The food co-op movement is growing! There are a significant number of food co-ops with mature business practices and experienced board and management leaders making profound impacts on their respective communities. That success, along with other social and economic forces, has created a greater awareness and desire amongst communities around the country to have their own food co-ops. There are over 300 communities around the country in various stages of organizing a food co-op. Here are some of the resources available to these groups:
Consulting services – CDS Consulting Co-op offers a full range of services for new co-ops. From assistance in the organizing stage to feasibility analysis and business planning, we can help! Click here for a a list of start up co-ops that have used our consulting services.
Webinars – CDS Consulting Co-op in collaboration with Food Co-op Initiative has developed a series of webinars to assist people and communities that want a food co-op. Webinar recordings and resources can be downloaded at no charge.
CDS created Four Cornerstones in Three Stages, a development model which comprises a process for developing a cooperative retail food business. The model identifies the attributes necessary for successful food co-ops.
Food Co-op Initiative exists to build and maintain a support system that enables a faster and more effective start-up process, resulting in new cooperative food stores successfully serving their communities. FCI was originally formed as the Food Co-op 500 program in August 2005 as a collaborative effort of CDS, NCB, NCB Capital Impact, and National Cooperative Grocers Association with substantial support from the Blooming Prairie Foundation.
