• Is our business supporting itself?
• What are our milestones for 2013?
• Are we serving our mission to the best of our ability?
• How do we measure success?

That last question is one that I asked myself in my last post, and the answer will continue to change in different contexts. Right now, a piece of it is simply a renewed commitment to our mission, and a creative outlook on how to serve it. Now that we are in the heart of the “off-season” here in Portland, we’ve decided that this is the time to focus on that developmental work behind the scenes. As a result, our last market of the season will be this coming Monday, January 28th. While we love market days, we also know that it’s important to be open to additional ways to honor our goals as a mission-driven business, and we know that it’s tough to come out in the winter elements for an outdoor market. We’ll be spending our rainy days working on changes that will allow us to serve our communities, partners, and friends even better. We are excited about the chance to use the knowledge we’ve gained and apply it to an even better future service!

We make an effort to use this as a forum for transparency and communication, so please don’t hesitate to contact us in the meantime with questions or comments. We always appreciate your feedback.

More updates to come as we continue our work…

Every organization has different metrics. Maybe for some, it’s maximizing shareholder value. Perhaps it’s the number of lightbulbs sold, manatees rescued, or lives changed. It could be staying afloat through the year. Or the day. Success can be an end, and also a beginning. However we define it, though, we must define it.

Not that it’s easy. When you operate to serve a mission, metrics are tricky because sometimes they are intangible. Sure, we can look at sales history and consider growth to be a success. But how many people made a Meal Kit and felt empowered to cook again? How many customers shared a meal with a family member, friend, or even stranger that they otherwise wouldn’t have? Who decided that they felt better, both physically and mentally, after eating a healthful meal and made a personal decision to stick with it? Whose day was better because they chose to shop with us?

Don’t get me wrong – financial metrics are important. Hugely important. They determine whether or not we can continue to exist, and we can’t very well make an impact if we don’t exist. Ultimately, though, every decision we make is based on the fundamental question: “will this help us serve our mission?” Reconciling the answer to that question with the need to be economically sustainable is a challenging task. And just as the business faces these questions, so does the person.

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Travel is a contemplative time for me.

I spent the holidays stomping on formerly familiar grounds, from which I ripped my roots when I was about 17. Despite my lingering adolescent stubbornness, quixotically proclaiming that to remain in the place I was raised would be to admit defeat, returning to my family is unrivaled medicine. Cozying up in a place without expectations, where I can be who I am–in my least attractive state–and still be loved, is a feast for the soul. The holidays only amplify this feeling. There is a year’s end, a time to be grateful, and a fresh start that launches like a rocket after the world counts down in relative unison.

Still, returning to work after a vacation is always hard, and returning to life as a fledgling entrepreneur is harder still. With a full spirit and the temporary high of the calendar tabula rasa fueling me, I returned to Portland to face my still-new business in a nebula of both resolve and uncertainty. Running a business is hard, hard, hard. While I always assumed that if I worked in a cubicle for a long period of time I would wither and parch like a sad little potted plant under florescent lights, there are parts of me that envy those jobs. Clocking out, passing the buck, getting paid…I can’t say I don’t dream of these niceties. Beyond that, what about the existential questions? How do I know when to continue and when to call it a good learning experience and move on? Where is the line between perseverance and blind stubbornness (“Founder’s Syndrome,” I think it’s called…)? What does it all mean?!

This would be a nice place for a grand clarifying answer, but as this is life and not a fiction, I don’t have one. But I can say this (to myself): during our first market day of 2013, I saw smiling faces. “The Sheriff,” always the first customer at our morning market, was there this year as she was in the last. Ray came with his My Street Grocery shopping bag, which he fills each week. Al bought fruit and juices for himself, and for Michael, who couldn’t come because she was caring for her mother. We sold Meal Kits to be prepared at Central City Concern’s weekly nutrition and cooking class. Regular customers brought friends. Old friends became customers. People stopped just to tell us that they liked what we were doing. The rain fell from a sunless sky and I was basking in the warmth of a job–a community–that means something to me.

So, there you have it. My passion for this cause is strong. The burden of the day-to-day in any business can be draining, but nothing about my work is complete. There are hundreds of doors yet to be open, hundreds of hands outstretched in support, and hundreds…and hundreds…of people in need. I don’t have a perfect definition of success, but I know that my work hasn’t scratched the surface of impact yet. So I’ll call this my truth. My axiom. From there, I’ll assume the details will work themselves out.

