Food Cooperatives
A food cooperative is similar to a grocery store, except that it is owned and operated by its customers, or its membership.
They are efforts at democratizing food systems, members get to decide what food will be stocked, where those items come from, the ethical and quality standards vendors will have to meet, etc.
Food cooperatives often play an important role in providing communities with locally sourced, affordable, equitable, and ecologically sound food.
Communities often create cooperatives in response to racial and cultural inequities, as community members can pool their resources, address inequities, and develop resilience in the food system.
Stephanie Bublitz on Food Insecurity and the Fort Collins Food Co-Op
CSU student, Kaitlyn Mixon, interviewed Stephanie Bulblitz from the management team at the Fort Collins Food Coop to learn more about how co-ops address food security in unique ways. The Fort Collins Food Cooperative is an inclusive community working to cultivate and celebrate an environmentally sustainable, socially fair, and economically vibrant local and global food system, through the cooperative business model.
Listen in and also find out when CSU students can get half-priced burritos!
The Fort Collins Food Coop is open MONDAY – FRIDAY 9AM – 7PM, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10AM-6PM, and is located at 250 E. MOUNTAIN AVENUE, FORT COLLINS, CO.
Food Justice at Mountain Avenue Market
In this episode we explore how Fort Collins own Mountain Avenue Market is contributing to the community and food justice.
Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0A95K5LjdTOyRhUocHzxr5
Sources include: https://www.fcfood.coop/grocery/
Interviews with ; Kate Caulfield, Emily Justman, Clay Rogers, and Emma Hanson are dispersed throughout.
Cover Art: Meredith Stern https://justseeds.org/product/food-justice/
Host: Meg Robinson
The Food Sharing Revolution
How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-Ops are Changing the Way We Eat
Michael S. Carolan
To learn more about the role of food co-ops, and cooperative businesses in general, and their role in creating more just food systems, take a look at the book.
Know More
Interested in learning more about how cooperative businesses get started?
Take a look at the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union's Cooperative Development Center.