April 2025: Co-ops are built for moments like these

Dear cooperators and friends,

2025 came in intense for all of us, no matter which way you slice it. At FCI, some of that intensity has come in the form of a big leadership transition announcement, and the onboarding of two incredible new staff who will be expanding and improving how FCI serves startup food co-ops.

The thing is, cooperatives are built for intense moments, and “cooperator” is the name for a person that stands up in intense moments and says, “I will bet on us, in every moment, always. We have got this.” Notice I didn’t say anything about that being easy, because cooperation is not easy — but it is powerful and it is the way to collectively build solutions to get to a future where the needs of our communities are at the center of everything we do.

FCI is ready to meet this intense moment alongside you. We’re actively working with our Framework Editors Team and Framework Review Circle to build and release more Food Co-op Development Framework tools capturing best practices that will fuel your startup co-op’s development. And our 2025 Peer Learning Groups are going strong with a recordbreaking level of participation from over five dozen startups across the country. Planning for this year’s Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference in Kalamazoo, MI is also under way and, for the first time ever, we’re planning two years ahead. So, Up & Coming 2026 will be in Detroit, MI.

So much about the future is uncertain right now, but one thing is not: the cooperative movement will be there, bringing people together community by community, big and small, to build a future where everyone thrives. None of us individually has all of the answers, but together we will find them. FCI is betting on us, on the startup food co-op movement. We have got this.

In Cooperation,

JQ Hannah
Interim Executive Director

NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT: MERCEDES GOSBY

In our last issue, you learned about Chris Dilley, FCI’s Director of Startup Support. Today, you’ll hear from Mercedes Gosby, the Content & Data Manager who joined FCI in February.

From your experience working in cooperatives, what do you see as a significant issue affecting startups that you could make inroads on?

Understandably, startup co-ops often are missing a consistent presence online. Especially, one that they have control over, like a website. Social media is great to have and easy to get up and running (and free!) but platforms like Facebook and TikTok are quick to suspend or even delete your account.

They usually won’t do this unless you violate their terms of service, but the widespread use of AI is causing people and organizations to lose their accounts due to no fault of their own.

Your website should be the hub for your co-op and I’m planning content that will have best practices for how to get started, what to put on your website and how to get potential members/owners to find you.

Making it easy for people to find your startup online can help increase your membership. People in your community are active online and they are searching for the best deals and places to buy their groceries.

Don’t you want your startup to show up in these search results?

What are the most interesting developments you’d like to see in the co-op space over the next five years?

I’m really glad to see and hear co-ops developing talent within their own community to help their co-op grow. I would love to see this extended to food producers. Food founders have so many issues finding a space to create their product, getting their products into retail stores, deciphering which events to attend as a vendor, etc.

More food founders should consider selling their products at their local co-op instead of or in addition to trying to tackle big box stores. They can grow and strengthen their customer base and get customer and staff feedback locally, without the costs and travel time of going to conferences and expos.

What’s your go-to comfort food (or some item that you always have stocked in your kitchen)?

Curry is a monthly staple for me. It never takes long to make and is incredibly versatile. Also, forgiving. Sometimes, I make my curry base from scratch, or I’ll just buy one. The vegetable combinations are endless and I can choose to add or forego meat or fish. It’s a great opportunity for me to try a different bread that I’ve most likely bought from my favorite locally-owned bakery

STARTUP ACCOMPLISHMENTS

One Community Grocery Co-op (South St. Petersburg, FL) surpassed 100 owners in early March! They’re on a mission to reach 300 owners in 2025, and with all the community events they’re taking part in and all their great work on social media, we think they’re gonna do it! Go, One Community!

Chicago Market (Chicago, IL), when faced with a large financial gap, was recently able to value-engineer the project in a way that reduced the build out by several million dollars. They continue to have a gap, but much smaller thanks to this good work! Go, Chicago Market!

Bronzeville Food Co-op (Columbus, OH) completed a community survey as part of their early work to establish community feasibility. Their effort was extremely well organized and very successful, resulting in over 900 responses! That’s more than 3X the average responses seen in most communities. Watch their FCI Live session to learn more. Go Bronzeville!

Adroscoggin Food Co-op (Berlin, NH) hired their first staffer – a part-time Outreach Coordinator to increase the visibility of their vision, and grow membership. That’s a major milestone! Go, go Andro!

Grand Rapids Food Co-op (Grand Rapids, MI) surpassed their ownership goal for last year, and continues to see new owners join at roughly one per day since the start of the year! They did this by sharing their vision out loud and proud using an improved website, and very active social media. They’re expanding the Sociocratic circles to bring in more volunteer help to identify a site and to continue to build awareness. Go, GRFC!

Tri-Cities Food Co-op (Richland, WA) opened at the end of last October using a phased approach, and have completed five of their six phases, with the March 2025 opening of a coffee shop within their space and expansion of their hours to 7am to 7pm daily.

FARM STOP CONFERENCE RECAP

Chris Dilley, FCI’s Director of Startup Support, attended and spoke on a panel at the 2025 Farm Stop Conference last month.

I had the opportunity to join in on the second annual Farm Stop Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in early March. The conference is put together by Argus Farm Stop, the originator of the Farm Stop Chris Dilley at the 2025 Farm Stop Conference concept and operator of two locations in Ann Arbor, as part of their intentional efforts to grow this particular tool in the toolbox of local food systems development.

