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  1. Surveys
  2. 2016
  3. February
  4. F
  5. Food Co-op Interest Survey
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Exit Survey
 
 
What if you could put your grocery dollars toward a local, member-owned food co-op?

Building on Powell River’s strong community spirit, some core elements of a solid foundation for a successful and sustainable co-op are already in place.

A food co-op in Powell River could benefit our community by:

▪ Putting our ethical, ecological & economic fairness values first - with fair prices, living wages, and environmental sustainability at its core
▪ Bringing motivated local people & small independent enterprises together - especially farmers and other food entrepreneurs - to use our resources more effectively
▪ Focusing on building relationships and developing smart solutions to benefit & serve our entire region
▪ Being a vibrant - even joyous - place to shop & work

By transforming Ecossentials into a food co-op, the Ecossentials team, Skookum Food Provisioners' Cooperative Board, and other community members are working to make shopping for the essentials in all of our lives an act that seamlessly brings our practical needs together with our deeply held values.

We hope you'll help us on this journey by filling out this survey.

Those who are members of the Ecossentials team or the Skookum Provisioners Co-op or the Farmers Institute - you will find the survey in your email.

The survey is also being distributed via Facebook. And you can pick up a hard copy at Ecossentials, the Winter Farmers Market and around town at other venues.

To learn more and get a sense of our vision please take a look at this video from The Food Co-op Initiative:
A Food Co-op in Your Community

For more information about food co-ops - including some whose approach we are hoping to emulate- please click on the links below:

The Kootenay Co-op based in Nelson, BC.

The Community Food Co-op based in Bellingham, WA.

The survey will be open until March 7, 2016 and should take only 10-15 minutes.

We’re excited about the possibility of making a food co-op happen in our community. And we can only make it happen as a community. By filling out the survey you will provide us with invaluable information as we take our next steps on this path.

A sincere thank you from all of us.
 
SHOPPING PATTERNS
1. How much does your household spend in an average week on groceries?
 
 
 
2. Where (your primary store) do you spend most of your grocery dollars?
 
 
 
3. How much of your grocery dollars does your household spend at your primary store in an average week?
 
 
 
4. On average, how often do you shop at your primary store?
 
 
5. Where do you regularly purchase the following types of products?
Grow or process
our own 		Buy mostly
in primary store 		Buy mostly
elsewhere 		N/A
Grocery items (cereal, juice, canned goods, etc)
Dairy (milk, eggs, yogurt, soy, etc)
Fresh fruits & veggies
Frozen foods
Meat, poultry, fish & seafood
Deli/ready to eat foods
Coffee/tea
Bread & bakery
Bulk products
 
 
6. From the list below, on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being most important, please choose ONLY THE TOP 5 FACTORS you consider when choosing where to shop for groceries:
Product selection/variety
Cleanliness of store
Quality/freshness of products
Knowledgeable staff
Prices
Friendly/courteous staff
Location of store/convenience
Availability of brands I/my family likes
Availability of natural/organic foods
Availability of locally grown foods
Cooperative ownership (if it were available)
 
 
SATISFACTION



7. Please rate your primary store in terms of how well it is meeting your needs with respect to the following store characteristics:
Very Well Well Somewhat Well Somewhat Poorly Poorly Very Poorly No Opinion
Product selection/variety
Quality/freshness of products
Prices
Location of store/convenience
Hours of operation
Atmosphere/ambiance of store
Cleanliness of store
Knowledgeable staff
Friendly/courteous staff
Availability of brands I/my family likes
Availability of natural/organic foods
Availability of locally grown foods
How well does the store meet your needs overall?
 
 
 
8. Do you have any comments regarding how your primary grocery store is meeting your needs with regard to the preceding store characteristics?
   
 
 
9. Please rate your primary grocery store in terms of how well it is meeting your needs in the following product categories:
Very Well Well Somewhat Well Somewhat Poorly Poorly Very Poorly No Opinion/ Don’t Buy
Grocery items (cereal, juice, canned goods, etc.)
Dairy (milk, eggs, yogurt, soy, etc)
Fresh fruits & veggies
Frozen foods
Meat, poultry, fish & seafood
Deli/ready to eat foods
Coffee/tea
Bread & bakery
Bulk products
 
 
 
10. Do you have any comments regarding how your primary grocery store is meeting your needs with respect to the preceding product categories or products offered/not offered?
   
 
 
11. How important would these features be for you to shop at your food Co-op?
Very Important Important Somewhat Important Not Important No Opinion
Member-ownership of the business
Member-owner promotions
Patronage refund for member-owners (money or credit based on annual purchases)
Financial return as a member-investor of the co-op (also see Q 26)
Member-owner appreciation days
Ability to run & vote for board of directors
 
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS



12. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Disagree
I am proactive about my health.
Nutritional value is more important to me than price when buying food.
Organic foods are very important to me and my family.
I exercise on a regular basis.
I buy local foods when available.
I shop in places where I feel a sense of community.
As much as possible, I shop at locally owned retailers.
I am willing to pay a little more for products that are produced more sustainably/with less environmental impact.
I engage in activities that address political/social issues.
 
