Thursday, April 30, 2009

Ghost of Whole Grocer still haunts foodies hereabouts

Portland Daily Sun
03/25/09

Ghost of Whole Grocer still haunts foodies hereabouts
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http://www.theportlanddailysun.com/cgi/story.pl?storyid=20090325012121000810

Among the members of the Portland Food Co-op, there is a deep pining for a fallen comrade, a beloved captain of their ranks, who met an untimely death due to the plans and ambitions of larger players. Like many fallen heroes, the legend has been polished to a high sheen.

Dependable and earthy, the Whole Grocer was a local, with the dirt of nearby farms under the nails of calloused fingers. The Grocer was redolent of spices and the fragrant herbs of foreign lands. Admirers came from all over...they walked, they pedaled, they drove ... seeking nourishment and sustenance.

The first blow to was when Wild Oats opened a store in 2003 that shared the same parking lot. Wild Oats insisted they meant the Whole Grocer no harm, that the rising tide of natural foods customers would lift Whole Grocer's boat too. The second blow was when Whole Foods announced their plans to open a store in 2007 less than a tenth of a mile away. The owner of the Whole Grocer didn't wait for a death knell, she sold to the Texas giant. Although many employees and customers have transitioned to Whole Foods, there are those for whom the void can not be filled by a store whose management is in a different area code.

Thus in late 2006 the Portland Food Co-op was born. A small group gathered to form a buying club to support local farmers while providing local families with healthy and affordable food. From their first order of a few hundred dollars, the buying club has grown in membership and in buying power. Last month's purchase from the Crown of Maine, the statewide distributor of organic Maine goods and products, exceeded the amount purchased by Whole Foods.

Steering committee member Emily Graham recently addressed a group of 85 co-op members and prospects at a meeting held in the Fellowship Hall of Immanuel Baptist Church. She reminisced about the Whole Grocer she remembered: with an expansive bulk foods section, the aromas of homemade soups that wafted through the store, the wide array of loose teas. "Our initial thought was to replace the Whole Grocer," she almost sighed. "But then we met other co-ops."

Seeking the input of the extended Portland food family, Graham and other members of the steering committee offered six co-op models for consideration as the next step in the group's evolution.

1. Rising Tide Co-op in Damariscotta, Maine. 30 years old. 1,800 members and members of the public shop at a new $2.9 million facility that generates $2.7 million in annual sales. The new facility was funded by loans from members and banks.

2. River Valley Market in Northampton, Mass. This 10-year old co-op functioned without a fixed site until this past April when the 3,345-member group opened a LEED certified store with $9 million in loans, including $1 million in member loans.

3. The Wedge in Minneapolis, Minn. This 35-year-old co-op now has 13,000 members and operates an 11,000 ft store that generates $20 million in annual sales. For years they operated primarily as a warehouse and distributor of dairy, soy and organic produce. Dry goods and non perishables were sold online.

4. Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, N.Y. This 35-year-old co-op also has 13,000 members. Their 18,000 ft store generates $35.9 million in annual sales and is open only to co-op members, who do 75 percent of the work. Member are required to work three hours per month but pay 21 percent over wholesale, less than half the typical grocery store markup.

5. Missoula Community Co-op, Missoula, Mont. You must be a member to shop at this 2.5-year-old co-op's 1,000 ft store. The store generates $160,000 in annual sales, where the mark up is limited to 25 pecent.

6. The Oklahoma Food Co-op. Membership is limited to Oklahoma residents who purchase $60,000 per month of 100 percent Oklahoma produced goods. The co-op is essentially a distribution network of producers and farmer with 32 hubs throughout the state. The organization is all volunteer run and is financially self-sustaining with no debt.

The co-op was incorporated in 2008 and is close to completing the bylaws and official mission statement. There are 12 members on the steering committee and is seeking public comment on the six model co-ops as they move to more of a board structure in anticipation of the next growth phase. The primary areas they are seeking input are: membership requirements; the types of products available: only Maine, only organic or a diverse selection from national sources; what sort of store or warehouse to use and whether to own or rent; funding for the co-op; and who would staff the organization, paid staff or member volunteers.

To join the conversation go to [ www.portlandfoodcoop.org ]

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