To bring awareness to Hispanic Heritage Month, the co-op offers special displays, sales and recipes
By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org
National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The Davis Food Co-op, a local grocery business made up of over 8,000 owners that focuses on healthy and sustainable food, puts effort into highlighting special months throughout the year. For Hispanic Heritage Month, the co-op brought awareness to various Hispanic-owned brands and shared authentic recipes from their staff.
The Davis Food Co-op website provides a history of Hispanic Heritage Month as well as a list of the brands owned and operated by Hispanic communities.
“Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month as the anniversary of the Cry of Dolores (1810), which marked the start of the Mexican War of Independence,” the website states. “It was this moment that eventually led to independence for the Spanish colonies that are now recognized as the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. Today we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.”
Liliana Agredano, the marketing manager of the Davis Co-op, shared the importance of recognizing different ethnicities and identities at a local level. The co-op creates decorative displays and puts specific items on sale to spread awareness.
“Typically for these kinds of months we have a display that highlights brands and vendors who are genuinely that ethnicity to highlight them, call them out and try to bring attention to their products,” Agredano said. “On shelf level we have different tags that highlight different attributes, for example Latino-owned businesses, Asian Pacific Islander-owned businesses, LGBTQ+-owned businesses.”
During Hispanic Heritage Month, the co-op had the opportunity to host the California Fast Food Union in their teaching kitchen and experience authentic Mexican cuisine. Additionally, the recipes from staff members are available on their website for everyone to try.
“This year we had a fast food union utilize our teaching kitchen to do an off-site team-bonding experience where they were able to cook different cuisines,” Agredano said. “The lead chef in this experience was from Veracruz, Mexico, so she made her classic Gordas Picadas which was delicious.”
Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, the co-op acknowledges Fair Trade Month and Co-op Month during October. They also partner with the National Co-op Grocers organization and Indigenous-led organizations during November to strengthen native foodways.
“For Fair Trade Month and Co-op Month, which is October, we will be featuring products that are fair trade and highlighting them more,” Agredano said. “We do the same with co-op brands because those are ones that are ethically producing products and ensuring that, one, not only the company is doing well, but mainly focusing on the people on the foregrounds.”
The Davis Food Co-op is a significant local business that takes pride in helping the Davis community, providing healthy options and promoting environmental sustainability. Check out their website and social media for upcoming events and promotions.
Written by: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org
