Go Local - Join A Food Cooperative
First, do some research and see if there’s a local food coop already in existence in your area (see the article link at the foot of this action).
If there isn’t, how about clubbing together with your friends and starting one up using the Essential Catalogue to source the food your order. There’s a bit about how to go about setting up your food coop here. But it can be as simple as a group of friends setting up the right bank account and then making periodic group bulk orders from the Essential Catalogue range.
(At least, how about ditching the big supermarkets in favour of the Co-op? Sign up for a dividend card with them and become a member of one of the oldest and most successful co-operatives in the country.)
Click here to read about one of Generous’ first ever member’s journey into becoming a member of a local food coop.
Join the fray by signing in.
08 Sep 2005
Reading is fantastic with its local food co-op. It used to meet twice a month in a small community centre, but since January started expanding rapidly. It now meets in our church hall, so we can get locally produced and dried organic foodstuffs once a fortnight without taking the car anywhere. It’s bliss, and our food bills have gone right down as a result.
Godalming, GB , 03 Oct 2005
I understand that Infinity Foods are ethically produced and these are available in this area through independent health food shops and two local farm shop, which are also independent. A food co-op selling this sort of thing would reduce business for these outlets, surely, so I can’t see how it would be a good idea. Aren’t we meant to be supporting small, independant shops that sell ethically produced goods?
07 Oct 2005
We grow some of our own vegetables and herbs, and often swap produce with neighbours and friends who grow different crops.
Would love to abandon the big supermarkets – but smaller shops seldom open late or early enough for me to fit shopping round work.
What would be great would be a small chain of shops which sold organic, local, fairly traded, ecofriendly goods. Anyone come across one, or one where you can buy online?
Nottingham, GB , 13 Oct 2005
To answer your question Frangellica, there is an online shop www.goodnessdirect.co.uk that stocks many fairtrade and organic products and the delivery service is excellent. I don’t know where you live but there is a small chain of ethical cooperative shops called Out Of This World who have stores in Nottingham, Newcastle and Leeds (website www.ootw.co.uk).
Newcastle upon Tyne, GB , 06 Feb 2006
I have tried to find a local food coop by searching the web and asking in my local organic store. They don’t know of one but said if I want to set one up they can get stuff from Suma for me if I (and others) spend at least £300 a week! At the moment it seems the best thing I can do is order Suma goods through them for a slight reduction for buying larger quantities- and as they and Suma are coops that seems an OK option but I guess it would be cheaper to do something on a larger scale. Anyone in the North East with any ideas…?
17 Mar 2006
We love our local food co-op. Madison Market in Seattle, Washington, USA. We bring our own bags and our own containers for the bulk items. We find we frequent the big grocery stores less and less. Admittedly, we could not afford to buy everything at the co-op all the time. But we run in every week and now only use the grocery stores for some select items a couple times a month.
03 Jun 2006
What better way to shop than over a glass of wine with your neighbours. You certainly get to know people when you shop with them! We joined a food co-op several months ago and now hardly ever go to a supermarket. I don’t know how we had the time to shop before.
12 Jun 2006
Does anyone know of a food co-op in Gloucester or Cheltenham?
18 Jul 2006
The “True Food Coop” has markets all around Reading, you can even give them a helping hand. This is a REAL community project with markets all over Reading just about everyday.
http://www.truefood.coop
I live just outside Reading in Bracknell and we make a visit every fortnight to the market in Woodley.
Greenbelt, MD, US , 30 Aug 2006
We are members and shop primarily at our local food co-op. I’m sure it had humble beginnings as most co-ops but it is now as convenient and sizeable as a small supermarket. We find the produce better quality and better priced while some other packaged goods tend to be a little more pricey than the big chains.
Regardless, we like the small-feel, and supporting local inniatives.
13 Sep 2006
We are starting a food co-op in Aberdeenshire with the Neeps!
19 Sep 2006
we set up a food co-op with a few local friends about 2 years ago, it is a great way of buying good food cheaply and saves us shopping so much in the superamarket.
Brixton, London, GB , 22 Nov 2006
Trying to set up a Co-Op in Brixton South London. If anyone knows of existing Co-Ops in the area or can offer some advice on starting up, I would be eternally grateful…........ well for quite a long time anyway ;0)
New York City, US , 29 Nov 2006
There isn’t a coop near me, but I used to belong to a CSA Farm (Community supported Agriculture) which allows you to subscribe to a share of the harvest.
Unfortunately, it was a little far from my apartment and I couldn’t always make the pickup times.
My wife didn’t like being limited to the seasonal availibility. After one year I let my membership lapse.
Worthing, GB , 18 Feb 2007
My husband and I have recently moved to Worthing. Unfortunately, there is no food cooperative her so for the time being I am going to bulk order for myself saving on trips to the supermarket in the car. All the extra things I need I can get at the local coop which I walk to.
21 Feb 2007
So where can I find my local CO OP?
Worthing, GB , 11 Mar 2007
I am not sure where you are based Towering Bog but I did a google search for local food co-ops. If there is not one near you, Infinity Foods in Brighton will deliver in bulk as long as you order enough.
Bristol, GB , 14 May 2007
I have been a member of a food co-op for years. We make an order every two months or so. as we take it in turns to do the order occasionally no one volunteers, and we miss and order. We limit ourselves to twelve members as it all gets too much to handle otherwise. I know people who have just started up a new group. It is easy to do. find a local wholesaler, get a group of people together and make an order. Our local wholesale company is Essential, who are also a co-operative. Each wholesaler will have different rules about selling to non commercial clients, the shops do get a bit worried about lost business. Most food coops seem to be buying organic, fairtrade, wholemeal kind of stuff, but why not set up a coop to buy ‘normal’ food. particularily if you live in an area with poor services and shops.
17 May 2007
A group of us get together and put in a wholesale order to Suma (wholefood co-op) and one of us has it delivered into the front room. It works really well, and means I haven’t visited the big supermarkets for years. A similar group do the same with Daily Bread (www.dailybread.co.uk) for amounts that don’t have to be wholesale amounts, and again – it works really well!
Taunton, GB , 30 May 2007
I’ve recently started shopping with Somerset Local Food Direct. They are the nearest I’ve found to a Food Co-Op – with food of all kinds sourced locally. The good news is that they also provide various non perishables – including the Suma brand (for loo rolls) and Ecover Products. So now I’m even closer to avoiding the supermarket!
Kingston upon Thames, GB , 03 Aug 2007
A few of us get together to order wholesale from Infinity Foods. It’s much cheaper than in the health food shop although I still go there for things I don’t want to buy in bulk. Also I love the goodnessdirect site and my weekly Abel and Cole box. I wouldn’t go back to buying from supermarkets again now.
19 Nov 2007
A group of us now have a monthly delivery from Daily Bread (www.dailybread.co.uk) and it works really well as they have a good range of products including Ecover (washing liquid in 5 litre containers), Suma and lots of fairtrade items. The only problem is that as the group coordinator (and delivery address) I am swamped by boxes for a couple of days every month !