April Community Spotlight: The Dill Pickle Food Co-op
Hey Five Point Community!
As a central objective of the cooperative principals and our mission statement, we believe in fostering community and working together with other local businesses. In an effort to achieve and expand on this ambition, we have created an initiative we are calling the Five Point Community Spotlight. Simply put, instead of only promoting our mission and services, each month we will put other progressive local businesses in the spotlight, highlight what makes them extraordinary, and commend them for their contribution to our community.
First Up
The Dill Pickle Food Cooperative
An obvious choice for our first spotlight, our neighborhood cooperative in crime sets the standard for what it means to be a triple bottom line business (having social, environmental, and financial goals). Over our first year we’ve become quite fond of working with Dill Pickle, especially on our partnership Homestead Logan Square.
For those of you who are out of the loop, The Dill Pickle is a consumer food cooperative and grocery located just down the street from Five Point in Logan Square. Most of the Five Point team already shops regularly at the Pickle, and Ryan Palma is even on their board of directors.
So what makes them so great?
Food Quality
The Dill Pickle specializes in and excels at providing the highest quality organic and local produce, meat, dairy, and other products. Providing truly local food is no small feat, as they currently work directly with over 40 farms in the greater Chicagoland area. This accomplishment is revolutionary in the grocery world, as they were told it would be nearly impossible to primarily source directly from the farm. They truly understand the importance of knowing your suppliers personally, and they take their responsibility of providing and educating the consumer about sustainably grown produce and ethically raised animal products very seriously. From a quality of food perspective, we cannot recommend a grocery in the city with more confidence.
Community Building
In addition to their amazing food, Logan Square is very lucky to have such a leader in social justice in the community. As with any co-op, concern for community and education are central to their mission. The Dill Pickle cares about what is happening in the community, and they actively work to create opportunities to build a more cohesive, inclusive neighborhood. They lead one of Chicago’s more sophisticated outreach and volunteer efforts in their Hands On Owner Program and Block Club. Once an owner, these programs give you the opportunity to give back and get involved in the co-op and our community.
Cooperation (community ownership)
Obviously here at Five Point we are big fans of democratic, cooperative business structures. So who owns the Dill Pickle? Its members! Having just eclipsed 1,500 active members, the Dill Pickle is owned collectively by a vibrant community of progressive and diverse community members. Maintaining a sense of ownership at your local food hub gives you a voice in what food is available and keeps you actively engaged in the community at large. Though you do not need to be an owner to shop at the Dill Pickle, we recommend that everyone consider the benefits to ownership.
Thank you Dill Pickle
Lastly, we want to simply say THANK YOU the Dill Pickle for its work in the community over the last 5 years and for being a guiding light for ethical business practices. It is invaluable to have such a caring, connected grocery in the neighborhood. Keep being awesome.
Learn more about The Dill Pickle’s history and their upcoming expansion (very exciting) on their website. Also like them on Facebook to keep updated with current happenings. And if you happen to be in for a treatment sometime in the Month of April, we will be giving out a 10% off coupon for your next grocery trip to the Dill Pickle.
If you would like to recommend a local business or organization for our Community Spotlight program in future months, please email us at info@fivepointholistic.com.