The Cooperative Grocery
“ It was just a series of dinner discussions at first,” says Michael Weiler about the idea for a grocery cooperative near Berkeley, CA. He and his wife, Julia Carpenter, and their friends Elisa and Martin Edwards would often talk about how there should be easier and more affordable access to organic and healthy food in the area. Upon moving to Berkeley in 2005, the Edwards were surprised that there were no food co-ops like the one they belonged to in New York. The Park Slope Food Co-op, in Brooklyn, is a store where members contribute a couple of hours of labor per month in exchange for deep discounts on sustainable and organic products. As their dinner discussions morphed into more serious plans, the friends began laying the foundation for a future Berkeley Grocery Cooperative.
“It will be different from any other natural foods place in Berkeley,” says Weiler, “the Cooperative Grocery will be a community-based way of grocery shopping.” The concept for the store is modeled after the Park Slope Co-op; member-owned and member-run. Members pay a one-time fee of 25 dollars and an investment of 100 dollars, which is refundable should they choose to leave the cooperative. Members also contribute a two and a half hour work shift per month, driving down labor costs and insuring that products sold at the store will be affordable.
“Members direct the way it works,” says Weiler. “There will always be a community feel. People will know each other and who is working when they shop.” Unlike other grocery stores, the Co-op will also have services such as on-site childcare and educational programs. “The goal is to make the Co-op as accessible as possible,” Weiler explains. Lindsay Meisel, intern for the CoG (Cooperative Grocery), agrees. “It (the Cooperative Grocery model) changes grocery shopping.”
The CoG has been in development for about 14 months, and already much has been done. The first phase, to become operational as an online store, is almost complete. All that is left is to secure a warehouse site for storing customer orders.
As of now, the Cooperative Grocery has 400 members, and another 5-600 people are planning to join once the online store becomes operational. Membership totals are good, but far short of the 13,000 that belong to the Park-Slope Food Co-op. “I want to put a call out there for members and for talent,” says Weiler. “We are in need of people with financial experience, building experience, web experience, etc.” To heed Michael Weiler’s call, or for more information about the Cooperative Grocery, you can visit their website at http://thecog.org. To become a part of the Cooperative Grocery is more than just finding a new place to shop, it is joining a community of people who believe in the right to affordable, healthy food.
Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy
398 60th Street
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-4400
“ It was just a series of dinner discussions at first,” says Michael Weiler about the idea for a grocery cooperative near Berkeley, CA. He and his wife, Julia Carpenter, and their friends Elisa and Martin Edwards would often talk about how there should be easier and more affordable access to organic and healthy food in the area. Upon moving to Berkeley in 2005, the Edwards were surprised that there were no food co-ops like the one they belonged to in New York. The Park Slope Food Co-op, in Brooklyn, is a store where members contribute a couple of hours of labor per month in exchange for deep discounts on sustainable and organic products. As their dinner discussions morphed into more serious plans, the friends began laying the foundation for a future Berkeley Grocery Cooperative.
“It will be different from any other natural foods place in Berkeley,” says Weiler, “the Cooperative Grocery will be a community-based way of grocery shopping.” The concept for the store is modeled after the Park Slope Co-op; member-owned and member-run. Members pay a one-time fee of 25 dollars and an investment of 100 dollars, which is refundable should they choose to leave the cooperative. Members also contribute a two and a half hour work shift per month, driving down labor costs and insuring that products sold at the store will be affordable.
“Members direct the way it works,” says Weiler. “There will always be a community feel. People will know each other and who is working when they shop.” Unlike other grocery stores, the Co-op will also have services such as on-site childcare and educational programs. “The goal is to make the Co-op as accessible as possible,” Weiler explains. Lindsay Meisel, intern for the CoG (Cooperative Grocery), agrees. “It (the Cooperative Grocery model) changes grocery shopping.”
The CoG has been in development for about 14 months, and already much has been done. The first phase, to become operational as an online store, is almost complete. All that is left is to secure a warehouse site for storing customer orders.
As of now, the Cooperative Grocery has 400 members, and another 5-600 people are planning to join once the online store becomes operational. Membership totals are good, but far short of the 13,000 that belong to the Park-Slope Food Co-op. “I want to put a call out there for members and for talent,” says Weiler. “We are in need of people with financial experience, building experience, web experience, etc.” To heed Michael Weiler’s call, or for more information about the Cooperative Grocery, you can visit their website at http://thecog.org. To become a part of the Cooperative Grocery is more than just finding a new place to shop, it is joining a community of people who believe in the right to affordable, healthy food.
Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy
398 60th Street
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-4400
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