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Store and Department News | Wheatsville Co-op
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The Latest News from Wheatsville

Grocery News

Our grocery shelves are packed with food you love. We know you love them because you are ones who have helped choose what goes on our shelves. Yes, we carry a wide selection of raw, gluten free, vegan, paleo friendly, and alternative items but we go to great effort to stock traditional favorites and pantry staples. We want this to be your one-stop grocery.

We work hard to offer great prices on high-quality products – look for Co+op Deal signs for items on sale and Owner Deal signs for special prices just for Owners. On a budget? Look for the purple Co+op Basics signs on products at rock bottom prices. Didn’t find what you needed? Make a request on our wishlist or ask us to place a special order for you. Your interaction determines what we buy - so speak up! We love to hear from you.

April Vendor of the Month: Alter Eco

You may be all too familiar with the Alter Eco chocolate truffles featured at the Wheatsville checkout stands. These truffles are small but mighty, just like the company they originate from: Alter Eco.


With a history going back to 1998, Alter Eco’s focus on Fair-Trade and Organic certified products has more recently expanded to additional environmental responsibility. As a certified B Corporation (businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance) Alter Eco’s company mission is to pioneer a full circle approach to eating, farming, and doing business – and to inspire others to do the same. Their plan for Full Circle Sustainability is laid out in transparent detail in the Alter Eco 2019 Sustainability report; available online at alterecofoods.com

Here’s the highlights:

RESTORING FORESTS

Transitioning cacao farmers away from monoculture farming to regenerative agriculture, known as “agroforestry”. Agroforestry adds double the amount of trees and up to 15 different species of trees per acre, such as timber trees next to banana trees next to cacao trees. Other crops planted with cacao trees include nitrogen fixing plants (fava beans tamarind), roots (cassava, yucca), fruit trees (mango, plantain) and grains (maize). The outcome of agroforestry is increased biodiversity of insects & animals, restored soil, increased carbon absorption, land that is more drought resistant and absorbs more carbon.

In the fall of 2020, the Alter Eco Foundation was launched to further agroforestry with a $1.5 million investment in transitioning 800 cacao farmers in Ecuador and 100 farmers in the Dominican Republic to dynamic agroforestry.

INVESTING IN FARMERS

Directly working with fair trade certified, small-scale farmers. Alter Eco works with 7 cooperatives worldwide from Ecuador to India to source the ingredients for their chocolates. That’s a total of 24,300 farmers being paid a Fair Trade premium, and Organic premium and an additional Alter Eco premium for their work. Partnered since 2011, Unocace Co-op in Guayaquil, Ecuador provides 41% of the cacao purchased by Alter Eco.

NET ZERO CARBON

Three Steps to Carbon Neutral Footprint:

MEASURE -  Alter Eco rigorously measures its carbon footprint each year. 2019: 3,964 tCO2e

REDUCE - Alter Eco can reduce 33% emissions through implementing new cacao agricultural practices i.e. pod composting, agroforestry.

OFFSET - In 2019 Alter Eco’s yearly offset led to 3,289 planted, 2.6 million trees protected, 16,860 acres protected

ELIMINATE WASTE

Committed to 100% compostable or recyclable non-plastic packaging.
14.7 million compostable truffle wrappers were diverted from landfills in 2019!

Wheatsville proudly carries Alter Eco Fair Trade and Organic certified chocolate truffles, original chocolate bars and new grass-fed milk chocolate bars. Look for new Keto friendly choices from Alter Eco in the near future and stay up to date by visiting their website!

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Local Connection: Yellowbird Sauce

Having been born in August in Texas, I am well aware of how high the temperatures get around here. I have always spent my birthday in pursuit of cooling down in a chilly pool or movie theater. However some people prefer to chase the heat all the way to the world’s largest gathering of heat-seekers: The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. Established in 1990, the event draws as many as 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year. George Milton, the hot sauce mad scientist behind Yellowbird Sauce, represented what has become the most popular hot sauce at Wheatsville.

