2025 Annual Report Co-ops Build a Better World
International Year of Cooperatives: Co-ops Build a Better World
2025 Annual Report Mission Statement Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide good food at a fair price.
Co-op Principles Co-ops rock! Part of what makes us different is our foundational principles. Co-ops around the world follow these internationally recognized principles: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Voluntary & Open Membership Democratic Member Control Member Economic Participation Autonomy & Independence Education, Training & Information Cooperation Among Cooperatives Concern for Community
2025 Co-op Board of Trustees Brad Claypool | Board President Kristen Ekstran | Vice President Casey Schoenberger | Secretary Laura Bady | Treasurer Rob Smith | Finance Committee Tom Theisen | Strategic Planning Genaro Gomez | Staff Board Member Zach Armstrong | Staff Board Member Leigha Staffenhagen | Board Admin
Report Contributors Leah Scates
Estrella Pineda
Tricia Carter
Beverly Faxon
Nicole Noteboom Leigha Staffenhagen
In a world riddled with uncertainty and a year full of change and challenge, we know the cooperative model offers a brighter, more equitable and just future. Co-ops everywhere are a beacon of hope, and with this understanding—and perhaps, premonition—the United Nations General Assembly declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives: IYC25. International years are declared to draw attention to and encourage action on major issues, on a global scale. The 2025 theme—Cooperatives Build a Better World— was intent on raising public awareness of the invaluable contributions of cooperative enterprises to poverty reduction, employment generation, and social integration by highlighting the strengths of the cooperative business model as an alternative means of doing business and furthering socioeconomic development. The 7 Cooperative Principles sound much like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: People, Peace, Planet, Partnership, and Prosperity. So many agricultural and food cooperatives across the world are a critical piece of continued food access and justice! Including your Co-op. In this report, we’re recapping all the ways we as a Co-op community are building a better world right here in Skagit Valley. 2025 highlights include increased support of local agriculture, food access, and community connection. Join us as we celebrate and reflect on yet another year of cooperation and how much better it makes this beautiful place we call home.
Business With Purpose Along with the 7 Cooperative Principles, your Co-op operates in accordance with our own set of P’s: people, planet, purpose, profit. With this approach in mind, we experienced great success in tandem with extreme, and often unexpected, challenges including tariffs, continued cost increases, and, yes, a 100-year flood. Our General Manager also retired. We are proud of the work we accomplished in the face of it all. The 2025 calendar year for the Co-op showed a strong sales growth of 7%—the national average is 2%! The Co-op did nearly $28 million in sales in 2025, and yet, while prosperous, we were not profitable at the end of the year. Administrative costs were hefty, and the rising costs of employee insurance and wages will continue to pose challenges as we move forward. However, the work we have invested in promises increased efficiencies for years to come. Our 2026 Business Plan centers around building internal efficiencies, continuing engagement within our community, and strategic sales growth. Thanks to our members and shoppers, our sales remain strong, and we have adequate resources to allow us time to regain profitability and a sustainable path forward. With heartfelt gratitude, we thank you for committing to shopping local at our Co-op.
Income Statement Sales
2025
2024
2023
$27,900,332 100%
$26,095,835
$24,732,828
Megan Young
Cost of Goods
$16,094,948 57.69%
$15,071,295
$14,586,912
Katheryn Moran Photography
Personnel Costs
$9,306,930
33.36%
$8,806,837
$5,080,060
Other Operating Expenses
$2,672,918
9.58%
$1,902,900
$5,548,877
Net Income
($174,463)
-0.63%
$314,803
($483,021)
Printed by Skagit Publishing
skagitfoodcoop.com
Co-ops Build a Better Future
Skagit Valley Food Co-op Board of Trustees The 2025 spring Board elections brought stability and continuity to our Co-op: both Kristen Ekstran (Vice President) and Rob Smith (Finance Committee) were re-elected to the Board of Trustees. The Board also welcomed Zach Armstrong as the new Staff Board Member. All will serve 3-year terms. The Board had a full docket in 2025, working through several objectives, establishing new Co-op Ends Statements, fine-tuning the community giving process, and succession planning for a new General Manager. The Board is confident in our Co-op’s trajectory and continues to uphold our mission to provide good food at a fair price well into the future.
