We believe it is important to be transparent about our organization and the values that we hold. Below are the values we co-created between the store management team and the project team. This is our guide for how we make decisions about all the aspects of running Rolling Grocer.

1. Equity and justice are our priority. We believe that food is a basic human right and that everyone has the right to feed themselves with dignity in the way that they choose, with the foods that they prefer. In particular, we believe that organic and sustainably produced food, fresh produce and high-quality meat should not just be a privilege for the wealthy. However, we recognize that everyone in our community does not always have the resources to buy the foods that they would like for their best health and well-being. Our approach to food justice is twofold--the Fair Pricing System is our main tool, and in addition, all of the jobs that we create pay a living wage. We prioritize hiring Hudson residents, people of color, immigrants, and other people with marginalized identities. We are committed to resisting oppression and injustice in all forms.

2. The store is a community creation. RG19 is our community grocery store that we co-create together--all team members, customers and partners play an important role in making it great. Our team is a dynamic group in which every member has autonomy to make decisions by themselves. It follows from this that each team member must take responsibility for their own self-management to some degree--we have a strong work ethic, take initiative, are present and aware in our work at all times, and pay attention to detail. 

3. Transparency and accountability are key. We are committed to communicating openly and honestly with each other, our customers, and our partners. We are clear with our customers about where we source our food, who produced it, and how it was grown and made. Our prices are clear and fair. We are committed to our Purchasing Ethos and to open dialogue with our customers on this agreement. We create opportunities for stakeholders across the food system (farmers, distributors, customers, etc.) to interact and engage with each other on questions such as pricing, affordability, sustainability, and access.

4. We recognize ourselves and each other as whole people. We encourage each team member, customer, and partner to bring their whole selves into RG19’s work and spaces, and we strive to meet and support each other in our pursuit of true self-expression and diversity. We understand that the stakeholder is a whole, multifaceted person with many talents, responsibilities, relationships, blind spots, strengths, weaknesses, passions, biases, and nuances. We have an awareness that each person’s circumstances are different, changing, and might be unspoken or unseen. We acknowledge that some of us may need special accommodations at times because of our children and families, differing abilities, learning and working styles, cultural backgrounds, or religious traditions. In our pursuit of wholeness, we understand and respect each other’s right to privacy, rest, and time off from work. We create opportunities for customers to be active participants in RG19, not simply consumers.

5. We are inclusive and accessible. We strive to make RG19 as accessible as possible to everyone in our community. We will expand our store open hours as much as is fiscally and organizationally possible. We take our different abilities into account in the design of our physical store and our store systems and practices. We respect our various identities and make no assumptions about each other’s gender, age, sexual orientation, citizenship status, ability, religion or spirituality. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated. We don’t place value judgements on our food choices, and respect each other’s eating habits and traditions. Our team takes care to stock a wide variety of personally and culturally relevant foods for our whole community and we aim to make the space feel welcoming. We pledge to be open and honest with our customers about the impacts of RG19’s practices, as well as our partners’ practices. We strive for transparency, and to uphold meaningful personal relationships with our neighbors and customers.

6. We are a community of learners. We are committed to supporting each other in our journey towards greater awareness, understanding, and mastery. We are committed to skill-building, mutual support, and training for each team member to develop to the best of their ability in their roles and areas of interest. The role of managers is to help the team members under their supervision to excel and flourish in their roles. We acknowledge that we are all learning together and from each other--team members, customers, and partners alike. In particular, we strive to create greater awareness of the food system, food justice, and food sovereignty in our community. We encourage ongoing dialogue with our community, and we look forward to asking, listening, and learning alongside you. It is our hope that you will hold us accountable for our actions and support RG19 in fulfilling our commitment to you.

7. We respect each other. We acknowledge that our different realities and perspectives may sometimes come into conflict, but we pledge to cultivate respect and empathy for each other at all times. We hold space for each other, and are willing to listen attentively with open minds and hearts. We are committed to developing empathy, or the ability to understand, feel, and accept what others are experiencing; We are committed to developing our emotional mastery or the ability to tolerate the intensity of our feelings so that we can choose how to respond to others; We are committed to developing a sense of personal responsibility and eliminating blame and defensiveness; And we are committed to developing humility or the understanding that we are equal in our relationships--not better, but different. We consider our customers’ feelings, wishes, rights, and traditions in all of our interactions. We respect our customers’ privacy and show discretion with their personal information. We acknowledge that we must build trust before diving into deep partnership with each other and other organizations.

8. We respect the natural world. We prioritize foods that are grown in ways that protect and regenerate soil, air and water. We are committed to understanding and reducing our carbon footprint, taking factors into account such as the distance that food travels to the store, energy used in the production and recycling of our packaging, and our transportation and delivery systems. We are committed to selling items in bulk, and items with minimal packaging. We consciously seek to reduce our waste stream, avoiding plastics and single-use materials, and encouraging customers to bring their own reusable containers and bags whenever possible.