Happy New Year. I’m glad to say that I mean each word in that phrase.

In that last couple of weeks, we had great fun putting on two Holiday Tasting Parties especially for the residents of Marshall Union Manor, and for clients and staff at Central City Concern. At each event, we set up Sample Stations for residents to taste different products we carry like hummus with carrots and flatbread or sparkling fruit juice. We also cooked up some of our favorite Meal Kits for people to try, like the ever-popular Brazilian Black Beans & Sausage, or the microwave-friendly Easy Pepperoni and Seasonal Vegetable Pizza.

At Marshall Union Manor, we had comment cards where customers could tell us what they liked or didn’t like, what they want to see on our shelves in the future, and what fair prices for items might be. We got some wonderful feedback and learned a lot! (My favorite comment card about hummus is pictured below. I just love that we introduced someone to a new product that they liked AND that can be a healthy snack!)

At Central City Concern, one lucky raffle winner received Meal Kits for a Month! We also raffled off some fun food-related prizes like tupperware sets (for Meal Kit leftovers, of course), bamboo cooking spoons, a kitchen timer, and some MSG Bucks to use at our markets. All-in-all, it was a great way to have some fun with our customers, meet some new people, and foster a sense of community around delicious and healthful foods. Once again, the power of food is evident! Thank you, food, for all you do!

Happy Holidays to you and yours, from your friends at My Street Grocery.

Last week we participated in a panel discussion at the Sixth Annual International Conference on Business and Sustainability at Portland State University.  We sat next to Amanda West from EcoZoom and Amber Baker from The Village Market.  EcoZoom is a growing and mission-driven company that makes clean cook stoves accessible and affordable in developing countries.  The Village Market is a healthy corner store in North Portland that provides quality, fresh, healthy, affordable groceries.  The Market is community governed and provides jobs for youth and adults.

Earlier this week, we enjoyed time with Greg Dees who has spent the past three decades studying, teaching and practicing social entrepreneurship.  He also chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Social Innovation.  His work in this area has inspired the start of businesses with social missions all over the world.  As a part of this we also met with a several groups of investors who are committed to investing in and supporting organizations that promote positive social and environmental impact.

At this week’s Convergence Partnership Conference in Salem, we worked side-by-side with other stakeholders working to promote the vision of a healthier, more equitable, sustainable and economically robust food system.  We exchanged ideas and developed valuable relationships with representatives from the Northwest Health Foundation, Adelante Mujeres, Ten Rivers Food Web, Carman Ranch, Organically Grown Company, Portland State University, the Cowlitz County Health Department and many, many others.

In addition to these great people and organizations, we get to work with the dedicated staff at Central City Concern, PSU’s Social Innovation Incubator, caring property managers, and all of the great people that visit our markets looking to improve their own lives by making healthy food choices.

Thanks everyone for all the good work that you do.

Kale chips, apple crisp, roasted root vegetables, and collard greens are pictured above.

Winter’s Wonders…A New Season!

What a great summer season it was!  Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, cantaloupe, zucchini, snap peas, and tomatoes…the list goes on.  Of course now it’s November and the produce pickings are less than when the summer sun was high in the sky.  But it’s okay.  Oregon’s mild winters mean fresh, local produce is still available – and delicious.

If you’re craving fresh fruit, local options are still available.  Oregon and Washington apples remain cool, crisp and sweet, while pears are juicy, soft, smooth and even sweeter.  Eat them as they are as a healthy and delicious treat on the go or make a quick and simple apple or pear crisp bubbling brown with butter, sugar, cinnamon, flour and oats.

The variety of vegetables has changed, but it’s just a transition from light, summer veggies to cool-weather comfort choices.  Potatoes and leeks are abundant and make for a fine winter soup aside corn bread with a bit of fresh butter.  Try sweet potatoes, carrots and beets oven-roasted with fresh herbs for an easy and nutrition-packed side to pan-seared chicken or pork chops.  Winter squash is even easier roasted with butter, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of dark brown sugar.

Mustard greens, kale, Swiss chard and collards are great winter veggies.  In a hot skillet with olive oil, bite-sized bits of these hearty greens crackle noisily, soften slightly and deepen in color.  After just a few minutes, finish them with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of salt – so good.  Try tossing chopped kale with olive oil and roasting it in a single layer until they begin to brown around the edges.  Then lightly salt them for a crunchy treat that even kids will devour.