 
 
13. What is your gender?
 
 
 
14. What is your age range?
 
 
 
15. What is your highest level of education?
 
 
 
16. What is your approximate gross annual household income? (If a spouse, partner, or other household member with whom you share income is filling out their own Food Co-op Interest Survey and has already answered this question on behalf of the household, please indicate your answer as "$0." If you don't share income, just indicate your own individual gross annual income.)
 
 
17. Including you, how many of the following live in your household?
1 2 3+ None
Adults (18+)
Children
 
 
 
18. What is your postal code?
   
 
 
 
19. Are you member of a food co-op?
 
 
 
20. If yes to question above, which one? Name of Co-op, City, Province or State.
   
 
 
 
21. Please indicate if you’re a member of the following organizations:
 
Skookum Food Provisioners Co-op
 
Ecossentials staff
 
Powell River Farmers’ Institute
 
Powell River & District Agricultural Association
 
One or more Powell River area farmers markets
 
All of the above
 
Other local or regional food-based organization (please specify):
 
None of the above

 
 
 
22. Please rank your top three (1-3) preferred SOURCES of information regarding our future Food Co-op news & information.
Local postings (signs, bulletin board, flyers, pamphlets, etc.)
Co-op Facebook page or website
Informal conversations (with co-op Board or staff)
Formal meetings (annual mtg., Board mtgs/listening sessions)
Emails
Mailings (co-op newsletter, annual reports, special mailings)
 
 
23. How important to you would the following TYPES of information be regarding our Food Co-op?
Very Important Important Somewhat Important Not Important No Opinion
Board of directors news
Community events (e.g. festivals, celebrations)
Co-op progress reports
Financial information/reports
Health, nutrition, & ingredients information
Food production practices (e.g. genetically modified organisms; organics/organic standards)
Locally produced products
Food preparation & recipes
Food safety
Fair trade
Producer profiles
Livestock treatment
The environment
 
 
24. How satisfied are you with your primary store’s current delivery of this information to you?
Very Satisfied Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Dis-satisfied Very Dissatisfied No Opinion
Health, nutrition, & ingredients info
Food production practices (e.g. GMO; organics/ organic standards)
Locally produced products
Food prep & recipes
Food safety
Fair trade
Producer profiles
Livestock treatment
The environment
 
 
FINANCE & GOVERNANCE ISSUES



In order to convert Ecossentials Local Market into a co-op, a new cooperative would be formed that would undergo a significant capital raising and membership campaign. This campaign would have no limit on member shares, but would have a limit of 150 possible investor-members based on BC Securities Commission regulations regarding co-op capital raising. Following the model of the Knives & Forks Community Investment Co-op on Bowen Island, each investor would be invited to invest in no more than two (2) RRSP-eligible investor shares at $2400 each. The campaign target would be to sell up to 200 co-op investor shares, with proceeds of the capital raising campaign used to:



1) Convert Ecossentials Local Market Inc. to cooperative ownership and management.


2) Provide for a strong, debt-free balance sheet, setting the enterprise up for success.



This capital raising goal is likely to be supported by institutional support - organizations such as the Knives and Forks Food Investment Co-op (knivesandforks.ca) and Rhiza Capital (rhizacapital.com) which have expressed interest in supporting the development of co-ops (and this idea in particular) on the Coast. First Credit Union, Vancity Credit Union, The BC Cooperative Association, and others will also likely provide assistance.



25. With this information in mind, how important to you are the following features of the co-op investor share option?
Very Important Important Somewhat Important Not Important No Opinion
The ability to invest in my community
Fixed maturity date for investor-shares
Ability to sell/transfer investor-shares to other Co-op members
Financial return on the investor-shares
RRSP eligibility for investor-shares
In-store promotions for investor-shareholders
Ability to purchase investor-shares over time.
 
 
 
26. How much would you be willing to invest in RRSP-eligible co-op investor-shares?
 
 
 
27. What do you feel is a fair lifetime membership fee?
 
 
 
28. Please indicate your willingness or interest in serving on a committee, board of directors, or in some other capacity for a Powell River area Food Co-op.
 
 
 
29. Any final comments you’d like to make? One thing we’re wondering is what to call our new food co-op. Ecossentials Food Co-op is an obvious possibility, but this could also be a tremendous opportunity for re-branding with a new name, including changing from Ecossentials to Skookum Food Co-op. If you have any other suggestions, we’re all ears. And if your suggestion becomes “the one,” we’ll think of some fabulous prize to be awarded!