Orders open for 16th August Meetup

Plus let's get the conversations flowing, a report out on the Co-op, Grassland Poultry and what's new in the list.

August 07, 2025

COOKS CO~OP

WELL THIS IS NEW!

Welcome to the first Cooks Co-op Newsletter. It’s a start, and we look forward to its co-creation with anyone who’s interested in getting involved.

August 16th Meetup order deadlines:

Orders close for coffee, all fresh produce and fresh pasta Saturday 9th August 8pm.

Orders close completely Monday 11th August 8pm

The Report

WHERE’S THE CO-OP AT?

Here’s the beginning of a report out we’ll do in our newsletter every month - we’ll add more relevant data as we think to, but if there’s anything you’d particularly like to see, let us know here.

MEMBERSHIP

We’ve increased from 13 member households in March, to 25 member households in August.

MEMBERSHIP BANK

We have about $19k in stock. Most members have contributed $200 to support this. The remainder is being supported by Ange, Brett, Sato & Take. The risk will gradually be more evenly distributed as our membership grows.

CORE MEMBER REIMBURSEMENT

The core team accumulatively did over 100 hours of work in July. They split a total credit of $600 for this contribution (plus their 0% at the til).

HELP US GROW

We are up for (and need) more members, so please don’t hold back in telling your communities. Keep your referrals coming and we’ll call mercy if we need to.

This Month’s Featured Producer

GRASSLAND POULTRY

We’re now offering a full range of whole birds and parts from this incredible producer: Grassland Poultry.

(Note: We’re still waiting on 9 Dorf chickens. We don’t know when they’ll arrive as they’re growing very slowly over winter and so Bronwyn is having trouble meeting orders - a very hard place for her to be in. Small farmers can lose their customers completely through these situations. We’ve seen it before with an egg farmer of ours. The least we can do is leave open our orders so that when they can fill them, we’re still here.)

The price differences between Grassland Poultry, 9 Dorf, and high-scale (even if free range) poultry producers that sell to the supermarkets can feel quite dramatic, but then, so are their relative impacts. This comparison table of methods and outcomes for Grassland Poultry compared to conventional free range will give you a good feel for why the price differences are what they are. Note, I think the major differences between Grassland and 9 Dorf derive largely from the genetics of their birds and what that dictates/enables in terms of feed, stocking rates, growth and habitat, but I don’t know enough yet. Would love it if someone felt compelled to gather this story for us!

Here’s part of a riff from Shirley, the owner Hand Sourced, who supplies our Grassland Poultry:

All our regenerative and biodynamic farms raise animals in tune with their natural rhythms, not industrial food cycles. Nothing is pre-processed or held in a cold store waiting to be sold… at the time of an order, the chickens are typically still out on the paddock doing their chicken-y thing - until every second Sunday night, when the family gently gather them while they sleep - under torchlight, from trees, bushes and roosts. Because they live entirely outdoors, this is the most stress-free and natural way to catch them…

THE LIST

WHAT’S NEW IN THE LIST

A LAMB LIKE GOAT

Boer Goat is a specialist goat meat breed from South Africa. These goats are raised on the Steward family farm, roaming and socialising naturally as part of a herd. The meat is described as being like lamb leaning towards beef. It has a strong protein to fat ratio, which means that although the price point is higher than our Peachester lamb, there’s less wastage to fat.*

*Pricing in the sheet is still an approximation for both Grassland Poultry & Boer Goat - we’ll know what $/kg prices are exactly next week.

IN THE PANTRY

Ethiopian coffees from Almanac, Umeboshi Paste, Beetroot & Plum Chutney, Chill Jam, Green Cerignola Olives, Baby Cornichons, Pickled Baby Figs, Lavosh.

Plus there’s some fun spice rack additions: Family Stir Fry Blend, Whole Cinnamon Quills, Ground Mustard, Chai Spice, Make your own Mustard Blend (just add vinegar and mature for 4 weeks), Satay Spice Mix, Smokey BBQ Spice Mix, Ground Sumac, Rose Harissa Blend, Rose Petals …

ANYTHING ELSE?

As well as all that Grassland Poultry*, we have added chicken feed, loads of new fresh veg and fruit including afourer mandarins, shiso, 3 shades of papaya. We’ve also added another raw milk - Cleopatra’s Bath Milk.

And we’re also starting to source some produce directly from Mt Cotton Organics. Please note, to simplify fresh produce ordering, we’re asking that all fresh produce be ordered by SATURDAY 9th 8pm, so that we can meet the timeline needs of both Mt Cotton & Falls Farm.

CO-OP SYSTEMS

WHAT’S NEW IN OUR SYSTEMS

SPECIAL ORDERS

This month, we tried out a new system for ordering items that don’t fit into our normal Meetup timelines. We didn’t hit minimums for Vanella, so unfortunately, we won’t see those at the Meetup. We did hit minimums for Mungalli! We have a sense that not everyone who normally orders Mungalli participated in the new system. If that’s you, please let us know and we’ll see if we can gather your desires from our other suppliers. And next month, please give the Special Orders tab a go to avoid disappointment.

BUYING POWER!

As we grow in number, we grow our collective abundance. Each month, there’s a few more things we’re getting at a better price and we always pass this on to members. This month we’ve got better pricing on: pitted olives, 5 mixed rolled grains, baking powder, baking soda and honey. Next month, we’ll put these celebrations in a slack channel as they happen so you can see the specific price changes.

SLACK

We know it’s not yet everyone’s cup of tea, but honestly, with a cup of tea it could be! Slack is the place where Billy, Ange and Olga have been organising the work for a while now, and it’s also a really efficient and open way for us all to hear each other. So please consider joining in the conversations.

Visionary Co-operatives

PORTUGUESE INSPIRATION, ‘RIZOMA COOP’

This co-operative is inspiring Ange. It started just as we have, with a free space and a couple dozen households. Five years later, it’s at 900 members, with several branching enterprises, all using the kinds of governance and decision making that’s been firing Ange up these last few years. Anyone up for dreaming up the future? Come talk to her anytime.

Slack Spotlight

WE’D LOVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON…

Hot sauce

We have so many… and want so many more! Can you help us decide what to cull, to keep, to add?

What’s still missing from the co-op?

We have a dream of replacing supermarkets for our members. What are you still sourcing from them that we could provide?

Bodhi Teas, our sprouted pea protein, Desert Fruit’s mixed dates, Belvedere’s beef sausages?

We do product reviews in Slack. Tell us what you’re loving (and not so much).