Co-op News Round Up: 9/16
Happy mid-September. The weather is cooling down but the co-op news is heating up. Here's all the links fit to read:
🌹The Bethlehem Co-op Market in Pennsylvania is now offering online shopping ahead of their store opening. A sneak peak of the store is available on their website. Bethlehem Co-op began organizing in 2011.
🌹The Riverwest Co-op in Milwaukee, WI announced the store is pursuing an "ethical closure" after downwards financial trends and losses. A meeting was held with membership on 9/10 to discuss the details. Riverwest had opened in 2001.
🌹The Olympia Food Co-op in Washington state is helping to raise funds for Grace Cox who worked at the store for nearly 40-years. Anyone in the co-op world who has crossed paths with Grace knows her dedication to Olympia and to food co-ops in general. Grace won the Cooperative Service Award at CCMA in 2023. Please consider donating.
🌹The Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, VT has purchased a 1.6 acre property adjacent to their current store. Hunger Mountain hasn't announced immediate development plans for the property, but has a page on their website dedicated to the project.
🌹Suncoast Market in Imperial Beach, CA announced the hiring of new General Manager Andre Chavez. Chavez comes to Suncoast with a wealth of co-op and grocery experience across more than 40 years in the industry. Chavez starts on 9/22.
🌹The Mid-Atlantic Food Co-op Alliance (MAFCA) is still taking registrations for a free one day conference in Philadelphia on Saturday October 11th. Presenters include NCG, Equal Exchange, Four Seasons Produce and Food Co-op Initiative. More info and the event registration can be found on the MAFCA website.
🌹New Hope Media wrote about a co-op in Kansas that transitioned to 501C3:
Melaina Juntti
🌹With the talk of co-ops merging this fall, here's an article from the Cooperative Grocer archives from 2016 about Central Co-op and Tacoma Co-op merging. The article was written by Dan Arnett and Jeff Bessmer. The two stores still operate in Seattle and Tacoma under the banner of Central Co-op.