Kathryn Barr, author of How to Start a Farm Stop, explains that “Farm Stops are year-round, every-day markets that support small-scale farmers and strengthen local and regional food systems. They do so most often by operating on a consignment model, which gives producers a fair price, flexibility with their time and products, and provides more direct connections with consumers.”

There are currently nearly 20 active farm stops in 10 US states, with hundreds of interested organizers from 35 states who attended this year’s conference.

FCI was invited to participate in a panel discussion about organizing farm stops as co-ops, joining managers from two existing farm stops: Local Roots Market & Cafe, a consumer co-op in Wooster, OH, and Bloomington Farm Stop Collective, a producer co-op in Bloomington, IN. It was great to learn about these two different real life examples, and make info about organizing these businesses as cooperatives more visible in the farm stop space.

We at FCI are seeing communities organize around their vision for a food co-op in many ways, and are actively seeking to better understand other models besides the traditional full-service grocery. For many communities, strengthening the local food system is a primary driver, and perhaps the Farm Stop model could be one to explore. We’ll keep learning about what’s out there, and bringing that into our conversations with you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

CCMA: May 29 – 31, 2025: CCMA is the national annual conference for food cooperative directors, management, staff, and sector allies and it will be held this year in Duluth, MN May 29 -31! Learn more about this conference focused on the needs of established food co-ops.

Up & Coming: September 11–13th, 2025: The dates and the location for the Up & Coming Conference for Startup Food Co-ops have been set – we’ll see you in Kalamazoo, MI, September 11th – 13th! If you can make it to only one in-person conference this year, this is the one not to miss, startup food cooperators! We are thrilled to be sharing space with Black-Led Day for the 5th year in a row, which will be held during the day on Thursday, September 11th, created and hosted by the National Black Food & Justice Alliance.

p5 corner

What’s P5 Corner? Cooperative Principle 5 emphasizes the importance of education, training, and information sharing. We want to hear from you! If you want to submit your P5, use this form for consideration.

Columinate Co-op Cafe: May 3, 2025: Detroit People’s Food Co-op is hosting the Stronger Together: Balancing Autonomy and Collective Power event in Detroit, MI. Malik Yakini and Hether Jonna will facilitate this Black-led Co-op Cafe experience where attendees will explore how food co-ops can stay competitive while maintaining their unique identities. Learn more about registration and costs.

SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL STARTUPS

Donations from individuals like you help make this program possible and keep attendance at events (like FCI Live) FREE! Thanks to these donations and FCI Live sponsors, we’re able to pay speakers a stipend to acknowledge their time and expertise they are sharing with FCI and our startup food co-op community. Consider making a donation to help keep this work going!

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FAYE’S INTERVIEW

Can you imagine starting and running a co-op alone? Neither can Faye Mack. To close out her time as Executive Director, we interviewed Faye about her accomplishments at FCI, her food co-op experience and career next steps.

In previous roles, Faye’s food justice background included tackling problems with the SNAP program and school food.

At FCI, Faye led the organization through uncertain times.

A big opportunity was to ensure our work is justice-oriented and not using bandaid approaches to address food issues. “Cooperation REQUIRES community,” says Faye.

The strategic plan is a significant step in this direction. It serves as the foundation of FCI’s work. The FCI board & staff voted on equity being at the center of this organization, so that “folks have the food future that they want in their community.”

But what’s next for Faye?

Watch Faye’s interview on YouTube.

FCI Live 2025 Recap

FCI Live 2025 (the recordings are on YouTube!) was our fourth year of offering this virtual conference series that is designed to specifically meet the needs of startup food co-ops in the US, and every year the demand for the series grows!

Having just wrapped up the series and now looking back on it, our biggest takeaway as the FCI staff team, and the feedback we heard most often from attendees, was the incredible quality of the presentations and the depth of the conversations.

“FCI Live is a space like no other. I walk away with something important from every single session I attend!” – FCI Live 2025 attendee

This quality and depth was made possible by all of us who participated in FCI Live 2025 – from the 36 speakers that shared their expertise and experience in the 20 sessions in this series, to the 21 generous sponsors, to the hundreds of cooperators who came to learn with us.

Pictured: Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, PhD, amaha sellassie and Jamila Medley in the 4th Wave Black Cooperativism: Black Joy Rising! session

FCI Live is only live once a year (it will be back in early 2026!) but the learning is available to all of us, all year round, on the FCI YouTube page!

You can find the recordings on YouTube.

Here are some things to look for in the series:

Financing your co-op: by request, this was a major theme of FCI Live’s 2025 content as our movement continues to work to navigate the new funding challenges and opportunities that have arisen since 2020.

Feasibility: we heard you – more direction and tools are needed for organizers about what the feasibility process is for startup food co-ops! These sessions were a starting point, there will be more to come.

New Ways Forward: the startup food co-op movement is always evolving and asking the big questions about how we organize to align with our values. These sessions expanded our movement knowledge and challenged us to think deeply about what is possible:

Get Started with Food Co-op Initiative

Food Co-op Initiative provides exceptional resources for people in the U.S. working to start a retail food co-op that meets the needs of their community. New startups can use our materials at no charge and are able to reach out to our staff for phone consultations and additional technical help.

Popular Resources

Let’s Start a Food Co-op! What do we do first?

What can FCI Do for me?

Guide to Starting a Food Co-op

Annual Impact Reports

QuickStart from FCI Classroom

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Food Co-op Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the law. Food Co-op Initiative is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.