Since we started carrying it in spring of 2013, the fanaticism for the sauce has been a force to be reckoned with. People love the well balanced flavors of carrots, garlic, onions, limes and tangerines with a nice kick from spicy habanero peppers. Multiple sriracha shortages and an increased interest in foods made without preservatives, meant that the arrival of Yellowbird in Austin couldn’t be better timed.  With his tireless girlfriend, Erin Link, by his side creating the brand design and managing all the behind the scenes work, Yellowbird George has built the business from the ground up thanks to support from the enthusiastic community of pepper fanatics. After media nods from Thrillist.com and Bon Appétit magazine, the Bird enjoyed a new audience eager for a spicy bottle of Texas goodness to be shipped directly around the country.

Salty Bird

Recipe by Addie Broyles

1/2 cup kosher salt
5 tsp Yellowbird Sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together salt and hot sauce. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the salt/hot sauce mixture in a thin layer.
Turn off the heat and place the baking sheet in the oven. Every so often, stir the salt to help break up the clumps. Leave for several hours or overnight. Once the salt is dry, store in an airtight, glass container. Turns a Salty Dog into a Salty Bird— plus the jars of spicy salt make great gifts.

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Local Vendor Spotlight: Texas Texas Salsa

Small-Batch Deliciousness Homemade character is maintained by producing their salsas in small-batch stainless steel kettles. In simple terms, you end up eating a salsa that isn’t mushy. Since the beginning the owners have been taste-testing every batch. We recognize that all natural, fresh ingredients can vary from crop to crop that require subtle adjustments. For example, chile peppers can vary in heat since we don’t use liquid capsicum or genetically modified chile peppers. Thus, we have to make adjustments the old fashion way; by adding or subtracting the quantity of peppers. But if you really want to know why we keep our eye on the prize, we do it for the same reason every chef, cook and Mom tastes their food when preparing it for other people: We want you to have the best we can make!

1. How long have you been in business?

Since 1997 (24 years)

2. What is your origin story?

In the mid 90’s, my dad, Eddie, moved to Austin and was intrigued, but somewhat disappointed with the overabundance of hot salsas.  Most of the hot salsas on the market were either so hot that you couldn’t actually taste them, or they had absurd names on goofy labels.  Essentially, he saw an opportunity to turn yet another family recipe into a business venture.

3. What are your most popular products?

- Restaurant Style Medium:  First in the market to use this name in 2009.  It’s blended smooth just like in Mexican restaurants and people can easily identify with this style. 
- Roasted Addiction: The name says it all, but this truly is a remarkable salsa where we flame-roast all the veggies.  The caramelization creates a rich flavor. 
- Taco Truck Style: Blended even smoother than our Restaurant Style and it has a unique flavor from Chipotle in Adobe Sauce and Arbol chilies.  We’ve omitted onions and cilantro for the 1st time to accommodate people with IBS and/or an aversion to cilantro.

4. What makes your products unique?

- Our motto has always been the same; We’re going to win you over with flavor, not kill you with heat.  Even our Ghost Pepper salsa still has great flavor. 
- Ingredients:  salsas are made up of 60-80%+ tomatoes and we select several high-quality varieties that have more depth in flavor and more sweetness.  It significantly improves the overall flavor of a salsa.
- We taste-test every batch!  Why you ask? We do it for the same reason every chef, friend, or loved one tastes food when preparing if for others – we believe you deserve only the very best we can make.
- We’re a second-generation, family-owned business that truly cares about every customer.

5. How many staff members do you have?

Three!

6. What would an employee say is the best part about working at your company?

Michelle Zeplin: The Sanderson family gives you a true feeling of respect and appreciation.  Free salsa is great too!

7. Do you have a special tagline or slogan?

Texas Texas, Double the Flavor. Twice the Love!

8. Is your product sold exclusively at the co-op? If not, what other stores are you in?

We’re in almost every major account in Texas.  This includes HEB, Randall’s, Whole Foods, Kroger, Walmart, etc. as well as retailers outside of Texas in 17 states

9. Anything else we should know?

We’re 11-months away from reaching a major milestone; 25-years in business.  I would like to thank every customer who has supported us along the journey.  Cheers, Y’all!

