COMMUNITY
The MVY Co-op
Organic, Fair Trade, and Zero Waste
By Lisa C. Belcastro
Where do you buy your food, staples, health and beauty products? Does your regular store have a no-plastic policy and strive for zero waste? Are the products on the shelves organic and Fair Trade? If you answered “no,” you might want to pause reading this magazine and head over to www.mvycoop.org.
Éva Raposa is on a mission. She is passionate about reducing plastic waste, eating healthy, and helping Islanders to live healthier lives for themselves, the Island, and the planet. The MVY Co-op is her mission ground, but by no means her only goal or focus. When Éva’s not running the store, she could be on the beach picking up litter with recycled bags, spending quality time with her family and loved ones, or overseeing her web design company helping others improve their businesses. Yes, Éva is a world changer.
The MVY Co-op originated in 2019 after a personal challenge. Éva celebrated her birthday on August 20. “I set a commitment to live seven days plastic-free. I had always recycled, but that week I challenged myself not to buy anything with plastic. I couldn’t believe how hard it was!” said Éva, explaining further how one week became a lifetime goal, “I spent the week trying to figure out how to live with less or no plastic.”
Less than a month later, after designing a logo, website, and pricing system, Éva opened the MVY Co-op on September 12. The Co-op would supply household staples and bulk food items with no single use plastics, as well as offering organic and Fair Trade.
Sounds impossible to create and open a business in three weeks, but that is exactly what Éva did. “I saw a need {reduce plastic use}. It was a problem I could help solve and thought I may as well go for it,” said Éva, adding, “There is nearly always a solution.”
In the beginning, the Co-op sold bulk nuts and grains, then quickly expanded to smaller amounts of pastas, seeds, honey, kitchen supplies, and self-care items. Today, there are so many choices, including locally grown and locally made items, and everything is available in smaller sizes. Equally fabulous, the food is cheaper than buying it at the grocery store and it’s healthier! Win-Win!
Like many farm cop-ops, MVY Co-op has a membership fee to cover the Co-op’s monthly expenses, then foods are sold at cost. Once you join the Co-op, you have the opportunity each week to order online from well over a hundred different product choices – all of them good for you and good for the planet.
Éva meticulously researches every company she does business with: are they Fair Trade, organic, family-owned, plastic-free, and honest? She once ordered from a company that claimed to be plastic-free and using recyclable materials only to have her order arrive packed in styrofoam. She was horrified, contacted them to understand why, and never ordered from them again. “I buy from companies that use earth-friendly shipping. We have no single-use throwaway items. We have some items in glass containers. We can’t reuse them because of food safety, but we can sell them for others to reuse,” said Éva.
The MVY Co-op store has almost zero waste. Everything possible is repackaged, reused, recycled, or composted. Bulk purchased items are divided into backyard compostable packaging. After you enjoy your dates, pasta, beans, or whatever, simply take the empty bag to your compost pile and let nature take its course.
I can’t think of a single reason not to be a member of MVY Co-op. Ordering online is super simple, pick ups are equally easy – you can choose in person during pick up hours, home delivery, or a locker that is available for a five-day period.
There are also member perks, such as volunteering in multiple ways and being rewarded with a one-month membership extension every time you volunteer. Some people paid for an initial membership and now are earning free memberships because they volunteer at least once a month. Volunteering is optional, though greatly appreciated and beneficial for all. The point is, whatever membership option you need, Éva has created it.
There is also Co-op Cash, where you pre-pay a certain amount, receive an extra bonus, and then use your “cash” as needed. Co-op Cash helps Éva to purchase more products and rewards members with bonus dollars. I can’t say enough positives about the Co-op. You need to join and discover the benefits for yourself.
When you meet Éva, and you should, you’ll sense her passion before you see the compassion and urgency in her movements. She is that perfect mix of warm-friendly-talk-for-hours and I-need-to-change-the-world. Her goal now is to grow the Co-op, to offer more items, have more members, and to have a bigger space. She’ll do it, too. Sooner than later.
The Co-op is located in Vineyard Haven on State Road in the office building across from the Black Dog café. You can reach Éva at: hello@mvycoop.org or visit the website for membership and information: www.mvycoop.org.