You may have seen us mention the Nashville Food Co-op in the past week on our Facebook page. We finally got to meet up with some of the brains behind the operation and we are really SO excited about this idea. We got to ask them the burning questions (like what in the world is a co-op) and we’re going to try and answer them all for you guys, too!
So, what is a food co-op?
A co-operative is when a group of people come and work together for a common purpose. This means that the Nashville Food Co-op will be run people coming together to create a grocery store the way they want it to be.
Who owns a co-op?
People. A co-op is owned by a group of people that buy in to be on the Board of Directors. So, for every decision made for the store, you get a vote. So, you can own a part of the co-op.
I don’t want to buy in. Can I still shop there?
Yep!
What kinds of things will they sell?
Local things. But more than that. Nashville Food Co-op will be your ‘one stop shop’ for groceries. There will be local produce and meats and dairy, but you’ll also be able to get all the other things that keep your house running. You won’t have to make more than one stop for your groceries each week. There will be a lot of local options. Yay local!
Wait a minute. I really want to support my local farmer’s market.
We do too. Farmer’s Markets are awesome. But, you can’t get your entire grocery list there. You also don’t always know what will be available. Also, some people work during the day (weird, I know) and they can’t make it to the market in time. This is a really great option for them. By all means, keep supporting your local markets! This is just another option for off-season, rainy days, or times when you just can’t make it to the market.
What else does the Nashville Food Co-op have to offer?
There are a lot of great ideas floating around and nothing is set in stone. In fact, if you have a good idea, I’m sure they would love to hear it. One thing we are really excited about is the community outreach ideas. Things like- cooking classes and food education.
Some other awesome tidbits:
- Employees at the Nashville Food Co-op will be super helpful and knowledgable. Don’t know how to pick out a watermelon? They’ll know. Trying to decide on a new veggie to try with dinner? They’ll be able to guide you.
- They are planning to be a CSA drop-off spot.
- The co-op will be great for farmers. Some smaller farms don’t have the man power to work at farmer’s markets. The co-op offers an opportunity for them to sell their product without having to physically be there.
- Each item’s tag on the shelf will provide information on whether it’s local, organic, and other facts.
So, what do we have to do to get this awesome thing going?
First things first, they need a feasibility study. This will help determine exactly where to put the store. But they can’t do it without a little help from us awesome Nashvillians. They’ve launched a kickstarter campaign to raise money for the study. The video on there is really informative if you have any more questions.
You can help by donating to the kickstarter campaign and/or sharing it with everyone you know!
You can find the Nashville Food Co-op on:
Facebook
Twitter
What do you think? Do you love this idea as much as us? What are you questions or concerns?