Why I Shop at the Co-op #9

March 4, 2022

Chay and Yukiyo Schiller were happy to recommend Japanese foods for the Co-op to carry.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Chay has lived in Fredericksburg since 2015 and Yukiyo since 2018. We have a 2-year-old daughter named Emiko. We enjoy going out together for trips to the park and to shop at the Food Co-op.
Yukiyo is from Japan. She worked for ten years as a speech language pathologist in various hospitals around Japan. She likes yoga and gardening.
Chay spent most of his childhood in Reston, Virginia. Chay worked for five years teaching middle and high school in Oahu, Hawaii before returning to Virginia to work with his father in the family tax business. He now owns the business and operates it out of his home office. Chay is interested in foreign languages. He is fluent in Spanish and Japanese and possesses various degrees of proficiency in a other languages as well.

When did you first hear about the Co-op?

We learned about the Food Co-op from a stand at the Hurkamp Park Farmer’s Market almost two years ago. At the time we were looking for ways to live in a more sustainable way, so the Co-op immediately caught our attention.

What are your favorite products at the Co-op?

Products we like at the Co-op include burdock root, shiitake mushrooms, bulk oatmeal and peanut butter, coffee, glass bottle milk, and Bloomia tulips. We also enjoy various environmentally-conscious and fair trade drinks, snacks and sundries as well as sake, local bread, soups from the Co-op kitchen, and Suzie’s mystery bags.

What do you love most about the Co-op?

We appreciate that we can shop with peace of mind knowing that the food is safe for us and for our environment and that the store staff and other customers are friendly.

Have you ever made a suggestion to the Co-op and what was it?

We have suggested that the Co-op stock Japanese products such as usuage (fried tofu) and natto (fermented soybeans). The manager of the store came to us personally and asked for these suggestions! We were pleasantly surprised that someone would show such an interest in our shopping needs.

What advice would you have for someone thinking about checking out the Co-op?

You should try to enjoy yourself, go slowly and look for interesting products you’ve never tried before. Also, read the product labels since they contain important information about our planet, the product, and good things that the manufacturer is doing.