Whether it be Fair Trade or local, one-of-a-kind gifts are great to give. We carry unique items in our general merchandise area, across from the wellness department.  Look for great gift ideas for kids, teachers, the man or woman in your life or a fun stocking stuffer for anyone on your list. Many gift items can be found for under $20.00! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Just Me, Geralyn and Glass

Not only does Geralyn create beautiful glass vases, platters and necklaces, she makes one-of-a-kind glass ornaments as well! Artisan glass creations from Just Me, Geralyn and Glass are as local as you can get—Geralyn also happens to work here in our co-op deli!

AndesGifts

We have a wide variety of colorful AndesGifts Fair Trade items available for the holiday season and beyond! The quality of the alpaca wool used for these hand-knit hats, scarves and gloves is outstanding! AndesGifts are perfect for keeping heads, necks and hands warm throughout the long Minnesota winter.

Maggie’s Functional Organics

Maggie’s Functional Organic’s offers Fair Trade Certified™ apparel products made with organic cotton! We carry a nice variety of Maggie’s socks. The tie-dye socks are especially colorful, and no two pairs are alike! Looking for a great stocking stuffer? Stuff  ‘em with socks!

Chocolate!

Don’t forget the Fair Trade Chocolate! Go for a simple and tasty gift that’s sure to please just about anyone. Select several kinds of Fair Trade chocolate bars from Divine Chocolate, Green & Blacks Organic, Equal Exchange or Theo Chocolate, stack them and tie up with a colorful ribbon, or wrap in a holiday cellophane bag.

LOOKING FOR COUPONS? Check out our online coupon page and save money on selected gifts items and chocolate bars!

Our staff love the colorful  fair trade mittens, hats and scarves from AndesGifts and we know you will too! Check out our general merchandise area, right across from the wellness department. You will find beautiful one-of-a-kind gifts for adults and children! AndesGifts is a west coast US company and is a certified member of the Fair Trade Federation. This means AndesGifts respects the rights of the artisans who work for them, making sure they earn a fair price for what they produce.

The quality of the alpaca wool used for these hand-knit items is outstanding! On your next shopping trip, stop by our general merchandise area and check out the variety of cool colors and patterns.

LOOKING FOR A COUPON? Save $2.00 on any AndesGifts item valued at $15.00 and up, with an online coupon!

During the month of October, Equal Exchange will donate $.25 (up to $15,000) to tea farmers in Darjeeling, India for each Equal Exchange item sold in co-ops! This money will go to the Potong tea community to help them plant new tea bushes and support their unique worker-owned business model! In tea, this model is highly unusual, as Fair Trade tea often comes from large estates where workers are legally bound from one generation to the next.

Want to know more? Fix yourself a steaming cup of Fair Trade tea (or Fair Trade  hot chocolate or  coffee) and enjoy reading an interesting article: Transforming the Tea Industry: From Plantations to a Small Farmer Model. Don’t forget to include a wholesome snack like a Fair Trade organic banana, also from our friends at Equal Exchange!

Equal Exchange isn’t the only company with Fair Trade products. Check out the colorful socks and other cotton apparel from Maggies Functional Organics. Or how about an unusually shaped and exotic tasting raw chocolate bar from Fearless Chocolate!

LOOKING FOR COUPONS? Great savings on Maggies Socks, Fearless Chocolate, Equal Exchange organic bananas, boxed teas, packaged coffees, hot cocoa mixes and olive oil are available on our online coupon page! Many  Equal Exchange products are also on sale right now for even bigger savings when you double up with a coupon!

Why not  do some of your holiday shopping early! Check out our gift items area, right across from the wellness area. You will find an assortment of colorful,  fair trade mittens, hats, scarves and socks – great for one-of-a-kind gifts for adults and children! These hand-knitted fair trade items are from AndesGifts, a west coast US company and a certified member of the Fair Trade Federation which means they respect the rights of those who work for them and make sure that they earn a fair price for what they produce. When you puchase these fair trade items, you are supporting the skilled artisans and knitters who work for AndesGifts to receive at least three times the regional average in wages in South America.  And that is the beauty of fair trade.  

The quality of the alpaca wool used to make the hats, mittens and scarves  is outstanding. Shop early for best selection. Check back at our gift area as the holidays approach for new items coming in every couple of weeks.

A good cup of coffee, whether enjoyed up north in a north woods cabin or right here in a suburban kitchen can be doubly appreciated when you know the beans are freshly-roasted close to home.  

There’s a new blend of locally-produced coffee beans on our shelves as a result of “roasted votes” cast by our own customers! Back in February, Alakef Coffee Roasters, located up north in Duluth, was here to offer tastings of various special blends to our customers and then collected several votes. Click here to view the results. 

Roasted in small batches using organic, 100% Fair Trade beans, this unique blend of 80% Mexican, 10% Guatemalan, and 10% Peru French Roast beans is available exclusively at Valley Natural Foods. Look for our Down in the Valley blend, a recent addition to our bulk coffee bins. We also offer our unique Down in the Valley blend in attractive blue packaging - makes a perfect gift for that special someone who loves locally-produced products!

Bring your own mug to Valley Natural Foods on Thursday, April 22 and receive a free cup of coffee up to 16 oz. Yes, it is Fair Trade & eco-friendly!

What’s, organic, high quality, Fair Trade and absolutely delicious? It’s our new bulk maple syrup, available in both grade A and B! Because this is a Fair Trade product, your purchase of this maple syrup supports local organic family farmers from Wisconsin. We would love to continue carrying this product and need your help in keeping our costs down.

When you self-dispense the syrup into a container, please be aware that it is sold by the pound, not volume. Recently, customers have have been surprised at the registers by the cost of filled containers.

Below is a chart that may help you estimate your purchase before you dispense the amount you wish to buy. Once the product is dispensed, we are unable to put it back in stock if a customer changes their mind, and that could potentially drive our prices up in order to absorb the loss. We hope you will find the following information useful when considering your purchase of our new maple syrup. Thanks!

Here are some approximate costs for filled containers:

• 8 oz. size - $8.95
• 16 oz. size - $17.26
• 1 qt. size – $34.29
• Small Tub – $10.39
• Medium Tub - $19.23
• Bear container – $9.61