​
It started with a group of local people getting together and talking about food. A farmer, a food writer, a chef, and culinary teacher, a lawyer, a restaurant owner, and others. People who live in the area, who care about the food we eat, who want to buy locally sourced products year-round, and who want to see the Northeast Kingdom thrive.
What about a food Co-op? Surely this would be a success!
​
That was when the fun began.
​
What would this Food Co-op look like? How big does it need to be? How would we fund it? Where should it be located? How should it be set up? So many questions needed answering.
​
So began a journey of discovery. We have been guided and supported by many experts in all areas. Through grants from the USDA, we hired Columinate, White+Burke and Mel Reis, a marketing consultant joined as well joined, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association to guide us towards understanding shape and scope of the project.
Thanks to you, our friends, and neighbors, our membership at this time is well over 600, a number that has drawn the attention of funders and other organizations that will be key to our success.
What is a co-op?
​
A co-op is a group of people who work together for economic benefit. A co-op is owned by its members; it is a democracy, with one vote per person. A group of people acting cooperatively can create a business where other kinds of entrepreneurship don’t work. A food co-op returns any surplus profit to its members in the form of a dividend.
​
The Caledonia Food Co-op will:
-
be a great local supermarket with local, natural, artisanal, vegetarian, vegan, and international foods
-
create local jobs
-
increase local farming (through committed buying and promotion)
-
keep more spending in the area
Greens Build Healthy Communities.
Stacy, Christopher, Luke Thrall.
There are so many exciting things happening in ST J right now, having our own Co-op will be icing on the cake. We appreciate the time and effort the Co-op board is putting in to make
it a reality.