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Local Vendor Spotlight: Rambler Sparkling Water

A one-of-a-kind Texas limestone filtered sparkling water made in Austin, Texas. Sustainably sourced, purified, then remineralized and carbonated to the perfect level, resulting in a crisp, great-tasting, sodium-free sparkling water.

1. How long have you been in business?

Four years

2. What is your origin story?

Dave Mead, James Moody & Jeff Trucksess founded Rambler in Austin, TX in 2017.

3. What are your most popular products?

All three of ‘em!
Rambler Original – tastes like Texas (in a can).
Rambler Lemon-Lime – it’s like Sprite without the calories.
Rambler Grapefruit – it makes a great mixer!

4. What makes your products unique? 

Rambler is produced from sustainable water sources that are re-mineralized and carbonated, giving Rambler a superior taste (without sodium!). and Every Can Matters, which is why we partner with organizations like American Rivers & Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation to give back to the environment. Buy Rambler because it is the only sparkling water that gives back to the environment.

5. How many staff members do you have?

Seven full-time staff in Austin

6. What would an employee say is the best part about working at your company?

“Unlimited access to Rambler feeds my addiction to sparkling water, and having tried all of the competition, ours tastes better. After almost 20 years in grocery, it’s been fun to learn the brand & product side of the business at Rambler, alongside friends and in a uniquely Austin way.” – Marc Pittenger, Sales Director

“(The best part of working for Rambler is…) the Team. It’s a great environment where everyone has a seat at the table and all thoughts are heard and weighed. It shows in our products and really is what keeps us pushing to be better.” – Jeff Germenis, Ops Director

“We’re proud to be from Austin and proud to support this community we love so much.  Wheatsville Co-op embodies community and supports local businesses like ours.  We’re thrilled to be a partner of Wheatsville.” - Dave Mead, Co-Founder


7. Anything else we should know?

We’ve got 4 new items launching in 2021, and we’re planning a few more before the year is out.

Pictured (L-R): Dave Mead, James Moody, Jeff Trucksess. Rambler Co-Founders, 2017.

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Local Vendor Spotlight: Siete Family Foods

Many thanks to Siete Family Foods founder, Veronica Garza for answering our questions about their business.
 
1. Who, when and why did you start Siete Family Foods?


Siete was formed when my family and I embarked on a health journey that included exercising together and adopting a low-inflammation, grain free diet, to help alleviate the autoimmune conditions I had been experiencing. As a Mexican-American, I grew up eating tortillas on a daily basis, and I have many wonderful memories of visiting my grandmother, always being welcomed with a batch of homemade flour tortillas. Eating gluten free and grain free meant that all tortillas were literally off the table for my family and me. While this may seem trivial, it wasn’t for us. In a way it felt like we were excluded from a part of our culture that we loved, being able to partake in delicious Mexican food. To fill this “tortilla void,” I experimented in the kitchen and developed a tortilla that we could eat. Over the next few years I modified the recipe numerous times, producing the first product we put to market, a grain free, gluten free, almond flour tortilla. I made them on weekends for many years, sharing them with my family and friends. In 2014 my family and I decided that we wanted to share our tortillas with more people outside of our circle of family and friends, so we found a buyer (Wheatsville!) for our products and started a business.

2. What makes your chips and tortillas different from others on the market?


We make grain free Mexican-American food, utilizing nutrient dense, real food ingredients as much as possible. Our tortillas are currently made with ingredients such as almonds, coconut flour, cassava, chia seeds, coconut oil, and avocado oil. Our tortilla chips are made with cassava and coconut flour and cooked in avocado oil. All of our products have been created because they filled a void either in our own diets or for our core consumers. We sell products that we love to eat and hope that our customers feel the same way.



3. Are Siete Tortillas and Chips vegan? Non-GMO? paleo-friendly?


At Siete we try to make products that are as inclusive as possible. We’ve designed our products to allow people with a variety of diets, dietary restrictions, and backgrounds to gather around the table to enjoy Mexican-American foods. Currently, all of our products are gluten free, grain free, vegan-friendly, paleo-friendly and verified by the non-GMO Project.


