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Alberta Co-op Grocery

Open to everyone 9-10 daily

1500 NE Alberta St., Portland, Oregon 97211  ·  on buslines 8 & 72

info@albertagrocery.coop

503.287.4333



Posts Tagged ‘fair trade’

The Long-Coveted Cashews are Back!

Posted February 22nd, 2012

This week we welcome the return of the fabulously flavorful Just Cashews from Honduras. Check out their website to learn more about the origin of these delicious nuts.

In the interim, though, here’s a brief overview of their history:

In the 1970s cashew trees were introduced to Honduras, and they began to thrive. However, the local farmers, or campesinos, weren’t making money by selling raw, unhulled cashew nuts. This was mainly because of the middlemen who stepped in and took most of the profits they gleaned from reselling the raw goods to processors and exporters.

In 1981, the campesinos received assistance from a U.S. nonprofit organization to develop the local capacity to process and package the cashews, and a Honduran non-profit, APDP (Asociación Proyectos Del Pueblo) was established and organized the cashew cooperatives that are functioning today. Rural, democratically run campesino cooperatives of growers and producers perfected a safe, local processing technique that prepares cashews for export.

APDP has now dismantled but the co-op members are in the process of learning how to export their own product to ensure a higher level of self-sufficiency. The co-ops are currently obtaining Fair Trade certification through the Fair Trade Labeling Organization. In conjunction with Trocaire, an Irish development agency, Just Cashews is working to raise money to financially assist in building another processing facility for these cooperatives. This will allow the co-ops to process more of their own product, enabling them to retain more of the total income from the product within their own communities.

Just Cashews has developed a fair trade relationship with thecooperatives that grow the cashews, to ensure that the farmers receive a fair price for their product, and have also arranged for organic certification of the co-ops by Bio Latina.

And now we can proudly say that these delicious cashewes are back on our shelves, by popular demand.  It’s a product that not only tastes delicious, but that you can feel good about buying.

We currently have Whole Roasted Salted Cashews, selling for $14.29 per pound, and Whole Raw Cashews, available for only $12.19 per pound. Try some next time you come in!


Introducing: Red & Black Quinoa

Posted October 4th, 2011

By Issa, co-Bulk Buyer
We now have a product that has (to my knowledge) never been sold in the history of human kind.  OK that’s going a little too far, but it is cool and unique.  It’s…drum roll… red & black quinoa.  We’ve had black quinoa, and we’ve had red quinoa, but never the two have met.  Until now.

It could be in honor of the Catalonia/Spanish civil war, or the colors of your favorite basketball team, or just a new way to eat one of the most nutritious whole foods available in the world.  The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, and is a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins.  It is exceptionally high in a lot of amino acids that are typically low in other grains.  The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Some types of wheat come close to matching quinoa’s protein content, but  grains such as barley, corn, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a childs protein needs for one day. The 6-7% fat of Quinoa is relatively high when compared to other grains, but it boasts a low sodium content and also provides valuable starch and fiber. The seeds are gluten-free, which makes this a nutritious and flavorful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity. Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyone’s diet, supplying variety as well as good nutrition.  So come in to the Co-op and get in on the red and black quinoa revolution.