Jon Steinman, author of Grocery Story — The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants, in collaboration with FCI, brings you a photo collection of food co-ops from his American book tour. If you’re a food co-op organizer, this is the resource you have always wanted to have! Show people in your community what a modern food co-op can be with this 144-page book of nearly 300 images. See examples of food co-op exteriors, interiors, displays, co-op board voting stations, community-giving initiatives, local food maps, food producer signage, member engagement strategies, bike racks, ideas for acknowledging member lenders in-store, conventional-natural product integration ideas, recycling ideas, and more. View the PDF.

Strategic shifts in messaging. Multi-channel campaigns. They will greatly impact your co-op’s initial sales, and they need to be planned well in advance of your store’s opening. To equip startups to meet this challenge, Firebrand Cooperative has released this NEW tool in partnership with Food Co-op Initiative.  

Understand (and plan) your store’s strategic messaging — from three months prior, up through the day you open your doors. The guide includes:

• Building a successful plan: budgeting, vendor/partners, and messaging
• Marketing channels: which channels, when, for what messages
• Key messaging: be proactive as your message shifts and your audience broadens
• Campaign planning matrix: build, manage, and coordinate the many components of your store opening plan
• Plus tips for keeping the marketing magic going after opening, well into those first critical months