Co-op Ends Statements Skagit Valley Food Co-op exists so that owners, staff, customers and other members of our community have:
A financially stable cooperatively owned business that is a leader among local businesses and food co-ops nationally. Our business practices and policies support staff and owners, environmental stewardship, and the community as a whole. Access to quality fresh, packaged, and prepared foods as well as selected mercantile and wellness products, with an emphasis on local and organic, sustainable, and humane practices. A welcoming, unique retail environment that our owners are proud to call their own with friendly, knowledgeable staff, gathering spaces, and information and assistance when needed.
Tony White
Leah Scates
General Manager Tony White Retires Hiring a new General Manager is one of the most important responsibilities of a Co-op Board. In 2020, our Board navigated its first-ever general manager leadership transition when longtime GM Todd Wood retired after 43 years of service and dedication. The Co-op welcomed Tony White as his successor. Tony helped the Co-op navigate the pandemic and implemented several exciting changes throughout the store. In December, we wished Tony a fond farewell as he sailed off into retirement after 30 years in the food co-op industry. Thank you, Tony, for your service to our Co-op. “Thank you so much for letting me share my last six years of my work life with you. It has been the best years of my career. I will miss so many people that I have come to care for over that time. My wife and I hope to visit the area often to reconnect with our Co-op family. And of course, do some shopping at the best Co-op in the country.” –Tony White
Leah Scates Appointed as Interim General Manager As part of the Board’s GM succession planning, the Co-op hired a new Operations Director in the spring: Leah Scates. Leah started with us in March and comes from our fellow co-op to the south, Sno-Isle Food Co-op, as Sno-Isle’s General Manager! She has a deep understanding of the cooperative model along with a solid skillset and passion for community. The Board appointed Leah as the Interim General Manager when Tony retired, and we are so looking forward to forging ahead with her as our leader.
A stronger local food system through partnerships, information, advocacy and direct assistance. A major regional employer that respects staff through a living wage, open communication, supportive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. We strive to ensure our staff is representative of our community. A better community for all through direct support, leadership and involvement in initiatives and organizations aligned with our values and mission.
Monthly Board Meetings The Board of Trustees meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:45am on the Co-op’s Third Floor. All Member-Owners are welcome to attend!
Co-ops Build Stronger Local Economies
We Love Local!
570 Local Producers
Co-ops everywhere are people-centered drivers of circular innovation, job creation, and sustainable development. Your Co-op has been a driver of its own in Skagit Valley for over 50 years. We employ nearly 200 hard-working humans who live and shop locally; we work hand-in-hand with local businesses to help support ours; and we source products from hundreds of local farms, producers, and makers. These exchanges within our community build a stronger local economy and help support the livelihoods of our fellow Skagitonians. Shopping local at our Co-op uplifts us all! | LOCAL FARMER FEATURE |
18 Local Service Providers
12.3m
$
Local Sales
Gary’s Gold: The Perfect Pear Gary & Sue Moulton • Bow, WA
Gary and Sue Moulton have about 350 pear trees in Bow, and the Co-op bought their entire crop of Taylor’s Gold Comice pears again in 2025, like we do every year. They are our Produce Manager Ben’s favorite pear in the whole wide world, and Gary describes them like biting into a juicy, pearflavored butter. And like every year, we sold out, fast! A fruitful relationship that’s better than butter, this direct connect is a small, but shining example of how co-ops build up local economy. Supply, demand, eat, repeat—with all the fruits of our labor staying right here in Skagit Valley.
5.3m+
$
800k+
$
$
Prepared Foods
$
Grocery
1.6m+
Produce
523k+
Wellness
1.2m+
G
Local Sales By Department
ar
yM
ou lto n & Gr
$
Dairy/Chill/Frozen
$
149k+ Bulk
$
andson
1m+
Meat/Seafood
136k+
$
Mercantile
Made Right Here
27
Hyper-Local Food From the Co-op Another important element in our pursuit of local is the Co-op Makery, our production facility, home to hundreds of hyper-local, handcrafted foods for you to enjoy. Like many things, food “made by hand” is becoming harder to come by, but our teams of bakers, butchers, and cooks are working tirelessly to provide more good food made by hand by real people, right here at the Co-op. In May, we introduced new hot deli sandwiches, all made with exceptional ingredients and fresh bread from our bakery. Our bakery team also perfected a new Whole Wheat Sourdough, so we could use our own bread for our all of our Deli sandwiches. And each month, we promote a handful of Co-op Made Features, so keep an eye out for these always-delicious, always-local creations.
Our Co-op Makery: The Faces of Local Bakery! You get to enjoy their work, but you don’t see their faces: our stellar bakery team was featured in the Skagit Valley Herald’s Faces of Skagit publication for their incredible behind-the-scenes efforts to create, develop, and produce some of the best baked goods in town. Any trip to the Co-op bakery case is a treat, thanks to our bakery team.
