It’s pretty amazing to have a local business last for 30 years in this day and age, never mind a business as innovative and creative and cool as The Big Carrot. Not only has the Carrot been taking care of Local for the past few years but they’ve taken care of the community for the past thirty and for many have become the go-to place for all things “health”. This is a business that is ever-evolving however and Sarah Dobec, who we met back when she was running Field Trip and we had just started Local, takes you there. Sarah is now part of the Big Carrot team and we figured she was a perfect point person to bring us up to speed on the latest in The Big Carrot’s thirty year history.
The article pdf is at right or for those on a mobile browser, here is the copy:
WALKING ALONG DANFORTH AVENUE, EAST OF BROADVIEW, ONE CAN’T HELP BUT NOTICE CARROT COMMON, HOME TO THE BIG CARROT NATURAL FOOD MARKET. THIS COMMUNITY HUB ATTRACTS PEOPLE SEEKING REFUGE FROM THEIR STRESSFUL DAY AND A SOLUTION FOR THEIR HEALTHY INTENTIONS.
The Big Carrot recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and has come a long way since its humble beginnings. The first store was located across the street on the south side where the Second Cup is today. Back in 1980, influenced by the Mondragon Co-operative Corporation in the Basque region of Spain, nine local unemployed work colleagues formed a worker co-op, but they still had to find a prime location. Surveying numerous neighbourhoods, they settled on Danforth Avenue with the hopes that the like-minded new young families moving into the area would become future loyal customers. In just nine months the one-stop health food store opened.
Daiva, an original founding member, gets a kick of seeing second-generation family members frequenting the store and hopes the tradition continues for generations to come. The original small store was a huge success. After three years more space was needed to keep up with the demands of the community as well as to house more shelves to accommodate new natural food products that were becoming available. A used car lot owned by the Player family and located across the street was going up for sale. The Big Carrot and developer, David Walsh struck a partnership and built The Carrot Common.
This move was made possible with the financial support of customers who bought non-voting shares and allowed The Big Carrot to increase the size of the store from 2,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet. The membership increased from 9 to 13 members as well as a handful of support staff. Times were a bit rough the first few years as the business suffered through the recession of the early 1980’s, but the worker-owners held their own and continued to attract new members while developing a loyal clientele.
Since then, The Big Carrot has expanded into other areas of The Carrot Common with a separate wholistic dispensary and organic juice bar. A recent expansion also increased the size of the store’s body care, produce and bulk departments and increased the deli seating area. The total square footage of the store is now 12,000 square feet.
Through the years, members have come and gone. Currently there are 71 worker-owners. Employees who are hired full time are eligible to become a member of the co-op after a year of employment. After an initial investment is made (the amount hasn’t changed since 1983) and $1 paid for a voting share, the member can then participate in committee work and attend membership meetings held every two weeks. Meetings consist of reviewing committee reports, store policies, future planning, approving capital expenditures and voting in new members. 70% of annual profits are shared by the members based on the amount of labour hours worked. The rest goes back into the business with a percentage donated to other worker-co-ops, sustainable agriculture initiatives and the community.
This year the membership voted to commit $25,000 of donation dollars to existing suppliers and farmers to help them expand their operations and ultimately grow the availability of local, organic food. The grant is called “The Nature’s Finest Fund”. Applications can be found on The Big Carrot website and are accepted at the beginning of each year. This promises to be an ongoing initiative.
Another Big Carrot initiative, the Carrot Cache Community Resource is a non-profit corporation partnered with David Walsh and The Big Carrot. A percentage of the Carrot Common Mall’s profits are allocated to support organic agriculture and co-operative businesses. Carrot Cache invests in people who are working either in worker co-operatives or who are working for an organization promoting organic agriculture and/or community food strategies. Carrot Cache funds grassroots groups across Canada and has supported Canadians who are working internationally. Over the last 9 years, Carrot Cache has granted more than
$1million to more than 165 organizations and individuals.
If members decide to leave the co-op, they receive their initial investment back as well as any outstanding labour dividends they have accumulated in their capital account. Although The Big Carrot is owned in common by its members, ownership rights are partial and do not include the right to sell the store for personal gain.
With more members getting involved over the years and having a vested interest in the business, The Big Carrot has been able to provide new services to the community. In-store nutritionists provide store tours. Professional staff are employed in the body care and dispensary departments. A red seal chef manages the vegetarian deli. A community outreach position was created to educate students and offer clientelle workshops and field trips. Also a standards coordinator was hired to ensure all ingredient standards are met in products sold at The Big Carrot
In 2009, The Big Carrot strengthened its commitment to good organic stewardship by certifying the processing and packaging activities to the new Canadian Organic Standard. Ecocert Canada has certified The Big Carrot to process and package over 700 organic products in the juice bar, bulk, spice, cheese, meat and produce departments.
Yet another initiative demonstrates the co-ops commitment to the community and to trends in health and food in general. In response to concerns about genetically modified foods in the food system, in 2005, The Big Carrot collaborated with other independent retailers in North America to found the Non-GMO Project. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.
Over the years The Big Carrot has grown and evolved, adopting new policies and fine-tuning the values of operating a store whose tag line is “searching for nature’s finest”. However, the vision was and still remains, “A commitment to both natural foods and the building of a democratic workplace. We offer an alternative to commercial supermarkets. As worker owners, we seek to maintain personal control over the quality of food we sell.”
When you walk through the store and see the many membership photos posted on the walls, you become familiar with some of the same faces looking back at you throughout the years. They are testament to The Big Carrot’s success and illustrate how a simple vision written 30 years ago has become an integral part of the community.
