Tours will leave the Holiday Inn City Centre at 1:00 pm and return around 5:00 p.m. so that everyone can attend the Welcome Reception at 6 p.m
Please note: Co-op Tours are not included in registration. Tickets can be purchased as an a la carte selection during registration. More information on this change here. Tickets are limited to bus capacity and will likely sell out.
Tour 1: Community and Cooperation: Highlighting Businesses that Use Their Space to Lift Up Others
This tour will take a look at ways in which local businesses in Sioux Falls work to lift up the others in the community. We’ll start at the Sioux Falls Food Co+op where nearly 20% of the items on the shelves are grown or made locally. From there, we’ll go to Tilford Rye Farm in Garretson, SD. Farmer Jeremy Nelson will give us a tour of his farm, which supports its own CSA. With goats, a donkey, chickens, and ducks, this small, active farm will be a real treat to visit. We’ll end our tour with Stacey Berry of Covert Artisan Ales & Cellars. She will be pouring local beers she brewed with her husband, Dan. For those who wish to remain at Covert following the tour, it is located just a few short blocks from the Holiday Inn City Centre.
Stops:
Sioux Falls Food Co+op – Founded in 1973 as the Co-op Natural Foods, the Sioux Falls Food Co+op is owned by 1365 members. In 2020 and 2021, the co-op completed an expansion, doubling its square footage to 8,000. The space now features a new kitchen offering made-to-order sandwiches, fresh bowls, expanded hot bar, and sushi that is made fresh daily. The expansion also included an indoor dining area and patio. The co-op focuses on organic and locally sourced products with 20% of their inventory from local producers.
Tillford Rye Farm – Is a sixth-season vegetable operation committed to growing beautiful, delicious, and nutritious produce in a way that improves the soil, the surrounding environment and community. Started in 2017, Tillford Rye adheres to organic and regenerative farming principles: cover cropping, minimal tillage, drip irrigation, no synthetic chemicals, crop and field rotations, and managed livestock grazing.
Covert Artisan Ales – Using regionally grown ingredients, yeast harvested from around town, and hand-processed fruit, Covert Artisan Ales specializes in beer that is complex, funky, and delicious. Styles such as saisons and wheat ales are blended to bring you a unique beverage experience. Often, the beer is aged in spirit barrels to add another layer of depth. Covert is a nod to owners Dan and Stacey’s military background in intelligence. Both owners are Army combat veterans, who ended up getting out of the military, and continued working for the Department of Defense as contractors. They each spent nearly 15 years in support of intelligence operations all over the world.
Tour 2: Merchandising Tour: Co-op Competitors
From big box to local independents, the competitive landscape for food co-ops is fierce. On this tour, Amy Fields of National Co+op Grocers and Katrina Lehr-McKinney, board president of the Sioux Falls Food Co+op, will guide attendees through the ins and outs of what it is to be a grocer in Sioux Falls. Attendees will walk the competitor stores with a grocer’s eye reviewing product mix, parking, entrance, differences in departments, and finally the checkout experience. This tour will feature a range of traditional retail grocery formats: supermarket, local organic independent, high-end specialty grocerant, and a community owned food co-op.
Stops:
Hy-Vee- In the Sioux Falls market, Hyvee captures $0.50 of every grocery dollar spent. A privately owned company founded in 1930, Hyvee now operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. Hy-Vee is employee-owned and claims to encourage each of its more than 93,000 employees to help guide the company. Hy-Vee operates with a strong commitment to excellent service and reasonable prices with total sales of $12 billion per year
Look’s Marketplace – One of the oldest businesses in Sioux Falls, Look’s Market has been the premier meat counter since 1883. Today, Look’s Marketplace has expanded to include a bakery, coffee shop, butcher shop, cheese and charcuterie, as well as a brewery (Look’s Beer Company) and full-service restaurant. Featured on Guy Fieri’s show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, Look’s is a market-butcher eatery serving up a full culinary extravaganza.
Pomegranate Market – Pomegranate Market is a locally owned, operated and independent grocery store. Founded in 2011, this 11,000 sq ft. retail space features local, organic grocery options, a smoothie bar, a salad bar, and healthy grab and go options.
Sioux Falls Food Co+op – Founded in 1973 as the Co-op Natural Foods, the Sioux Falls Food Co+op is owned by 1365 members. In 2020 and 2021, the co-op completed an expansion, doubling its square footage to 8,000. The space now features a new kitchen offering made-to-order sandwiches, fresh bowls, expanded hot bar, and sushi that is made fresh daily. The expansion also included an indoor dining area and patio. The co-op focuses on organic and locally sourced products with 20% of their inventory from local producers.
Tour 3: CCMA Super Fun Bike Tour Adventure
Join fellow cooperators on this tour to see Sioux Falls on two wheels! This tour will start with a ride to the Sioux Falls Food Co+op to see the new space, hear from the GM Patrick Sayler, and get some snacks! Then the group will pedal to Spoke n’ Sport Bike shop to learn more about how bikes factor into alternative transportation in Sioux Falls and new initiatives that are being proposed to bring it to the next level. Next attendees will visit two local beverage producers, Songbird Kombucha and The Breaks Coffee Roasting Co. to hear about their journey, impact of the co-op, and sustainability efforts. Lastly the group will head up to the iconic Falls Park via the Greenway to explore, hope on rocks and get a pic for the ‘Gram. The trip is planned to be 6-8 miles. Bikes and helmets will be provided. Pre-registration is required.