Makery Employees
5.4m
$
Annual Sales of Co-op Made Foods
450k
$
Monthly Sales of Co-op Made Foods
Our People
Lovers of food, lovers of art, lovers of people.
7.5m
$
Total Wages
92k
$
401K Matching $
18k
Holiday Gift Cards $
21k
Birthday Pay
335k
$
Total Staff Discount
Co-op employees are an exceptional group of friendly folks who bring their heart and soul to work because we are also lovers of the Co-op and our community. It is our goal to serve up a delicious customer service experience to every single person who walks through our doors, and our staff take great pride in doing so. And we, as a Co-op, take great pride in our staff and our efforts to care for them. The Co-op employs nearly 200 people! Being an employer of our size is a great privilege and responsibility, and the Co-op continues to work to find ways to compensate, engage, and develop our staff in impactful ways, despite growing challenges and increased costs. The Co-op’s starting wage still exceeds our state’s minimum wage—the highest in the nation in 2025. We distributed $200,000 in profit-sharing from 2024 in addition to a cost of living adjustment wage increase for all qualifying staff. We were able to provide the same robust health coverage without passing increased costs on to employees and their families. We also updated our 401k matching policy, so all employees receive a 4% match and are vested on day one. These are big decisions that support our Co-op team.
Work Perks! ∙ Starting wage of $17.73/hr with regular raises ∙ 25% staff discount on almost all purchases ∙ Lunch discount: 25% discount + $3 credit ∙ Paid time off ∙ High-quality health insurance ∙ Basic life insurance with option for voluntary life insurance ∙ 401k matching retirement ∙ Opportunities for training and growth
$17.73 The Co-op’s Minimum Wage
$16.66 WA State Minimum Wage
1+ Year (53)
62k
$
Staff Lunch
Staff Groceries
$
273k
3+ Years (35)
187
5+ Years (18)
Co-op Employees
129
full time
10+ Years (12)
58
part time
15+ Years (9) 20+ Years (8) 25+ Years (4)
| STAFF FEATURE |
Zach Armstrong Kitchen Supervisor & Staff Board Member Co-op Employee Since August 2021
Zach worked briefly at Third Street Cafe and came back to us, now as a Kitchen Supervisor in the Makery. He’s also on the Board! Zach’s favorites include seeing his family in the store and approaching them with his “customer service apron” on, attending concerts and Seattle Storm games, or simply relaxing at home with his cat and playing games. When it comes to Co-op food, he says the Deli’s Black Bean & Quinoa Salad always satisfies!
Our People
Staff Development & Engagement From safety trainings and farm tours to trade shows and co-op focused conferences, 2025 was another busy year of learning for our teams. We are especially glad to have had over 30 staff members in leadership roles participate in Mighty Community Markets, an expert-led training designed specifically for independent grocery stores to thrive in an industry dominated by big box retailers. The mission is to drive impact through strong operations, excellence in business leadership, and team development to support our community.
~2000 Staff Development Hours
Farm Tours
We’ve Got Spirit
October Art Show
One perk of working in Skagit Valley is the opportunity to tour local farms. Staff are frequently invited to step foot on the soil where all the magic happens. This year, some of our Produce Team even got asked to Farm Prom hosted by our friends Jacob and Amy, owners of Boldly Grown Farm!
Yes, we do! From the first day of spring and Halloween to the holidays and the average Tuesday, Co-op staff know how to bring the quirk with our creepy costumes, Hawaiian shirts, and silly hats. Spirit days are just one way we keep it fun while bringing you a little more joy to your shopping experience.
Every month, the Co-op features local art on our Deli Mezzanine, and every October —in celebration of National Co-op Month— that art is created by our own employees! Co-op art is a reflection of our diverse and talented staff, a creative group with a wide range of pursuits outside of work.
41k
$
Missed Wages Paid During Flood Closure
18k
$
Holiday Gift Cards
Care For All In the fall, our community was hit hard with the news of a suspension in funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Then, the Skagit River floods, with river heights reaching an all-time high. In response, the Co-op increased the lunch discount for all employees in November and December. We increased the staff grocery discount for employees participating in SNAP/EBT. We also paid any scheduled staff for hours they missed when we were closed during the flood. Additionally, the Board, who typically issues holiday gift cards in December as a way to say thank you to staff for their diligent work during the busiest time of year, decided to issue $100 holiday gift cards early, to give employees an extra boost in the face of uncertainty.
