New food co-op forming in Grand Rapids

A new food cooperative, the Grand Rapids Food Coop Initiative (GRFCI), is forming and “working to start a community owned, cooperative grocery store in the heart of Grand Rapids.”

The development board includes Linda Jones,  Deb Eid, and Crystal LaCoy.

The development of a food co-op usually takes two years. A development team needs to be built and meeting regularly, which Jones says will be happening over the summer. Through the fall and winter they will focus on building the membership and doing the feasibility study.

Currently the GRFCI is raising awareness of their project and meeting to develop a board. “We’re looking for connectors, people who can bring other people in,” says Jones. "On an ideal board, there's typically seven to 10 people. A co-op is as much about building the community as the food, not just opening a store, and then continuing to be a community hub.”

Grand Rapids’ last food co-op closed in 1999 when the Eastown Food Cooperative shut its doors, which had been preceeded by an earlier closing of the Westside Food Cooperative.  Even though Grand Rapids has developed quite a food culture, the lack of an accessible co-op remains a desire for many. When the Eastown Food Coop closed in 1999, The Grand Rapids Press said it has "served the Grand Rapids' tofu-and-bulgar crowd."  

Jones acknowledges people's past perceptions of food co-ops and says that GRFCI is specifically trying to build something more approachable.

“People tend to think of food co-ops as yuppie, high-end organic food stores. We want to meet the needs of diverse communities, bringing in affordable, good food that's as local and as accessible as possible.”

"Ideally, the co-op will be centrally located with a good sized store and plenty of parking on a commuter route ,” says Jones.

“The food co-op will really help local food businesses because they’ll have another outlet to market their food.” The co-op would support local agriculture year-round by including local frozen and canned food during winter.

The GRFCI will be similar to most food co-ops in that it will be community owned and run, and the dollars made will remain local. It will be a democratic, one member-one vote store.

Those interested in being a part of the developing co-op can join their Facebook page. GRFCI is also currently looking for people interested in helping to build into the local community through the food co-op. People who are interested in being on the development team, raising membership, doing outreach and helping to form the co-op structure are needed. Contact Linda Jones at [email protected] for further information.