
As we bid farewell to 2024, we feel profound gratitude for the unwavering support of our customers. It was a challenging year for Cow-op, but your loyalty and appreciation kept us going and continues to make this organization possible! Here’s a recap of what we accomplished together:
New Cow-op Producers in 2024
We were thrilled to welcome a fantastic lineup of new producers to the Cow-op community in 2024, offering artisan foods, specialty meats, and handcrafted items. Our newest members include:
- Coast Coffee Roasters
- Four Quarters Meats
- Forest For Dinner
- Gayle’s Greek Gourmet
- Hop n’ Quack Homestead
- Melissa Parker Crafts
- Mill Bay Farms
- North Haven Orchard & Cidery
- Salish Soaps
- The Mindful Mouthful
- Truffula
- Two Rivers Specialty Meats
- Wholesyum Baby
Community Events, Pop-Up Markets and Workshops
As a co-operative organization, we love participating in events and engaging in our community. This year, we had a fantastic presence at:
- Island Agricultural Show in February
- Cobble Hill Seedy Saturday in March
- The annual Islands Folk Festival at Providence Farm in July
We topped off the growing season by celebrating Cow-op’s 10 Year Anniversary with a grand Harvest Feast Long Table Dinner in October. This event was not only a celebration to honor a decade of hard work by our community, but also a successful fundraising event for Cow-op. Putting it on such a feast required significant efforts from all of our fabulous member-producers! It was made possible by the incredible efforts of our member-producers who donated fresh food, time, skills, and silent auction items.
Special Thank You’s to Harvest Feast Sponsors & Partners:
- Community Evolution (CE) for their continued support of Cow-op over the years. CE generously matched the $10,000 in donations that we raised at the Harvest Feast! This generosity helps small communities worldwide to establish and maintain sustainable, empowered, and locally-owned food economies.
- Mensch Kitchen and Catering for curating a delicious menu that highlighted Cowichan Valley’s exceptional produce and sustainably raised meats, and for your financial contributions to support Cow-op’s ongoing operations.
- True Grain for donating True Grain’s Apple Strudel for a crowd-pleasing dessert and for your financial contributions to support Cow-op’s continued operations.
- Cammy Lockwood for your steadfast partnership and financial contribution to support Cow-op’s continued operations.
Community Workshops: Resilient Food Production
Thanks to funding from The Co-operators, Cow-op hosted several community workshops on the theme of “Resilient Food Production.”The events were a big hit for both Cow-op producers and the general public. Here’s what we accomplished:
- Soil Lab Workshop with Amy Luck from Spring Hill Soil Laboratory in March
- Backyard Chickens 101 Workshop at Glenora Farm in May
- Waterwise Irrigation Workshop at Fruit Forest Farm in September
- Agricultural Recycling Workshop with Cowichan Agricultural Society at VIU in November
We are looking forward to continuing these educational and community outreach opportunities in 2025!
Cow-op’s Impact
As a non-profit cooperative organization, in 2024 we paid nearly $400,000 to local farmers and food processors for the sales of their produce, meats, and processed foods! This is a monumental achievement that directly supports family-run businesses, keeps farmland in use for food production, and bolsters our local economy. We have supported over 80 different food growers, producers and processors and delivered nearly one thousand food orders to customers from Victoria to Ladysmith and everywhere in between.
The success of the Cow-op Marketplace is only possible thanks to the support of our customers. By buying local food and ordering from Cowichan Valley farms every week, you are ensuring that our food system remains resilient, regionally-based, and sustainable for years to come.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Our community’s commitment to sustainable and local agriculture continues to grow. As we look ahead to 2025, we are inspired by the possibilities and are excited to continue cultivating a food secure, sustainable, and connected community.
Thank you for being an essential part of Cow-op. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a delicious New Year!
