I thought that with Valentine’s Day coming up, now would be a good time to share with the world the fact that I have a crush. My crush isn’t into all the consumer crap of Valentine’s, loves local, sustainable food, and always lifts my sprits when I get overwhelmed by the world’s problems. My crush is always there for me. Well, as long as I get there before 9pm. Yeah, ok, I have a crush on my food co-op.

Unfortunately, not enough people have access to the satisfaction I get every week. Sunday afternoons spent lazily perusing the small, ramshackle basement space that is Karma Co-op. Picture your average grocery store, remove 85% of the middle isles which are generally full of incomprehensible food labels, remove the high gloss finish and the 40 kinds of toothpaste, and you get Karma.

Tucked away in what is literally an alleyway in a residential area near Bloor and Bathurst St. in Toronto, Karma Co-op has been the revolutionary in red since the ‘70s, when peace and love flowed like Joni Mitchell’s Rivers. Now, a little older and a little wiser, Karma home to a range of folks like me who care about the Earth, their health, and local communities, and are fortunate enough to be able to afford the price premium caring comes with.

The beauty of the co-op model is that it’s member owned and operated. So, it’s my co-op. A sweetheart I can call my own. They’ve got a wicked purchasing policy that emphasizes organic, local and ethically produced foods. PLUS they have a direct relationship with a lot of their producers, meaning the people who make/grow the food get a bigger share of our money. And if there’s something I’d like to see change at Karma – say, I want them to special order five 1-gallon glass bottles of local, organic apple cider from Filsingers, then I can. Or if I know that there’s a place they can source organic beans from within Ontario, then I can help them do that. That’s the beauty of staying small and nimble.

Most people I tell about my little love affair are quick to point out how expensive Karma is, and that it’s inaccessible to everyday people, students and particularly, those with low incomes. There’s definitely some truth to that argument. Karma isn’t cheap. But that brings me back to my rant about why we should be paying the true cost of our food and not buying into a food system that pays farmers a pittance for what they put in; that allows the use of toxic chemicals to be applied and essentially washed out into the surrounding ecosystem; that effectively pushes local farmers out of the system and erodes rural economies…all so we can get the most bang for our buck. Now that’s unethical if you ask me. I’ll soon be posting a more complete discussion on this topic — I have a lot more to say!

Right. Now, back to Karma. No it’s not cheap, but as far as natural food or organic food stores go, Karma’s actually leading the pack in many ways. And the availability of bulk, dry ingredients makes some things much cheaper than regular grocery stores! A can of beans costs about $0.89 here (maybe $0.60 at No Frills) while I can get about twice that amount if I buy dried beans in bulk there. (I even came across a blogger who included the cost of electricity in her comparison! Check it out.) Anyway, that’s just one example. The whole price comparison thing is a fun little side project of mine and there’s a post in the pipeline which will compare some staple items from various Toronto stores to see where Karma lands. I’m just as concerned about my wallet as the next person!

What I’m really digging about Karma lately is that they’ve got lots of local produce. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s February! Here’s a pic I took last time I was in which shows what local food they’ve got.

Ok, I know this sounds like someone’s paying me to go on and on about this place but I can assure you they are not. I just thought it would be good to do the whole formal introduction thing since, you know, I’ll probably be gabbing a bunch about my crush in posts to come.

February's local produce at Karma