Co-ops Build Stronger Communities
Continued Commitment to Community Giving Cooperative Principle 7: Concern for Community. We live and breathe this principle, and we are constantly thinking of ways to do more, to provide even more support. While our community giving programs have impacted thousands of lives—and saved hundreds of trees—over the years, the needs of our community are evolving and increasing. 2025 only magnified the many, many needs. Yet, before the year even began, your Co-op committed to increasing our community giving efforts.
95 Local Groups Supported
Growing Good Fund: Viva Farms When asked what our community would lose if we lost Viva Farms, Elma, Viva’s Communication Manager responded, “The obvious answer is food. One of Viva’s main concerns is: who will grow our food in the future? Across the country, we are losing farms every day for many reasons, such as farmers aging out, a lack of succession plans, and land pressure. There is a risk to the next generation of losing farmers of all backgrounds if we don’t support beginning farmers.”
269k
$
Total Donations
The Co-op Board again elected to donate $100,000 to Viva Farms in 2025 to support their mission of growing farms, community, and food—at an extremely critical time, no less. Hit with the federal funding freeze in February, Viva Farms, a long-standing non-profit farm business incubator and its 34 farms now at risk. In response to the suspension of funds, the Co-op was poised to pivot the grant allocation from The Barn at Viva Farms infrastructure project towards general operating funds to keep farmers farming and to keep feeding Skagitonians. Ultimately, the reallocation wasn’t necessary, and the Growing Good Fund was able to support The Barn and Viva Farms, along with its 34 farm businesses, who grew millions of dollars of organic produce for families across Western Washington.
A Bigger Way to Give Back: 5% Friday!
2024 had marked the 20th year of our 4% Friday Community Giving Day, a program designated to donate 4% of sales to a local community group one Friday a month. After 20 years and $550,000 donated all-time, the Co-op Board approved a generous increase to this already flourishing giving program: from 4% to 5% of sales being donated. In addition to the percentage increase from 4% to 5%, we started hosting community meals on select 5% Fridays, with all meal proceeds also being given to 5% Friday groups—each of the twelve groups received up to $500 more to fund their initiatives.
13 Groups Supported
$
51k
5% Friday Donations
6k
$
Community Meal Donations
Co-ops Build Better Food Systems for All
14
Stepping Up in the Fight Against Hunger Food security and food access remain a strong focus for your Co-op—feeding our community is paramount. 2025 only highlighted the growing needs in our region, and winter was an especially hard season for many people at the Co-op and in Skagit Valley. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) funding was suspended in November, and our beloved Skagit River breached its banks in December. Our Board of Trustees and team of operators made a great intentional effort to give back to organizations doing work to help feed our neighbors.
Food Security Organizations Supported
94k
$
Total Co-op Donations to Local Hunger Relief
11.5k
$
Feeding Change: The Co-op’s Register Donation Program In September 2025, we introduced our newest community giving program, Feeding Change! A register donation program, Feeding Change allows shoppers to donate $1, $3, or $5 to a community group during checkout. When we kicked off the program in September, we selected Community Action’s Food Distribution Center as the first donation group so your dollars could literally feed people and create systemic change. Feeding Change donations go directly toward the Distribution Center purchasing food for food banks. As usual, you showed up–together, we donated over $67,000 in 2025! Thank you.
$
67,000 + Raised by Members at the Register in 2025
December Flood Relief In addition to immediate assistance for our employees, the Co-op hosted an impromptu donation-based community meal in response to the historic floods. All meal donations went directly to the Food Distribution Center to help feed families across Skagit County, including some that had never had to ask for help until the floods. The dinner was a wonderful show of community support, and we raised $1,000 to help feed hungry Skagitonians. Moreso, the floods inundated many of our area’s farms, impacting the future of growing food. The Co-op partnered with the Skagit Community Foundation, Northwest Agriculture Business Center, and Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland to provide flood relief funds through an emergency flood relief program. Funds assisted Skagit County agricultural producers with flood damage not covered by insurance or government programs.
Free Banana Card Fruit
Co-ops Build a More Sustainable World
Sustainability is in our Co-op DNA! Cooperatives around the world are engines of sustainability through their daily operations, social initiatives, and economic impact. From packaging and the vendors we work with to equipment upgrades and a new reusable utensils program, our Co-op continues to seek ways to weave sustainability into every shopping experience.