I hope I’ve reminded you of the great, fresh and local winter options available in the Northwest, and maybe given you a few new ideas for how to prepare them.  It’s really a fantastic time of year for healthy and delicious comfort foods.  Enjoy the season.

Well, Happy 6-Month Anniversary, I should say. As of today, we’ve been successfully operating our full time pop-up market service for a whole half of a year, and it’s been an amazing ride. We’re so happy about the relationships we’ve formed, the things we’ve learned, and the many, many things we have yet to do. We’re also looking forward to reflecting on and analyzing this experience so we can understand our business on the deepest level, and be sure to bring you the best service possible.

Over the last six months, we’ve been listening hard to what customers tell us they really need and want, and what we continue to hear is that Meal Kits are what they find the most interesting, and the most valuable. We want them to know that we hear them, so we’re very excited to announce that we will be spending the next few months focusing on developing our Meal Kit offering more fully. We will be working on new recipes that offer more dietary options, incorporate seasonal changes, and provide a variety of serving sizes for different households. We have ideas in the works around new packaging, and even new partners that will bring a fresh and interesting spin to the Meal Kit assortment. We can’t wait to show you!

With the busy holiday season approaching and the weather turning, we think this is the perfect time to give our Meal Kits the attention they require. So, we will be consolidating our market schedule through the holidays, and spending the rest of our time working hard on Meal Kit development, as well as service improvement all around. You can still shop with us on Market Mondays for your weekly produce, groceries, and Meal Kits in November and December, and be sure to check in with us often; we will be back with a reinvigorated market schedule and a new and improved product line in the new year.

We have big ideas for the future of My Street Grocery, and as always, we remain fully committed to our mission to increase fresh food access for all. Thank you for all you do to support us, and most importantly, to support the mission to provide people with the tools they need to lead healthy, happy lives.

This week, I had the great opportunity to participate in a panel sponsored by the Lemelson Foundation at this year’s Grantmakers Regional Conference. What was particularly exciting to me was the theme of the panel, which was how philanthropic organizations can play an active role in advancing innovation to stimulate economic growth. (That was a verbose description; in short, the discussion was about changing the way we think about — and go about — solving problems.) This is something I love to talk about, because I think it gets at the heart of why My Street Grocery is a social enterprise, and why we think that’s a great thing to be. (You can read more about our philosophy behind social enterprise in a prior blog entry.)

The discussion was invigorating and I was thrilled at the thoughtful questions and receptivity of the crowd. Many suggestions about how philanthropic organizations can support innovation to achieve their goals were brought to the table: support a non-profit working on a revenue generating project, invest in a business plan competition, fund start-up incubators, or provide alternative funding streams to for-profit social enterprises (ahem). Now that is a forward-thinking crowd.

Another brilliant concept that was presented at the conference and intertwined into this discussion was that of collective impact. (This is my new favorite social impact philosophy. After learning more about it, I figuratively formed and chaired the Collective Impact Fan Club, had banners emblazoned with “Collective Impact Forever” made to hang on my walls, and got a heart tattoo with “CI” where “Mom” traditionally would be. No offense, Mom.) In short, if we isolate our impact, we work in silos, tend to duplicate efforts, and never reach our potential. Collective impact encourages cross-sector collaboration, adaptive problem solving, and systemic change to maximize results. (YES!) This is the exact environment in which social enterprise could flourish, and it makes me very excited to know that this is a growing discussion.

I believe that the face of philanthropy is changing, and I saw it at this event. The goals to enhance the vitality of our communities are the same, but people are ready to deepen their impact, to ensure that their funding efforts are addressing diverse and pressing needs, and to be creative with how they go about their work. AND! Not only are these individuals thinking about how they can support innovation, but they are also, in fact, being innovative themselves. All of these out-of-the-box ideas I heard today make me excited for the future of the work that we all do, and I look forward to doing it together.

April is a great time to visit Oregon’s Hood River Valley.  That’s when rows of cherry, apple and pear trees blossom white and pink against the backdrop of rolling hills, forests and a snow-covered Mt Hood.  July and August in the valley are stunning as deep red cherries fill the trees and fields of lavender carpet the valley floor. That’s also when brilliant yellow and gold sunflowers reach for the sky, and sweet blueberries taste their best.  Even September is a beautiful and delicious time in the valley when peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, raspberries, and sweet honey crisp apples await.

