Tours will leave the Sheraton Grand 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: A Taste of Community in Davis
Hosted by Davis Food Co-op
Take a trip across the Yolo Causeway into Davis, a one-of-a kind college town that invented the bike lane and just celebrated its local food co-op’s 50th anniversary. That co-op, the Davis Food Co-op, will be the first stop along the way where we will walk through the past, present and future of this community mainstay with nearly 9,000 local Owners. Then, we will take a short trip over to Great Bear Vineyards which is merely minutes from the Co-op but feels like it is in the countryside many miles away. At Great Bear, owners Marcus and Jenny will give us a tour of their family-owned vineyard grounds of sustainably grown grapes and lavender. We will then have a personal wine tasting in their courtyard complete with charcuterie pairings of items from the Co-op.
Tour 2: From Soil to Seed to Plate
Hosted by Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and Pachamama Coffee Cooperative
Our tour will head up into the foothills for our first stop at Pachamama Coffee Roastery in El Dorado Hills. Pachamama is a cooperative of small-scale coffee farmers from Africa and Latin America who have come together to roast and sell their coffee directly to consumers. We will have a tour of the roasting facility and a tasting.
Our next stop is Soil Born Farms, located 13 miles east of the Sac Co-op, on the American River. Soil Born Farms is an urban farm, agriculture, and education project that empowers youth and adults to discover and participate in a local food system. The Sac Co-op has been a partner with Soil Born since its inception in 2002. Our partnership offers many experiences beyond fresh produce for our customers, staff, and members, including hosting our first Annual Meeting held at the American River Ranch. We will have a farm tour with the Co-directors of the farm which will also include the CA Native Plant Society Nursery.
We will finish our day by returning to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op where you can tour our 16,000-foot retail space that includes our new collaborative Cooperative Cafe space with Pachamama.
Tour 3: Sneak a Peek at the New BriarPatch
BriarPatch Food Co-op
Take a trip up Highway 49 to BriarPatch’s beautiful new second location in Auburn, slated to open in August. You’ll get a tour of the new store with General Manager Chris Maher, who will talk about the journey it’s been opening a store during the pandemic. We’ll follow it up with a stop at local Knee Deep Brewery for a beer tasting before heading back to the city.