Starting a Food Co-op?

Hello
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 107 Posts

March 31, 20180 found this helpful

The first step would be to see how many people in your area would be interested in such an enterprise. Once realizing that there is indeed interest or a need to be filled in your area then do some research

the second important question is decide the purpose of the coop. Is it to have the ability to have bulk foods? Is low waste one of your missions? Or is it simply that you're in a rural area and there's not much other food options save Walmart aailable? Do you have healthy, non GMO food as your mission? Do you want to be dietary specific IE Kosher Vegetarian Vegan? Do you want to deal with produce or canned goods?

then you can in your meetings decide how to go on from there

Here is a good site of common questions that people ask as they begin the retail food co-op startup process. www.fci.coop/.../

Judy
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts

April 1, 20180 found this helpful

I was in one. People have to like the same foods, as it is cheaper to buy in bulk. You have to have a source. One person was willing to buy the food very early in the morning when the place opened. We took turns packing the food into boxes. Im sure other coops are run differently, but it worked for us.