Tokens for Tomorrow
Bring Your Own Cups
Co-op shoppers always get rewarded for bringing their own bags through our longstanding Tokens for Tomorrow Bring-Your-Own-Bag program. In addition to never having carried plastic bags, the Co-op encourages shoppers to bring their own bags by giving out wooden tokens worth 8¢ to pay forward to local community groups including the Skagit Humane Society and Neighbors in Need Food Bank. Shoppers are saving money, saving trees, and giving back all at once!
Organics are the Answer!
In 2025, Co-op bring-your-own-baggers diverted over 156,000 bags from the landfill, and we donated $12,545 to groups throughout Skagit!
3.9k+
The Co-op was a pioneer of the organic movement, and we continue to prioritize people and planet through our organic offerings throughout the store. $
12.5k
156k
~240
Donated
Paper Bags Saved
Trees Saved
$
4.1m
Organic Produce Sales $
3.7m
Organic Grocery Sales
651k
$
Organic Bulk Sales
397k
$
Organic Meat Sales
PFLAG Skagit
Communities in Schools
Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland
Bring it Back: Our New Reusable Utensil Program After witnessing the success of an outside-the-box sustainable silverware program at several other co-ops across the country, including our neighbors at Community Food Co-op in Bellingham, we decided to join the movement and launch our new “Bring It Back” reusable utensil program. We stopped purchasing compostable utensils and are now only providing metal utensils in the Deli, for here or to-go. Yes, to-go! Bring It Back allows you to take metal utensils with you, in an effort to keep plastic out of the landfill, because, ultimately, most compostables still end up in the trash. You can bring the metal utensils back, donate them, add them to your kitchen drawer, or stash them someplace handy—just don’t throw them away!
Co-ops Build Connection
Out & About With Your Co-op! Over the years, your Co-op has considered the many ways we could reimagine community outreach and engagement since suspending some of our programming during the pandemic. While we recognize there are still more opportunities and touchpoints to explore, we made a concerted effort to expand our reach outside these old bricks and into the greater Skagit community at large. We’ve been sponsoring and participating in more and more events. In 2024, we were able to connect with community at 18 events. In 2025, we continued to focus on outreach by adding five employees to our outreach team! Consisting of friendly faces from various Co-op departments, our team took part in over 30 community events, including Co-op debuts at the Mount Vernon Youth Arts Festival, Christianson’s Giant Pumpkin Festival, the Downtown Cinco de Mayo parade, and the Burlington-Edison Back to School Fair. It has been a great joy seeing so many of you out and about and getting to share the Co-op story with those who may not know us. Expanding outreach has helped us take stronger root in our cooperative principles, and we’re excited for what the future holds in terms of community connection.
| OUTREACH TEAM FEATURE |
Leigha Staffenhagen Community Outreach Manager
We say it often, but it’s true: the Co-op is so much more than a grocery store. My favorite part of our “so much more” is our support (and building) of community. Our Outreach Team is just one of our conduits for connecting with our Skagit Valley neighbors, allowing us to be present in spaces that encourage wellness, healthy eating, connection, and the upliftment of this spectacular place we call home. When you see our booth at an event, come say hi! We love getting to connect with you, both while you’re grocery shopping and when you’re out and about.
30+ Outreach Events! including... • Illuminight Winter Walk • Ska-Com Seed Swap • YMCA Healthy Kids Day • MV Cinco De Mayo Parade • Youth Arts Festival • B-E Back to School Fair • Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival
Co-ops Build a Better World And dare we say, our beloved Skagit Valley Food Co-op has built the best community, in every sense of the word? For over fifty years, we have built a safe space to come together to enjoy good food, and each other, in an effort to take good care of the people and places around us. We can probably also agree that most co-ops would boast the same of their own communities, and that, too, is what makes the cooperative model so beautiful. It fosters community and improves lives around the world— one by one and as a collective. We are grateful for your participation in this radical little thing we call cooperation and appreciate how you continue to create resilience in a world of so many unknowns.
Thank you for making our Co-op the best place around!
1,024
Active Member-Owner Households
New Members In 2025
BEST of the
2025
13,695
NORTH
WEST GOLD
Driven by concern for all communities, cooperatives have successfully adapted to overcome the evolving challenges of our time, and have shown repeatedly throughout history, that together we are indeed building a better world. - Ariel Guarco
President of the International Cooperative Alliance
Open Daily to Everyone 202 South First Street Mount Vernon, WA 98273
360.336.9777 skagitfoodcoop.com @skagitfoodcoop