Producer Profiles
MINN TOFU - MN
MinnTofu is a local Minnesota startup with a singular focus on producing wholesome and environmentally sustainable plant based foods, with locally farmed soybeans. MinnTofu was started by Yan Small, a licensed food safety instructor from St. Paul who currently teaches classes to food handlers and managers. The lack of freshly made tofu inspired Yan to fill the void for local consumers who want fresh Tofu in their diet. Yan, as an Asian American woman, is passionate about the health benefits of plant based foods. In 2018 Yan teamed up with Rafik Moore to make her dream of providing plant based foods a reality to share with others who are passionate about a healthy diet and lifestyle.
HOYO SAMBUSA - MN
Hoyo is the Somali word for mother and their mission is to empower local Somali mothers through Somali food. Hoyo was co-founded by Mariam and Halima Mohamed who had a passion to bring their favorite Somali foods to the broader consumer.
Their original products are beef and lentil (vegan) sambusa which are a small savory pastries eaten every day in the Somali community. They are found in the frozen department. As Hoyo has interacted with customers, they have added two delicious sauces that can be paired with sambusa. One is Basbaas, a green jalapeno based Somali style salsa and the other is Tamarind and Date Somali-style salsa. Tamarind and Date is tomato based, with the additional sweetness of tamarind and dates as well as a little spiciness from hot peppers.
By creating products that many Somali mothers are perfectly qualified to make, Hoyo is creating an opportunity for employment that overcomes the common refugee challenges of language, job experience, and employment history.
STEMILT ARTISAN ORGANICS - WA
The Mathison family homesteaded 160 acres in 1893 on Stemilt Hill near the town of Wenatchee, Washington. Initially a subsistence farm that produced staples for the family, the introduction of irrigation in the area set the stage for the family’s first orchards. Mild desert climate, snowy winters, and plentiful water supply would make the farm the ideal place to grow fruit, so Thomas Mathison planted the family’s first 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries in 1914.
Tom constructed a small-scale packing facility in order to ready his cherries for sale on the East Coast. Soon, neighbors were asking him to pack their farm’s cherries and in 1964, Tom founded a fruit-packing business called Stemilt Growers. It has been owned and operated by members of the Mathison family ever since, now led by the 4th and 5th generations.
The farm transitioned part of their apple acreage to organic production in 1989, which set Stemilt on the path to expanding its organic categories. As an early adopter of sustainability practices, the Mathisons introduced Integrated Pest Management to reduce pesticide use, and subsequently converted some of their original orchards to organic. The Stemilt logo includes a ladybug, well-known as a beneficial insect to orchardists.
Currently offering certified organic apples, pears and cherries from their own orchards, Stemilt contracts with the Douglas family for peaches, nectarines and apricots. The Douglas organic stone fruit comes from eastern Washington in the Columbia Basin, where the volcanic soils provide natural nutrients for the trees.
Stemilt is the first tree-fruit grower, packer, shipper that has all its company orchards and facilities fully certified by the Equitable Food Initiative. Being EFI certified means stakeholders are working together to increase transparency and assurance around farming conditions and continuously improving Stemilt’s systems.
VALLEY'S OWN BAKEHOUSE - MN
certified gluten-free
Located in Minnesota, Valley's Own Bakehouse has been in business since 2011. When it comes to enjoying delicious baked goods, they believe that no one at the party should have to sacrifice flavor or texture.
Valley's Own certified gluten free products are made from family recipes, hand-crafted and made with natural, non-GMO ingredients and contain no trans fats. They also provide dairy-free and vegan options among over 30 offerings. The idea is simple – they make products that everyone at the table will want to enjoy, regardless of dietary needs.
Whether you have a muffin with your morning coffee, a dinner roll with your evening meal, or a cake or pie at your next family celebration, everyone will taste the goodness in each gluten-free bite.
MAPLE VALLEY COOPERATIVE - WI
Maple Valley, a pioneer in organic and fair practices for maple production, was founded in 1991 and became a cooperative in 2007. Today, they continue to produce 100% pure organic maple products year after year. Maple Valley offers a high-quality, certified organic, vegan product free of allergens, additives, preservatives, and formaldehyde. Moreover, they bring you a socially responsible commodity & their processing plant and offices are run on wind energy. Great effort has gone into selecting responsible, organically certified woodland farmers whose standards and practices represent stewardship to the environment and our planet.
Their main processing plant and offices are in Cashton, Wisconsin and the majority of their farmers are based right here in the Midwest. Maple Valley believes in family scale farming, fair wages for producers and employees, transparency, accountability, and sustainable fair business practices.
Kevin Doyle of Forest Mushroom
FOREST MUSHROOMS INC. - MN
Minnesota’s first commercial specialty mushroom farm, Forest Mushrooms was founded in 1985 by current owner Kevin Doyle. Situated on 20 rolling acres near Collegeville MN, an old brick barn serves as the growing room for the oyster mushroom operation. Oyster and shiitake mushrooms are grown on the farm year-round, and Forest Mushrooms sources and distributes many varieties of fresh and dried mushrooms, both cultivated and wild, as well as a full range of organic mushroom varieties. The oyster mushrooms grow on cereal straw, and the shiitakes are grown on sawdust recycled from sawmills. After harvest, the growing material is re-used as mulch by local gardeners.
Forest Mushrooms is a year round controlled-environment growing operation, and relies on the dedication of 12 permanent employees to keep the farm running. By providing permanent positions with livable wages and full health benefits, the company has provided sustainable career-track rural jobs for its employees and family members, while providing the freshest and highest quality specialty mushrooms available in Minnesota.
Rochdale Farms Hand Rolled Butter & String Cheese
ROCHDALE FARMS - WI, IA, MN
Bringing artisan cheese & hand rolled butter to co-ops throughout the Midwest.
Rochdale Farms is an exclusive co-op private label brand that champions a variety of small, local farmers and producers. It’s also a three-member core team of Minneapolis women that are committed to supporting the cooperative community through product development, sales and social media.
Founded in 2009 in response to a growing need for co-op grocers to differentiate themselves from competing retailers, Rochdale Farms is celebrating its 10th anniversary in November of this year. From its launch in the fall of 2009 with just 3 producers and 11 items, the Rochdale Farms product line has expanded to include over 10 local producers and 44 items, with even more new products scheduled to appear in stores this year.
In keeping with the founders’ initial mission to strengthen and support local cooperatively organized businesses, Rochdale Farms strives to provide co-op shoppers with products that are sourced and distributed in alignment with those principles.
Co-op Partners Warehouse is the exclusive distributor of Rochdale Farms products in the upper Midwest region.
DEER CREEK ORCHARDS BUCK BRAND - CA
Deer Creek Orchards Buck Brand citrus is a unique California orchard located right up against the foothills of the Sierras, just west of Porterville. The farm sits below a rock outcrop, that was purportedly once an active jade mine over a hundred years ago. Started by citrus guru Lisle Babcock and his wife Mary Lou, Buck grows an impressive variety of citrus varieties like navel oranges, grapefruit, satsumas, shaddock, cara cara, lemonade lemons, finger limes, and their famous TDE mandarins. These are just a few of the myriad offerings from this remarkable farm.