 
4. How did you choose your ingredients?


With all of our products, taste and quality are paramount. We care about what we put in our bodies and, because of that, we’ve gone to great lengths to scrutinize and carefully select every ingredient that goes into our products. I personally oversee all of our product development and spend the majority of my time testing the perfect combination of ingredients and finding the best partners to source ingredients from, all to offer our customers products we can be extremely proud of.


 
5. We know that there is a story about Siete getting started with Wheatsville. Can you tell us about that?


After years of making an almond flour tortilla for friends and family out of my kitchen in Laredo, Texas, we decided to turn a recipe into a business. In 2014, I made a batch of tortillas, put them in a ziplock bag, and drive from Laredo to Austin to approach the buyer at Wheatsville. He loved them and asked how soon they could start selling them. We had no business, no brand name, and no idea how to start a food business. My mother, brother Miguel, and I joined forces and within a couple of months had our first product on the shelves. We started off by renting space at a commercial kitchen in Austin, driving from Laredo every weekend to make tortillas by hand and then deliver them to Wheatsville. Since then the rest of my family members have come onboard to help move Siete along on its mission to become a healthy Mexican American food brand.


 
6. What’s is your favorite thing about Wheatsville?


Before starting Siete Family Foods we had zero experience in the food industry. Wheatsville was instrumental in helping us get our start. Knowing we were just getting started as a business, the buyer provided guidance on many of the steps we had to take to get our products on the shelf. We love the warm, welcoming feel we get when walking into Wheatsville as customers and now as vendors/partners that have the privilege of selling our products to their customers.

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Co-op Month Spotlight Vendor: Frontier Co-op

Since 1976, Frontier Co-op has been dedicated to advocating for organic agriculture and providing high quality products that are produced with respect for the environment and the people who grow and manufacture them.

Frontier Co-op began as a two-person operation in 1976 in a river cabin in Eastern Iowa. Since then they've grown steadily to become a major supplier to the natural products industry. Their success throughout the years reflects their close harmony with the product needs and the values of their members and consumers.

As a co-op, Frontier is owned by its thousands of wholesale customers, like Wheatsville! This means the business is operated in the shared interest of the members which extends beyond financial interests to the underlying values concerning environmental stewardship and social responsibility. And like all co-ops, Frontier is guided by the 7 basic international cooperative principles wherein values are put into practice.

  1.  Voluntary and open membership
  2. Democratic member control
  3. Member economic participation
  4. Autonomy and independence
  5. Education, training and information
  6. Cooperation among cooperatives
  7. Concern for community

Frontier Co-op addresses the principle of Concern for Community in a large variety of ways thorough charitable funds for each of their three brands: Frontier, Simply Organic and Aura Cacia. More than half of their giving goes directly to improving life in the communities that grow their products; boosting employment and supporting basics like clean water, roads, school and medical care.

The Frontier Co-op Giving Fund is a philanthropic organization, funded primarily by our members’ uncashed patronage checks, that supports social, educational, and environmental causes. The Frontier Co-op Giving Fund has since given millions to a variety of charities and organizations since it was founded in 2000.

Simply Organic products support a wide variety of organic and sustainable farming communities through the Simply Organic Giving Fund. Simply Organic has provided more than 1.5 million dollars of support to organic causes since 2001 and is having a remarkable impact both here in the U.S. and internationally.

Your Aura Cacia purchases help make the world a better place. We’ve established the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project to help women around the world positively transform their lives.

Frontier Co-op provides regular support to organizations and causes that share our values about organics, sustainability, social justice and caring for those in need — American Herbal Products Association, Bulk Is Green Council, the Organic Trade Association, the Organic Center, United Plant Savers, the Red Cross, Alzheimer’s Association and numerous others.

Look for Frontier Co-op brands at Wheatsville in the herbs & spices section (Simply Organic & Frontier) and the bodycare department (Aura Cacia) and know that your purchase of these products makes a global impact.

