 New Food House Opens in Hillsborough
By Ruffin Slater, WSM General Manager
The opening of Weaver Street Market’s Food House in West Hillsborough marks the beginning of a new era for locally-grown food, hand-crafted baked goods and deli items. As the market for natural foods becomes more competitive, the Food House gives our co-op the capability to offer products that no other store can provide: freshly made items, using high-quality ingredients, and delivered twice a day to each of our three Weaver Street Market stores. The Food House facility combines the latest environmental features with a comfortable work environment in a space large enough to provide for future growth. The Food House now positions Weaver Street Market to be the leader in locally produced food for our owners and our community for years to come.
The environmental commitment of our workers and shoppers shaped the design of the Food House. The lighting automatically dims to take advantage of daylight from the skylights and windows. Gray water is used to flush toilets, and waste heat from the refrigeration compressors is used to make hot water for dishwashing. An innovative “Second Nature” refrigeration system uses anti-freeze and water as a refrigerant for the coolers. Foam insulation and 12” walls reduce the heat and air-conditioning load. Variable-speed oven hoods turn on and off automatically when cooking is sensed. Concrete from the demolition was cut into blocks and used to build retaining walls. In all, more than 250,000 pounds of old concrete were diverted from the landfill and reused.
Today, when food safety is such an important issue, the Food House enables Weaver Street Market to implement state-of-the-art sanitation and food safety controls. A water bath chills cooked product quickly. A central sanitation loop allows ‘prep’ surfaces to be sanitized easily. All staff and visitors wear cook shirts and hair restraints, and pass through a hand-wash area before entering the workspace. Each aspect of the food preparation process is designed to ensure food quality and safety.
Our staff really likes the new Food House and appreciates the investment in a workspace that is both productive and comfortable. The biggest change is the large work areas and ample storage space that make it much easier for people to work effectively. Gone are the days of having to work on top of one another. The staff also enjoys the skylights and windows, the large break room and outdoor patio area.
The day-to-day operation of the Food House is constantly improving. Baked goods, deli items, and packaged meats are prepared daily and delivered to our stores twice a day. Food House and store staff are dealing with the expected transition challenges as we adjust to new systems and equipment. By the end of the summer we expect to be producing all of our current product lines effectively, and our attention will move to producing new products for you. About 30% of the products that are sold in our stores now are coming from the Food House; this percentage will grow as we fully utilize our co-op’s most important new asset. We are looking forward to the Food House accomplishing its most important purpose: making more great tasting locally produced foods for Weaver Street Market owners and community to enjoy!
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