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Dear cooperators and friends, The startup food co-op community is bubbling with energy and momentum: we celebrated three co-op openings in the last two months (Detroit! Food Shed! Wild Onion!), there are many startups launching and reaching new milestones, we’re wrapping up the 2023-24 Peer Learning Groups, and now registering for the Up & Coming Conference in September.
And, for the last couple of months, FCI has been hitting the road! JQ Hannah, our Director of Programming, and DarnellAdams, FCI’s Board Chair, were able to witness and celebrate the grand openings of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op and the Food Shed Co-op in person. As a small shop, we are not able to attend most opening days, so it’s a treat when the stars align. We were thrilled to connect with startup cooperators and partners at both openings and left inspired by the two stores and their owners’ energy. I’ve been able to connect with many of you in person so far this summer, too! In late May, I, and nearly half of the FCI Board, attended the national conference for established food co-ops, CCMA. There, we met General Managers, staff, and Board from food co-ops across the country, including many that FCI partnered with during their startup phase, from Gem City Market to Fredericksburg Food Co-op, to Assabet Co-op Market and Dorchester Food Co-op. Those we spoke with were excited to hear about all the incredible work YOU are doing to start a food co-op in your community. This group knows just how transformative a food co-op can be, and just how hard it is to start (and run!) one. A few weeks later, I was honored to speak with community leaders and stakeholders in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY about food co-ops as they consider how organizing food co-ops (including current startup African Heritage Food Co-op) might help them address serious gaps in food access in neighborhoods in their cities facing the impacts of racial and economic oppression. I learned so much in these presentations, and am grateful to have been welcomed into open and curious conversations about food access, disinvestment, systemic racism, and opportunities to invest in community. Finally, in late June, I headed to Montgomery, AL to speak at the National Rural Grocery Summit, hosted by the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University and the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University. As a member of the conference steering committee, FCI helped develop a co-op track at the conference – ensuring that rural grocers, economic developers, municipal leaders, and others all had the opportunity to learn about the cooperative model and to hear from food co-ops themselves. We had a great turnout for our session on the basics of a food co-op and a session featuring our new Co-op Conversion Action Guide about how converting to a co-op is a viable business succession plan for rural independent grocers. A common thread in all of these trips is that everyone I met is inspired by YOU. While you are hard at work organizing and working toward your own grand opening day, you are already helping those just learning about food co-ops get started. Thank you for being their inspiration - this is how the cooperative economy grows! And, of course, while we’re soaking up summertime, we are also eagerly planning to see you all in person at the Up & Coming Conference from September 14-16th. Registration is OPEN, and the early bird rate ends July 31st - so don’t wait. Register today!
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Resource Spotlight |
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QuickStart Board Training from FCIAre you brand new to startup food co-op organizing? In eight video-based lessons with short quizzes and homework assignments to solidify your knowledge, QuickStart covers everything from an introduction to the cooperative movement, a startup board’s core financial and legal responsibilities, the food co-op development model, how startups find business feasibility, who all those co-op organizations are that everyone is always talking about, to the basics of the grocery industry your co-op is working to become a part of and more. You can sign up to take QuickStart at any time, and the course is donation-based, so it is accessible to all. Many startups have all new board members take the course within the first month of their new role, some startup boards choose to watch one lesson per board meeting together and then discuss - how you use it is entirely up to you! |
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Startup UPDATES & Celebrations |
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Northside Food Co-op - fully funded! - The NFC organizing team in Wilmington, NC, announced in April that their proforma sources are now fully funded - they can move forward with building their store! Once open, the NFC will end “. . . a 35-year-old food desert on Wilmington’s Northside.” Read more HERE. Magdalena Food Co-op - site announced! - MFC, in Magdalena, NM, which has a population of 575 people, has just announced they have secured a historic building on the main highway into town with high visibility and parking! Their town is a 30 minute drive from the nearest grocery store, and many are forced to rely on the dollar store in town as their only source of food. Learn more HERE. Kennett Community Grocer - site announced! - this startup food co-op in Kennett Square, PA, has secured an LOI to rent 7,000 sq ft of the first floor of a city-owned property in the community’s historic district. Learn more HERE. TipTop Cooperative - incorporated! - TipTop Country Store opened in Brookfield, MA as an independent grocer in 2004. Now, as the owners ready for retirement, they are partnering with the community to convert the store into a cooperative. This community anchor is now offering ownership shares to their community! |
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Upcoming Events & WORKSHOPS |
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Registration now OPEN for the Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference, September 12-14 in Kalamazoo, MI with our host co-op, PFC Natural Grocery & Deli! Early bird pricing is available through July 31st and will save you $75, so now is the time to register for the only national conference for startup food cooperatives!
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SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL STARTUPS |
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THANK YOU to all the food co-ops that donated, pledged, and answered our call this June.
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We want to hear from you!! Cooperative Principle 5 emphasizes the importance of education, training, and information sharing. Each month we will share up to five items that are of interest to the co-op community. This month we are sharing three inspiring articles. If you would like to submit your P5 to our corner, please use this form for consideration. You can also access the form on our website.
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Londonderry, VT 05148 United States
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In cooperation,
FCI’s Peer Learning Groups
Every year, we ask established food co-ops to help startups get what they need to open strong, viable, community-owned grocery stores by donating to FCI’s Full Circle Fund. And this year, food co-ops showed up! 48 food co-ops have donated nearly $80,000 to FCI so far this year. They’re making donations, pledging for later in the year, and running Round Up campaigns at their registers - and they’re not done yet! We’re still aiming to hit our $100,000 goal by the end of the year, and invite any established food co-op interested in joining the Full Circle Fund to reach out to Faye (
