The NEW Framework Is Live!

Startup co-op leaders discuss the new Framework at the Up & Coming Conference

Together, We’ll Grow It 

After 14 months of intensive work, FCI launched the new Food Co-op Development Framework to the startup community last month at the 2024 Up & Coming Conference in Kalamazoo, MI.

The Framework has been created to capture the universal best practices that speak to the needs of any startup food co-op aiming for success, while explicitly identifying that how those best practices and milestones are met can take multiple ways. There is no one cookie-cutter way to meet them. The Framework has been built to reflect this truth, as well as to evolve with the startup food co-op movement through an ongoing process of wisdom-gathering and reflection with everyone who is a part of the movement that chooses to be a part of its evolution. 

“It’s focused on being inclusive and you can feel that. It doesn’t tell us there’s a ‘wrong way’, just to have all the resources and meet the goals of all the stages the way that works for your community. It feels like we’re included.” - startup organizer at Up & Coming 2024.

After gathering intensive input on a rough draft of the Framework from over two dozen experienced startup food co-op experts from mid-2023 through September 2024, it was ready for the next step: solidifying the core pieces of the Framework and getting feedback on them from the startups it will serve at the Up & Coming Conference. 

FCI offered a training session on the core pieces of the new Framework at the conference and also facilitated a feedback session, along with co-op expert Angela Sayles, to hear directly from startup cooperators. They were asked to share what in the new Framework they felt would be the most helpful to their work, what might be missing from it, and what they most need it to include/reflect to serve their specific communities. 

The feedback we received from those sessions was robust and insightful, and will now inform our next two steps in the Framework’s evolution in Q4 of this year. 

• Focus Groups and Survey - the feedback received at Up & Coming will be used as the core of a further input process for startup food cooperative organizers
• White Paper - after the focus groups and survey conclude, a white paper will be created and shared with the broader food co-op community that summarizes the feedback of startup food co-op organizers
• Editor Team - our Framework Editor Team, made up of four cooperators with four very different lived experiences of being directly involved in the startup development journey of startups, will assist FCI is writing definitions for all of the core areas of the Framework, to be released in Q1 2025

Learn more about the Food Co-op Development Framework and more details on how all stakeholders in the startup movement will be invited to be a part of its evolution going forward HERE. 

The Framework, as it currently exists, is a beginning. More will be coming throughout 2025 and beyond to give startup food co-ops examples and tools to actively utilize the Framework. The form these examples and tools will take, in good part, is up to all of us. While FCI will hold the space for the Framework on behalf of the startup movement, we will grow it into what our movement needs together. We are honored and excited to take the next steps into the Framework with you, and will be providing regular updates on next steps, how to get involved, and new resources for utilizing the Framework. 

The sessions about the Framework were just two of 39 incredible workshops, panel discussions, and case studies presented at this year’s Up & Coming Conference. The conference, which FCI co-hosts with the Indiana Cooperative Development Center along with our 2024 host co-op, PFC Natural Grocery and Deli, was a highlight of the year, and we’re still riding on its energy. Nearly 250 startup cooperators and experts from across the country came to Kalamazoo to share and learn best practices in startup food co-op development. Up & Coming, along with the accompanying Black-led Day hosted by National Black Food & Justice Alliance, is an incredible space that drives the startup food co-op movement forward. Thank you to everyone who attended for collectively building this community! 

In cooperation,

JQ Hannah

Director of Programming

Resource Spotlight

Community Organizing Learning and Growth Tool

To thrive as a co-op, we must be deeply rooted in our communities with a strong foundation of trust, which will lead to the momentum needed to build our grocery stores and be sustainable after opening. A co-op must be a manifestation of a need the community needs met, as well as its own vision for meeting that need - without this, we can possibly open grocery stores, but they are very unlikely to succeed. The community is the co-op.  

The FCI Community Organizing Learning and Growth Tool is a conversation starter, a "home base" for your co-op's leadership team to assess where your co-op organizing work is bearing fruit, and where it might be needful to course correct. 

And to further dive into this tool, we are offering a webinar next Wednesday, 10/30 at 2p eastern/1p central/12p mountain/11a pacific.  Register HERE.  

Co-creators of the tool, food co-op specialist Bonnie Hudspeth of the Firebrand Cooperative and JQ Hannah of Food Co-op Initiative, will lead this webinar exploring the four focus areas of the tool, share examples of how startups have wrestled with these topics, and lead a conversation with startup food co-op organizers about how to effectively utilize the tool. 

See All our Resources at FCI.coop >>

Startup UPDATES & Celebrations

The Up & Coming Conference bestows three awards annually: the Startup Innovator Award, the Co-op Citizen Award, and, new this year, the Cooperative Force Award. Please join us in celebrating these innovative and inspiring startups!

Third Ward People's Food Co-op organizers with JQ Hannah (FCI) at Up & Coming Conference

The 2024 Startup Innovator: Third Ward People’s Food Co-op

This award celebrates a startup for blazing a new way forward to solve the challenges faced by startup food co-ops, or developing a new and innovative way to address the needs of the co-op’s community through the development of their food cooperative. Awardees have shown exceptional creativity in meeting the needs of their developing co-op and have created a new practice others can follow.

