50 Years of Vegan Mayonnaise

by Morgaen Hansen

A single jar of vegan mayonnaise. That’s what led me to Honest Weight Food Co-op for the first time, in the spring of 2012. I had adopted a plant-based lifestyle and needed some vegan mayo for a recipe I was trying. A friend suggested I try the food co-op. My reply: “There’s a food co-op in Albany?” 

I’d lived in the Capital Region most of my life but had never heard of Honest Weight until that day. After a quick Google search, I ventured into the store at 484 Central Avenue and was immediately charmed by the welcoming, cozy atmosphere. Something felt so familiar to me, a brand-new place that somehow felt like home. I marveled at the blue sky with white puffy clouds painted on the ceiling, the folks in the aisle who all somehow seemed to know each other, and the hum of positive energy radiating a humble, unpretentious space. I knew immediately I had stumbled into someplace special, even magical.

I bought my mayo (Vegenaise® Classic, still a staple in my refrigerator) and headed home. Within two days, I found myself returning for a more detailed tour of the space. I explored the bulk bins and filled a few bags with tasty-looking treats, sampled a delicious local cheddar offered to me by a mustachioed man with a booming voice (the famous Gustav), and selected some apples from an orchard not too far from where I grew up. At the checkout, the cashier was friendly and helpful, chatting with me as he rang out my items. I inquired about membership and returned a few days later to purchase my ownership interest. 

A week later, I attended a new member orientation with Alan McClintock. Alan, I would later learn, is like the family doctor in a small town, who has delivered all the local babies born in the last 30 years. But in this setting, Alan has oriented hundreds, if not thousands, of Co-op owners. During the orientation, I learned that there was a pressing need for cashiers in the Front End. That was all I needed to hear; I trained as a member cashier, and within six months I had left my former career behind and joined the staff at the Service Desk. 

That was 14 years ago. So much has changed, yet so much remains exactly as it was. We’ve moved to a new location, more than twice the size. Our numbers have exploded. Yet, our member program remains a cornerstone of our structure, and the way we use our store and profits to support and uplift our community is unwavering. 

Over these last dozen or so years, my gratitude for the Co-op hasn’t changed. When I go on vacation, and it’s time for my travels to come to an end, I don’t dread returning to work. I look forward to the homecoming, to see what I missed, visit with so many familiar faces, and re-center myself in my work and my community.

And community is most certainly what has led us to this historic milestone, 50 years of Honest Weight Food Co-op. 50 years of good times and great food. Do things look the same as they once did? Decidedly not. Even in the relatively short time I’ve spent at the Co-op, so much has shifted. In moving to this location, we lost the ‘small store vibe,’ which is missed by many. Staff and Member-Owners have moved away from the area or on to new careers; more than a few have died and left behind only memories of shared moments in the aisles. And the world has changed, forcing us to adapt and grow, to the point where it’s sometimes hard to find the time to slow down and just be together. 

But for me, and I suspect for many others, much more remains the same. Incredibly generous people. Kind, honest people. Strangers who become friends, more easily than in any other place I’ve known. Delicious food, sourced locally and prepared thoughtfully. Engaged and conscientious consumers aiming for a better way to shop, eat, and live.

For 50 years, with a little bit of luck, hard work, and a whole lot of heart, we’ve been going strong. It’s an impressive feat, one that should be shouted from our spacious rooftop (a space I hope will one day be the home of a Co-op herb and veggie garden).

To this day, despite the long hours worked, the constant ebb and flow, and myriad challenges faced, I still feel that when I’m here I get much more than I give. And I return to the feeling of overwhelming gratitude. Gratitude for where we are. For where we’ve come from. And for whatever the future has in store.

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