HGC Owner #64 - Joe grew up in Northern MN, where he also volunteeredat Natural Harvest Food Co-op, which is now in its third building. The co-op is where he met his wife Maggie. They have two girls, one dog and chickens. They enjoy gardening and developing the land around their home. They like to cook at home and have primarily followed a gluten free and organic diet. Joe enjoys spending time outdoors and has also spent a lot of time in the BWCA. Joe also enjoys listening and playing music (mainly guitar).

In 2005, Joe joined Ciranda, a leading supplier of organic and fair-trade food ingredients. He was drawn to the company's focus on organic and its appreciation for the livelihoods of those depending upon its work. He has since developed a deep understanding of organic supply chains, strong industry relationships, and extensive expertise related to organic food and agriculture.

In Joe's most recent role as Ciranda's Head of Sustainability, he oversees the company’s sustainability initiatives and impacts. Prior to this role, Joe led Ciranda's sales and commercial operations for more than 15 years and has worked extensively in supply chain management, including supplier relations. While having traveled to many areas of the world, Joe has shared meals with farmers around the globe and listened to their challenges and hopes.

As a longtime advocate rooted in organic, he currently serves on the Organic Trade Association's (OTA) Political Action Committee and Sustainability Committee. Joe enjoys serving on Hudson Grocery Co-op’s board which allows him to channel his passion and support a great cause bringing local and sustainable food into his community.

HGC Owner #49 - Erik, his wife Susan and their three young children have lived in Hudson since 2007. Erik is a business operations leader with a wide range of experience in healthcare, computer system administration, distribution, marketing, and customer service. Erik enjoys exploring and discovering new foods at farmers markets, ethnic grocers, and natural food stores and co-ops. His interest in locally sourced and sustainable products was sparked during his youth when he frequently accompanied his parents to pick up milk at small goat and dairy farms in rural East Texas. It is important to Erik that our community has a member owned co-op that listens to the input and needs of its members and provides a variety of diverse, sustainable, and locally sourced products. Erik serves on the board of directors of his local congregation and as the administrative director of a humanitarian mission in Uganda.

HGC Owner  # - Paul earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics from Luther College and is a Graduate of the School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Paul is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Paul serves on the boards for Ciranda, Hudson Library Foundation and Crown Bank – Edina. He retired in March 2024 after 45 years in the banking space as Chief Financial Officer of various sized community banks in the metro area. This summer he lived a retirement bucket list dream by working for White Eagle Golf Club in Hudson.

In 2020, Paul was named 2020 CFO of the Year by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. He was recognized for increasing the profitability at Crown Bank by developing an investment portfolio strategy and guiding his leadership team through a three-month process to develop a three-year strategic plan and worked to improve morale at the company.

Fun Fact – I am a native of Shell Lake, WI and several years ago the local newspaper published a list of the 25 “athletic legends” of Shell Lake High school over the past 25 years. The little-known fact is that my name was on that list! Now, before you all go making me out to be an Olympic caliber athlete, Shell Lake has a population of 1,000 and the average class sizes are 40-50 students. That’s why they had to go back 25 years to find 25 alumni who would qualify. It has made for good storytelling over the years.

HGC owner #625 - Hannah is a filmmaker with her husband Tim. Since launching their business in 2012 she has worked with various organic farm and humanitarian organizations to help them tell their stories, connect with their customers and encourage growth. Hannah enjoys using her professional talents to further the goals of organizations that share her missions of sustainability, simple living, planet health and human rights. She believes firmly that community involvement is the best way to make the world a better place.

When not working on her small business Hannah can be found in her ever-expanding backyard garden growing everything she can, foraging for wild foods and medicine, enjoying the bees in her backyard apiary, reading a good science fiction novel, or in the kitchen experimenting. As an ex-pastry chef and chocolatier, desserts definitely hold a sweet spot in her heart. Hannah enjoys world travel and has enjoyed opportunities such as teaching at a film school in China, road tripping across Morocco and working on farms in Hawaii. Exploring these communities and learning about their food systems, flavors and localized challenges has had a huge impact on how she views food in her own community.

HGC owner #672 - Erica moved to Hudson with her husband and two children two years ago. Growing up, Erica's family always had a small vegetable garden, a practice she maintains with her own children today, and is likely what instilled her passion to find local, healthy foods for her family. You can frequently find Erica and her family enjoying the community's local parks, farmer's markets, and restaurants. She enjoys hiking and exploring new places, settling in with a good book, and experimenting with new recipes to share. She has always found food to be a powerful way to bring people together in community, by bringing somebody a meal when they are in need or inviting others to her home for a meal and conversation. The mission of HGC to be a community owned and centered store resonates strongly with her values and she is excited for the potential HGC has to serve the Hudson community.

Erica spent 9 years at Target Corporation in a variety of roles, inclusive of Inventory Management, Supply Chain Strategy, and Pricing and Promotional Strategies. She looks forward to bringing this experience to HGC as we move towards opening our store.

HGC owner #231 - Buck has returned to the board to serve for the purpose of opening the store. He sees the opportunity to be the only community owned grocery in Hudson. Buck also sees the challenges that face any startup in this competitive field.

He has skills in business analysis and communication; formal training in facets of business including personnel management and budgeting; education consisting of a BSME from MIT, management intern at New England Telephone, Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer training schools, JD from Harvard Law School and many continuing education courses in management and in law; professional experience starting and running businesses, including hiring and firing and volunteer experience on boards of directors and committees for numerous local nonprofits like the hospital, the school board, the county board, The Phipps, conservation groups, churches and the Valley Foundation.

HGC owner #558 - Amy, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, has expertise in marketing, integrative functional nutrition, food distribution, and public health. Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm, her passion for health and nutrition began early, leading her to working in the organic industry. This firsthand experience has instilled a deep appreciation for the importance of healthy food and the significance of supporting local farms.

As an advocate for better-for-you food, in her current Customer Experience role at CIRANDA, downtown Hudson, she connects with natural product brands across the country with aligned missions to learn market trends and hear from the industry current issues or concerns.

Amy resides in Hudson with her husband and two adult children. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring local state park trails, fishing on the St. Croix River, participating in fitness classes, and preparing healthy meals for her family. Over the years she has been actively involved in community initiatives like Sustain Hudson, Hudson Hockey Program, Hudson Grocery Cooperative, and has led sustainability and community involvement efforts at CIRANDA.

By serving on the board, she aims to leverage her expertise to foster a culture of well-being and economic strength in the St. Croix Valley. She believes that this symbiotic relationship between the store and local producers is vital for enhancing long-term food security within the community.