Everett’s Sno-Isle Food Co-op approaches its 25th anniversary
EVERETT – Located on the corner of Grand Avenue and California Street, the Sno-Isle Food Co-op is the kind of place people discover because they saw it from the sidewalk or a friend recommended it.
This is how Leah Scates, who lives in Everett, found the grocery store.
The aisle of goods – red, green, leafy and plum purple – caught her eye immediately.
“I found it while walking and really enjoyed it,” said Scates, who started as a cashier at Sno-Isle five years ago and is now the general manager of the store.
This spring, Sno-Isle celebrates its 25th anniversary.
You may have heard that Sno-Isle stocks fresh and packaged organic groceries, condiments, bulk groceries, wine and beer, and locally made gifts. But did you know that it donates vegetable scraps and other food waste to local farmers? They feed it to their cattle.
An in-store deli offers sandwiches, burritos, smoothies, and home-cooked foods like mac and cheese. There are classrooms for yoga, wine tasting, and other events, though some of these activities have been on hold due to COVID-19, Scates said.
A selection of tomatoes and garlic at the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Unlike some other companies, there is no CEO or president at the top. Instead, it is headed by a nine-member board of trustees that is elected annually. They ensure that the store is financially stable. The board members – and one seat is reserved for a branch employee – stand for re-election every year. Co-op members can vote online or hide in a small polling station in the shop.
Cooperative membership costs $ 100 but lasts a lifetime. Can’t pay the fee all at once? “You can pay for everything at once or in just $ 5 increments,” said Scates.
Anyone can shop there – you don’t need a membership – but members who qualify as owner can take advantage of special sales and discounts on food, wine and other items. Members can also receive a dividend at the end of the year, Scates said.
Today the cooperative has 8,000 members, Scates said.
Nalini Karp lives in Kirkland, but she used to live in Everett. Now when Karp is in town she visits 2804 Grand Ave. “It’s a must,” said Karp, who stocked up on gluten-free oatmeal that she can’t find anywhere else.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic ended rain controls and special orders due to problems in the supply chain along with live music in store, the cooperative is not standing still.
Over the next year or two, the cooperative hopes to expand the floor space within the building it occupies and add more square footage, Scates said.
Ian Daw, a 14 year old clerk and retail manager, heads the frozen food division of Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
(The building in which the cooperative is located has its own unique history. The Boeing Co. operated an aircraft component assembly facility there during World War II.)
“We had a cost estimate for the expansion project,” said Scates. “We really hope this can be an option for us.”
The additional space would allow Sno-Isle to double its product range. About a quarter of the store’s fruits and vegetables are grown in Washington, and more space could add to that.
“We’d like to incorporate meat into a fresh meat and seafood counter,” said Scates.
The cooperative is a registered B Corporation, a voluntary certification that measures a company’s overall social and environmental performance.
B-Corps are “legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, customers, suppliers, the community and the environment,” according to BCorporation.net, which certifies applicants.
As part of the certification process, a few years ago the cooperative set itself the goal of drastically reducing the amount of waste in the store.
“In the past fiscal year, 93% of our waste was diverted from the landfill,” said Scates.
“We value sustainability, fair treatment of employees and give something back to the community,” said Scates.
Posters alert customers to sales at the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sno-Isle recently increased its starting wage to $ 15 an hour.
Last year as well, customers rounded the sales price of their orders up to around $ 9,000 as part of the store’s register rounding program. The cooperative’s Matching Funds raised the grand total to over $ 15,000, which was distributed to a dozen nonprofits including ChildStrive, Housing Hope and Volunteers of America.
It may seem like the co-op has always been on the corner of Grand and California, but it actually took a dedicated band of health food fans to bring it to life.
In early 1996, customers who had shopped at Everett’s PCC Community Market Store wondered what to do. This shop was closed.
A few months later, 100 of them got together and agreed to start a new, local cooperative. On March 3, 1997, the Sno-Isle Food Co-op opened its doors.
The Sno-Isle Food Co-op at 2804 Grand Avenue in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic, the cooperative still attracts a bevy of buyers, Scates said.
One recent afternoon, George Caldwell, who is in charge of the store’s product division, praised the flavors of root vegetables and autumn fruits such as turnips, parsnips and beets. After that, locally grown cabbage and winter squash would have their annual appearance, he said.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, Caldwell loves “talking to customers who are very interested in knowing where the products are from,” he said.
“I’ve been here for almost four years and I don’t want to work anywhere else,” said Caldwell.
Janice Podsada; [email protected]: 425-339-3097; Twitter: JanicePods
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Ryan Welch, a producer, stocks up grapes at the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A selection of tomatoes and garlic at the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Ian Daw, a 14 year old clerk and retail manager, heads the frozen food division of Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Posters alert customers to sales at the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Sno-Isle Food Co-op at 2804 Grand Avenue in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)