Neal Continues Listening Tour At Williamstown's Wild Oats
 Wild Oats manager Greg Roach explains some of the store's locally produced fare to U.S. Rep. Richard Neal on Tuesday. |
The food cooperative was his latest stop on his "listening tour" of the county's businesses after winning the Democratic primary for the 1st Mass District on Sept. 6. With no opponent in the general election, the current 2nd Mass representative will switch constituencies next year.
Wild Oats is a member-owned cooperative specializing in organic, regional and local foods — some of which Neal took home with him. The congressman purchased some Opa Opa (Southampton) and Berkshire Brewing Co. (South Deerfield) beer along with an array of Berkshires-made cheese.
"We have 95 percent organic produce and 75 percent is locally grown," Robin Riley, marketing manager, told the congressman. "Every department has local products."
Chef Greg Roach led the tour through the store, including the kitchen in the basement. He said the company is a $4.2 million business with about 1,200 members. The group has been growing so much since the 2005 move to Main Street that the biggest difficulty the store faces is "keeping up with growth." The market employs about 50 people.
The cooperative started in 1975 out of a church basement and opened as a retail store in 1982. In 2005, the company purchased the former Dox Drugs building on Main Street.
Neal spent most of the time listening to Roach and Riley explain the business but said there is a growing number of people looking for organic and healthy options. He also embraced the idea of a cooperative, noting that the River Valley cooperative market in Northampton was able to expand with the help of New Market Tax Credits.
The congressman has frequently referred to the credits as a "pet program" and in the past has referred to the Mohawk Theater in North Adams as being a possible candidate.
The stop was one of several for Neal, who began his day with a live radio appearance with Pittsfield Mayor Daniel Bianchi on WBRK's "Berkshire Viewpoint." He later met with Bianchi at City Hall. From Wild Oats, he presented a check to the North Adams Democratic City Committee and attended a campaign fundraiser for North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright.
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