Of course, here we are in October and you may be surprised to discover that there’s still plenty to enjoy in the Hood River Valley.  You can still walk the rows of apple and pear trees while filling your bucket with sweet fruit.  You can still enjoy a cup of cool cider in the warm afternoon sun.  And on a sunny day views in all directions are breathtaking.  Picture the Columbia River Gorge, Mt Adams and of course Mt Hood as the backdrop for a leisurely picnic in a grassy field.  You can even do a little early Christmas shopping at a farm stands where you’ll find honeys, jams, ciders, and artwork from local artisans.  If it’s cool outside, warm up inside with a cup of coffee and a piece of fresh pie at one of the local bakeries.

The Hood River Valley is breathtaking most any time of year.  For more information including great descriptions of many farm stands and their products, visit Hood River County’s “Fruit Loop” website.

First, I’d like to wish myself and my team a little happy-anniversary-to-us. It’s hard to believe, but Monday marks the 5 month anniversary of our launch! Five months may not seem like a long time (and it’s not), but we’ve come a long way since that first day, and I can say with confidence that we are thrilled for the future.

Second, we had the great honor of participating in the Oregon Social Business Challenge on Monday. The opportunity to talk about our work in front of a thousand social business experts, advocates, and entrepreneurs was really a dream. Now, if I had known when we were asked to present that I’d be following the keynote address of the great Muhammad Yunus — Nobel Peace Prize Winner and founder of the microcredit global phenomenon — I may have been more hesitant, but I’m infinitely happy that I did it because it only strengthened by passion for what we do. I’m always floored and humbled by the support we continue to receive from the community around us, and Monday was no exception. Hearing Professor Yunus speak about his incredible work was inspiring, and, when you pair that with his warm and approachable demeanor, you really get that fuzzy feeling inside that makes you feel like everything you’re doing makes sense. For all you entrepreneurs out there, or anyone who has set out to do something without a clear path paved for you, you know how important that kind of validation is; thank you, Professor Yunus, for all you do for the world, and (humbly) for me.

I was also asked to be a judge for the competition portion of the event, where I got to see student teams present their social business concepts with gusto and poise. The passion the students showed for their concepts was contagious; it feels to me like social business as a recognized field is spreading…and I’m excited. Finally, special shout out to EcoZoom, who also presented their world-changing work, Impact Entrepreneurs for being everywhere at once and never allowing their steadfast support to diminish even for an instant, Portland State University for continuing to be our cheerleader, and Mayor Sam Adams, for introducing me so kindly and for pronouncing my last name correctly. Nice work, y’all!

Photo credit: Andie Petkus Photography

Now, while all of this was incredibly special, invigorating, and worthwhile, what I’m perhaps most excited about is what my partners were doing during all of this, which is working hard in the field running our second Central City Concern Market. And…guess what? We had a RECORD BREAKING DAY! It was our best market ever by a long shot, and a huge portion of our sales were EBT transactions. (I’ll try to refrain from too much hyperbole here, but let me just say…YEAH!!!!!!!)

It was truly a Monday to remember. Thanks to everyone out there — customers, partners, friends, supporters, community members — for making what we do feel so good. You’re all indescribably important to us and to our work. Thank you.

And, I’ll leave it at that.

My best,
Amelia

Fast forward about two years.

CCC reopened the conversation with us about working together just a few months ago, and in what seems like lightening speed, we’ve managed to put together a pilot program that is HAPPENING NOW! My Street Grocery’s new Central City Concern Market debuted last Monday, September 24th, from 1:30-2:30pm in the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood. Our pop-up market is located in the garage on the corner of NW Broadway and NW Couch. We opened the first market with high hopes, and we’re all thrilled with the turnout. Not only did CCC clients and staff come to buy fresh goods, but passersby also stopped to shop, expressing excitement and relief that they could get fresh produce in such a convenient location with such affordable prices. Needless to say, we are all a bit overcome with excitement about the endless possibilities this partnership may afford us. Special thanks to Adrienne Karecki, Dave Ford, Cindy Cooper, Jacen Green, and Kathy Pape for keeping the momentum alive!

The CCC Old Town/Chinatown Market will be open each Monday through the month of October from 1:30-2:30pm. You can find our market in the garage on the corner of NW Broadway and NW Couch. As always, the market is open to any and everyone looking to purchase affordable, healthful foods.

You can also read about this new collaboration in the following media:

Sustainable Business Oregon
Portland Mercury
Portland Business Journal
Impact Entrepreneurs Blog