A Vegetarian Food Coop on the Move

Our community-owned vegetarian food co-op grocery is involved ina number of new things, in addition to seeking new members and funds to open a storefront.  

After WalMart was successfully pushed out of the Alameda and Federal location, in the heart of an Asian shopping center, WalMart set its sites on the old Elitch location. To say the least, the local residents were not happy. As you drive through the area, it is very low key with small shops and residence. One more thing you may notice is a number of yellow and red signs showing their dismay at the idea of WalMart wanting to build and open a store in the neighborhood.

So, word gets out that we are looking to open a Co-op in Denver, and receive an invitation to attend an information meeting with local residents of an intentional community. After only a few minutes of presentation, most residents took to the idea like ducks to water. From that initial meeting, the Co-op idea looks like it will be presented as an alternative to WalMart and help keep the neighborhood more the way it is, a mom and pop kinda place, with a number of smaller shops, rather than a mega-store next door.

Besides the Elitch location, a new location may also be interested in having a Co-op. The old University Hospital, located on Colorado Boulevard, between 8th and 11th. As the Hospital moves further east, local residence and developers are looking for viable alternatives to help keep the area with a similar look and feel, adding more housing with smaller shops. 

Aside from looking at locations, the Co-op has been very active in getting the word out via an Earth Day get together in April, passing out flyers on Auraria campus, meeting with the Denver Region Greens, putting up sighs in local establishments such as Herb and Art, and via our website: www.denvercoop.com

So, why are people interested in a Co-op? It is the only place where people can come together, working to solve a common problem by seizing opportunities through local ownership and democratic governance of a business. A benefit of such a model is: people have a direct vested interest in how a business should be run and the more they make use of a Co-op, the more they get in return, either through services or through earnings being allocated to the Co-op’s members. Another advantage over corporate model is, the board is elected by people who are also members themselves, making essentially everyone an owner with voting rights.

Some characteristics you will find in a Co-op are:
· Open memberships
· One member, one vote
· Cash and non-cash trading
· Membership education
· Political and religious neutrality
· No unusual risk assumptions
· Limitation of the number of shares owned
· Goods or services sold below common retail costs
· Net margins distributed according to patronage

Think of it this way. All corporations have a pyramid structure to their management, where all the money flows upward and all the governance flows downward. In a Co-op, the structure is more flat with no one person controlling a top position, with members able to assist in the day-to-day operations. The majority of the money brought in by a Co-op stays local, other than for goods and services that are paid to outside companies, such as utilities or in the case of a grocery, food & other goods that is shipped in.

If you feel strongly enough about wanting to take control of the food you have access to, then a Co-op is the only type of business that offers that. This Co-op is looking to set up partnerships with local organic farmers or CSA’s (Consumer Supported Agriculture) that would ship directly to the Co-op directly and in turn sells it fresh to you, the same day. Another advantage would be, lower cost. Members would receive a discount on their purchases in addition to being able to buy in larger quantities, just like a buying club, with the additional benefit of having a central location and being able to pick up their order, at their convenience. 

We are currently looking at raising between two hundred fifty thousand to three hundred thousand dollars, to secure a location and open a storefront within a year. This is where you can help, by becoming a member, making a grant to the Co-op, giving the Co-op a loan and by sharing this idea with co-workers, family and friends. To raise the money needed, we need at least three thousand new members.

If you would like to know more about becoming a member, please, head on over to our website, email us at: info@denvercoop.com or give us a call at, 303.246.6942. (Please visit the website to keep up with developments are to sign up as a member.) If you would like to help us in getting the word out, please contact us and we will let you know the sort of things we are currently working on. I’m sure by the time you read this article, we will be engaged in yet more activities, but that will have to wait for the updated article. Cheers.