Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 3 PM E / 2 PM C / 1 PM M / 12 PM P
Grocery Industry Basics for Startups
Jade Barker, Columinate
While opening a food co-op is something to celebrate, it’s only one step in a longer journey. A food co-op can only serve a community as long as it remains open. What challenges does an independent grocery store face, and what makes financial sustainability so challenging? Come learn about the retail grocery landscape and the forces that make “affordable” prices so difficult to achieve. In this workshop, we’ll cover broad national trends and review the co-op budget “pie”—the typical expenses of an operating food co-op. While this workshop will not make you a grocer, it can help you rightsize your expectations of what your co-op can achieve. Knowledge is power. Be prepared.
When
March 31, 2026 from 2:00 PM CDT to 3:00 PM CDT