Moscow Food Co-op owners and employees are introducing their customers to local vendors and sharing the excitement of what it means to be a part of a cooperative during their weekly “Tasteful Thursdays.”
Tasteful Thursdays run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday in November and December — excluding Nov. 22 and Dec. 27 — at the Moscow Food Co-op.
The event, which began about 10 years ago, features a store full of samples from local producers and vendors, which will vary from week to week.
Alycia Rock, Co-op marketing manager, said this includes food, alcohol and gifts, such as jewelry, soap, lotion and essential oils.
Rock said Tasteful Thursdays provide an opportunity for community members to look for gifts and goodies, as well as taste foods they might not buy before trying and talk to Co-op producers about their products.
“I think the Co-op really prides itself on being a platform for local things,” Rock said. “This is just one more facet of us supporting local producers who live in town, who want to be showing their products to the public.”
Max Newland, Co-op education and events coordinator, said the event serves to get community members excited about the ways the Moscow Food Co-op makes local food available.
Newland said it also helps connect locals to the people who grow their food.
Rock said Tasteful Thursdays allows community members to learn more about the Co-op and the types of products sold, as well as the business’s philosophy around selling those products.
“We have pretty strict standards when it comes to what we serve and what we sell,” Rock said. “So, if you come by the Co-op during Tasteful Thursdays, you can really learn about our ethics and our thought process when it comes to what we buy and what we sell to Moscow.”
The event, which also features local musicians, lets Co-op workers, owners and shoppers get to know each other better, helping to ensure the Co-op learns the best way to serve the community, Rock said.
Tasteful Thursdays is also an event where owners can talk to shoppers about Co-op ownership and why owning a grocery store in the Moscow community can be a great thing, Rock said. Newland said getting people excited about becoming owners is always one of the Co-op’s main goals.
Newland said Tasteful Thursdays is a very festive event, which feels like holidays or “Christmas dinner.”
“It’s about celebrating in the spirt of having so many options available to us locally because there’s so many communities that don’t have the same kind of access that we do,” Newland said. “We’re really lucky to have that.”
Jordan Willson can be reached at [email protected]