersize Me” for the Bay Area Film Society at
the Northern
Winter 2004 New
floors installed at the food Co-op
Spring 2006 30
years of Co-op bliss!
Fall 2006 Chequamegon
Food Co-op 30th Anniversary Cookbook released
Winter 2007 Mary
Kuhlman leaves the Co-op after nearly 18 years
Spring 2008
Summer 2008 Co-op
participates in
Fall 2008 “Muncher”
newsletter renamed “The Grapevine”
Winter 2008 Co-op
purchases the Betzold Farm, names it “Chequamegon Foods
Farm”
Summer 2009 The
Chequamegon Food Co-op joins the National Co-op Grocer’s
Association
Spring 2010 Co-op
Board of Directors pursues policy governance
Fall 2010 Co-op
holds open house and special member meeting in October
Winter 2010 Newsletter
printed!