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Food Co-ops

Learn how food co-ops are benefiting our economy and communities.

The cooperative business model has been revolutionizing the way people buy groceries, decades before any mobile app. Food co-ops place store ownership in the hands of the people who shop there. When a customer becomes a member-owner, they are given a share in store decision-making and a share in the store profits.

Food co-ops have revolutionized the community grocery store.

Here is just one story from Renaissance Community Co-op.

Watch the video

NOT YOUR CONVENTIONAL GROCERY STORE

The modern food co-op looks a lot like any other grocery store, but it is fundamentally different. Co-ops are deeply tied to the communities they operate in, not only selling food and household goods, but cycling money into the local economy on a larger scale than conventional grocers. When $1,000 dollars is spent at a food co-op, $1,604 is generated in the local economy. Food co-ops spend 6% more on local wages and benefits than conventional grocery stores, and do 2 ½ times more business with local farms and producers.

What is a Cooperative?

From food co-ops organizing truck deliveries of fresh and bulk produce in the 1960’s to the modern grocery stores we encounter today – food co-ops have been constantly rethinking how local communities access and buy the food products they desire. What makes food co-ops so unique is they give customers the voice and choice in their grocery shopping experience; and because the customers are the shareholders of the business, they are the ones who benefit when the food co-op is profitable.

“Food co-ops do 2 ½ times more business with local farms and product makers than conventional grocers!”

DID YOU KNOW?

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Food co-ops across the United States have combined annual sales of nearly $2 billion.
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38% of a food co-op’s revenue is spent locally – 19% being spent on local wages and benefits.
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19% of $2 billion is $380 million spent on local wages. Food co-ops build jobs!

HELPFUL LINKS

National Co+op Grocers
National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA
Search Other Associations

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What is INVESTED, BUILT, GROWN, MADE and SPENT with a co-op directly benefits the local community – make a bigger impact when you choose local co-ops.

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