BARÚKAS Nuts

Barùkas nuts grow on Baruzerio trees in the wild in Brazil. There are no chemicals, pesticides, or artificial irrigation unlike many of the common nuts. They are foraged for in the wild! These trees are found in the Cerrado—a tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil which covers an area 3 times the size of Texas. It’s the most biodiverse savanna on the planet. Unfortunately, it is under severe threat, with millions of Baruziero trees being burned down to make way for soy production and unsustainable agriculture. The growth of Barùkas nuts can not only help put an end to the deforestation but also reverse it. And it allows indigenous people to make a living off the land.

And, BARÚKAS nuts are delicious! I mean, really, really, really good. And the good news doesn’t stop there. Barùkas nuts have more fiber, at least 25% fewer fat calories, and over 3 times higher antioxidant power than the other most popular nuts. They’re loaded with essential aminos, magnesium and other health-boosting minerals. A true superfood.

We’re so excited about discovering these nuts, and for every 5 pounds of Barùkas nuts sold, the company is planting a Baruzerio tree in the wild, so we’re planning to put a bag in everyone’s stocking.

TRU EARTH Laundry Detergent

Introducing a true laundry day game changer! TRU EARTH is an eco-friendly laundry detergent that’s as sensitive to your skin as it is to the environment. 🌎 This detergent packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip that you just toss in the wash.

A dramatically smaller eco-footprint than liquid and powder detergents—its light weight reduces transportation fuel consumption and global-warming carbon emissions by 94% compared to today’s leading-brand liquid and powder detergent. With so much less to truck around and no plastic jug, TruEarth helps you lighten your load on the environment. According to TRU EARTH’S website, if everyone switched to these laundry strips, the annual eco-savings would be enormous:

• Eliminate one billion plastic jugs (you read that right!), saving 700 million from going to landfills
• Save truck fuel and CO2 equivalent to taking 27 million cars off the road for a day, or planting nine million tree.

Laundry detergent may be an odd holiday gift, but my climate-concerned friends are going to love getting a package of Tru Earth in their stockings.

KURT MEYER FINE WOODWORKING Friendship Stars

Small enough to fit in a stocking but special enough to deserve a gift box, Kurt Meyer’s Wooden Friendship Stars make a really unique, locally handcrafted gift.

Kurt makes these small beautiful stars in his wood workshop on a small farmstead in Western Massachusetts He specializes in the technique called parquetry using the most basic traditional tools, like chisels and hand planes that he caringly maintains. In all his work he is thoughtful about conserving and making the most of our precious natural resources.

Watch this video to see Kurt at work—it makes the stars even more special seeing the amount of craft and care that goes into creating them.

We hope you discover some unique things on the co-op shelves to gift this year. Happy shopping!