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National Organic Month Spotlight Vendor: Nature’s Path

Nature’s Path was founded in Vancouver BC in 1985 by Arran and Ratana Stephens. The company started out, and still is today, a passionate, family-run company that makes delicious, organic breakfast and snack foods.

The seed for Nature’s Path was planted way back in the 1930s when Arran Stephens was growing up on his family’s second-generation organic berry farm. Arran’s father taught him how to care for and nurture the soil, telling him to “always leave the earth better than you found it”. These words have been woven into the very fabric of Nature’s Path.

Over the last 30 years Nature’s Path has grown to be North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company with a product line of over 150 cold cereals, granolas, hot oatmeal, waffles, bars, and cookies.

ORGANIC PIONEERS FROM THE BEGINNING

Nature’s Path products were the first USDA certified organic cereals on the market and since then our company and founders have worked tirelessly to keep organic advocacy at the forefront of our mission. We continually invest in farmland, converting it to organic, and we always challenge organic standards for the better.

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

At Nature’s Path sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. It’s our mission to leave the earth better than we found it and that’s why every decision must align with our triple bottom line – being socially responsible, environmentally sustainable, and financially viable.

1. GROW ORGANIC

We grow and purchase only certified USDA Organic and Canada Organic ingredients. Our commitment to organic has kept over 70,500 tons of chemical fertilizers and over 1,000 tons of pesticides out of the soil between 2013-2016.

2. BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL

We have a goal to be completely carbon neutral. To do that we’re reducing our use of electricity, paperboard, and CO2 emissions per ton of product produced. We also purchase RECs (Renewable Energy Credits) to support green energy projects in the US.

3. ACHIEVE ZERO WASTE - we did it!

Since all 3 of our manufacturing facilities have achieved Zero Waste certification, we would say we can cross this one off the list. But, the work continues in order to maintain our Zero Waste status and do the best for our planet.

4. PRESERVE WATER

Organic farming and watershed protection go hand in hand, but we don’t stop there. We also send some of our waste water to a biodigester to be converted to energy, we are implementing an Environmental Management System, and practice eco-efficiency and continuous improvement.

5. EDUCATE, INSPIRE & ENGAGE

We want to make an impact not only by taking action ourselves, but by inspiring others to take action too. We provide sustainability training for all team members, collaborate with and donate to many organizations, maintain an SFTA dashboard, and B-Lab assessments.

6. GIVE BACK

Through financial contributions, in-kind donations, and volunteerism – we support many initiatives that align with our mission to leave the earth better. Some of these include: hunger relief, endangered species and habitat restoration, youth and environmental education, and more. We have an annual goal to donate at least 2 million dollars in food to food banks, partners, charities and other causes. In addition, 1% of EnviroKidz sales go to support endangered animals, protect their habitats and educate children worldwide.

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Local Vendor Spotlight: Mammoth Creameries

Mammoth Creameries make keto-friendly, diabetic conscious frozen custards made with real, natural ingredients. Co-founder Tim Krauss converted to a keto diet after being diagnosed with Type One diabetes at the age of 28. Tim’s life, and diet, changed forever when he received that diagnosis. Type One diabetes made Tim very sensitive to sugar- he had to be careful what he ate, becoming an expert at reading nutrition labels. Eventually Tim and his wife, and Mammoth Creameries co-founder, Sue, decided to commit to a keto lifestyle.The couple quickly realized that a lot of tasty foods, including ice cream, are packed with tons of sugar. They were inspired to create their own delicious ice cream after realizing there were next to no low-sugar, low-carb, high-fat options available to them. Sue worked in their Austin kitchen to perfect their clean ingredient, low-sugar recipe, and once she did, the Krauss’ knew they had to share their creamy creation with the world!

Sue and Tim’s goal is to make delicious desserts with good ingredients that work with your body, instead of against it. Mammoth Creameries Frozen Custards are 100%  gluten-free and made with real, whole ingredients like grass-fed butter, high-quality heavy cream, and cage-free eggs. With flavors like Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Lemon Buttercream, and Chocolate Peanut Butter, you are sure to find a flavor that fits every taste!

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