Third Ward residents in Houston, Texas, are leading the charge to improve food access and build food sovereignty in their neighborhood. This innovative, community-driven effort emerged from resident participation in planning to redevelop Cuney Homes, Houston's historic public housing community. The Cuney Homes Resident Council joined forces with organizations like We Are The Ones Solidarity Cooperative, Community Care Cooperative, University of Houston College of Medicine, Emancipation Economic Development Council, and the Houston Housing Authority. Their collaborative approach prioritizes education and participatory democracy at every step, ensuring residents have a deep investment in the project's success. As a new start-up, they are charting a path to transform a former corner store and resident-operated food pantry into Houston’s first black-led food cooperative.

Also nominated: Food Shed Co-op and the CITRINE FCI Peer Learning Group

The 2024 Co-op Citizen: Detroit People’s Food Co-op

Detroit People's Food Co-op organizers at Up & Coming Conference

This award recognizes a startup for exceptional embodiment of cooperative principle six, “cooperation among cooperatives”, within the startup food co-op community. Awardees have gone far above and beyond to share their knowledge, experience, and solutions with peer startups, contributing significantly to the growth of the overall food co-op startup community.

Detroit People’s Food Co-op has always been a leader in sharing their experience and knowledge with their fellow cooperatives, and in 2024 they took that cooperative spirit even further – presenting for Peer Groups, answering just about every call from every startup food co-op with a generous offering of their time and expertise – even as they were preparing for their opening! They invited the entire Black-led food co-op movement to join them for their opening and grand opening to celebrate and learn at their side. P6ing has become such a core part of the DPFC culture that it is no surprise that their first GM, Akil Talley, carries this spirit forward now that the store is open, answering startup questions and giving tours.

Also nominated: SunCoast Market Co-op and Prairie Food Co-op

The 2024 Cooperative Force: Grand Rapids Food Co-op

Grand Rapids Co-op Organizers at Up & Coming Conference

Established in 2024, this award celebrates a startup that has built cooperative momentum over the past 12 months and has shown exceptional ability to utilize their vision to gain (or regain) community support and galvanize that support into the community power needed to get their cooperatively owned food co-op opened.

The Grand Rapids Food Co-op has clearly found new momentum this year. Not only is the co-op communicating more consistently and dynamically with their owners and the public, but the results of this new level of communication (and the deep work the co-op has done over the years to build its roots in the community) speak for themselves: GRFC had 542 owners after 8.5 years of organizing; in the first 10 months of 2024 alone they had 191 new owners join your co-op, a nearly 259% increase in ownership growth speed!

Also nominated: Market 166 Grocery & Kitchen Co-Op and One Community Grocery Co-op

Upcoming Events & WORKSHOPS

Co-op Organizing Learning & Growth Tool webinar

Wed, 10/30 at 2p eastern, register HERE.  

Co-creators of the tool, food co-op specialist Bonnie Hudspeth of the Firebrand Cooperative and JQ Hannah of Food Co-op Initiative, will lead this webinar exploring the four focus areas of this new FCI tool, share examples of how startups have wrestled with these topics, and lead a conversation about how to effectively utilize the tool.

An Introduction to the Food Co-op Development Framework webinar - offered at two different times for your convenience:

• Wednesday, 11/13 at 7p eastern, register HERE
• Thursday, 11/14 at 1p eastern, register HERE

FCI Live 2025 - Mark your calendars! Monday, 3/24/25 - Thursday, 4/3/25 will be the dates for our wildly popular, annual, virtual conference focused on the learning needs of startup food co-ops! We’ll be creating the lineup of topics for this event by reaching out to speakers in November, if you have a topic you’d like to present as an expert or peer startup organizer, send your interest and ideas to jq@fci.coop

SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL STARTUPS

John Tashiro, City Market (Onion River Co-op) General Manager, and Darnell Adams, FCI Board President, at City Market’s 2024 Annual Meeting

Owners of City Market / Onion River Co-op in Burlington, VT love co-ops so much, they are supporting new co-ops nationwide by donating to FCI! We were honored to speak at the food co-op’s Annual Meeting, and inspired to have so many cooperators step up to help startups get the support they need to open their very own food co-op in their community. Do you love your co-op, too? You can help others experience the benefits of owning their own community grocery store by donating today! 

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.

FCI Board members (L to R: Gerardo Espinoza, Valeria Roach, Chris Clamp (former board member and Hall of Fame Inductee), amaha sellassie, and Rich Larochelle at the Cooperative Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Earlier this month, the Cooperative Development Foundation inducted five people into the Cooperative Hall of Fame: Nannie Helen Burroughs, Tony Bedard, Dr. Christina (Chris) Clamp, Vernon Oakes, and Clifford Rosenthal. All have made a lasting impact on the cooperative movement, and Chris and Vernon have had a special impact on the development of startup food co-ops. Amidst all she has contributed to the cooperative sector, Chris was a longtime and visionary Board member of FCI, ending her tenure in 2022. And Vernon, through his must-listen radio show and podcast, Everything Co-op, has shined countless spotlights on startup food co-ops and shared their stories to inspire other co-op organizers. Congratulations, Chris and Vernon! 

We also are deeply grateful for the leadership of this year’s unsung hero inductee, Nannie Helen Burroughs, a Black cooperative leader in Washington DC in the early 1900s. We encourage you to learn about each of their contributions to cooperatives and share their stories to encourage your Co-op's member-owners. 

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