Dissatisfied with the quality and prices of food in your grocery store? Want cheaper organic produce? Food co-ops offer a great way to avoid grocery stores and get healthy foods at very reasonable cost.
A food co-operative is a group of individuals who join together to realize savings and improved quality of primarily produce. The purchasing power of the group increases both the quality and quantity of foods you’ll get as a member of a co-op.
Members pay a set amount each week based on the size of their household or food needs, payable monthly, quarterly or yearly. Members get high quality produce and grocery items supplied by local farms and businesses. This is a great way to buy organic, lower cost food, and just fulfill your grocery needs in an easy, honest way that supports your local economy.
All food co-operatives operate as non-profit entities for the benefit of its members. The decision making process for the food co-op is democratic, as all members have a say in what is purchased. Food co-ops often sell to the public and any profit is divided among the members.
There are two basic types of food co-operatives, Grocery Co-ops and Buying Clubs. The most common co-op is the Grocery Co-op. This is a volunteer organization that offers low-cost food to its members with minimal interaction with the community, except to sell some food at farmers’ markets. Grocery Co-ops are ideal for anyone looking for organic and natural foods produced with minimal processing and little or no food additives or preservatives.
Food Buying Clubs, the second type of co-op, is less formal and is generally a group of individuals that buy in bulk and splits up their purchases. A Food Buying Club can be informally organized among family and friends. This can help you save money by bulk shopping at warehouse stores, like Costco and BJ’s. Typically, they are composed of seven or more families, who share the chores of collecting money from the member families, placing the order with the distributor, helping unload the truck when it arrives at the drop-off site, then dividing up individual orders. Buying Clubs can also purchase in bulk through a regional natural foods distributor or food co-op warehouse.
There are food co-ops located in every state and in many areas throughout each state. The best way to find a co-op is to visit the Local Harvest web site and in put in your zip code. This will bring up a list of the co-ops available in your area and links to visit their independent websites to learn more about the particular services and benefits they offer. To see a list of coops in the top ten urban markets, Check Here.
If joining a co-op is something you’d like to explore, check out the Co-op Directory for more information and how-to videos. Regardless of the co-op route you decide to use, it can be a great way to feed your family the healthiest food available, while still saving money on groceries. How much?
It depends on the varying bounty of each season’s local crop. But depending on the cost of the share, you could realize upwards of 50% off retail for produce or organically grown vegetables. Many co-ops encourage need based customers, giving them access to the most wholesome produce available at very good prices.
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Factor in the cost of co-op membership to determine your true savings with a food co-op group.
