Imagine that Fuquay-Varina had a full-service grocery store that was focused on local farms and businesses, and access to local foods for everyone in the community? Such a place has been in the works for several years now, a local food co-op called The Community Market. For those who have never been to a food co-op or have never heard of this type of operation, Liz Francis, Outreach Coordinator for The Community Market, shared the details about food co-ops in general and about one that is in the planning stages for Fuquay-Varina.
A food cooperative is a full-service grocery store that is collectively owned by its members; however, anyone can shop there. Membership in The Community Market is open to anyone in North Carolina. A member-owner is anyone who purchases one share of common stock in the co-op, or one share per household. Membership is a one-time-only fee of $150. Member-owners are eligible for special discounts, dividends of profits, and they can run for the board of Directors.
Cooperatives share base principles adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). The seven cooperative principles are:
Voluntary and open membership. Dedicated, participating members are essential to the success of the co-op.
Democratic member control. Each of the members have equal voting rights, and elected officials hear every person’s voice.
Members’ economic participation. Members maintain control over the collected capital and decide where to distribute surplus capital.
Autonomy and independence. The members of the co-op determine everything it does, which allows the co-op to function independently.
Education, training, and information. Members need to be well informed about operations and the responsibilities of each person, and training is needed as the cooperative changes over time.
Cooperation among cooperatives. Forming networks with other co-ops allows them to gain benefit from one another.
Concern for the community. Each member should take it upon themselves to contribute to the community in some way.
Food co-ops are not new to North Carolina. North Carolina has nine food co-ops that are located in Raleigh, Hillsborough, Pittsboro, Hendersonville, Asheville, Durham, Carrboro, Wilmington and Greensboro. In addition, there are startup coops in Charlotte, South Raleigh and Fuquay-Varina. Liz notes, “If you have ever been to Weaver Street Market food co-op or the Durham Co-op Market, you will understand what we are trying to achieve. Although there are member-owners just like REI or a credit union, anyone can shop at the co-op.”
Supporting a community co-op has advantages to the consumer as well as to the provider. Liz reports that surveys taken last summer showed that the biggest concern people had was not organic, but local integrity. Through a community food co-op, everyone gains access to fresh local products and quality seasonal produce sold at the peak of freshness. The co-op develops relationships with local farms. The co-op is able to provide dedicated shelf space for our local farmers all year long, through North Carolina’s three growing seasons. And when local farmers have a year-round market where they can sell their goods, they are able to increase what they produce; and this, in turn, will create jobs.
Besides farm produce, there are other products that are crafted in Fuquay-Varina—like beer. Or chocolate toffees made in Wake County; or products made in greater North Carolina, like Duplin County wines. And since we cannot get local coffee, the food co-op can source fair-trade coffee from a coffee bean cooperative. There could also be a milk cooperative. Co-ops support each other by forming networks with other co-ops.
When you support your local co-op, you are not only supporting local farmers and local businesses, you are also supporting your community. The dollars spent at the co-op stay in the community, so you are supporting your local economy. For every $1,000 a shopper spends at their food co-op, $1,604 in economic activity is generated in their local economy—$239 more than if they had spent that same $1,000 at a conventional grocer. And, for every $1 million in sales, 9.3 jobs are created. (*These statistics come from Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit consumer education/watchdog organization.)
The idea of opening The Community Market food co-op in Fuquay-Varina was born about 10 years ago. It has been through a number of iterations since then. Last year the board had a successful reboot, getting new board members and volunteers. There is a standard process for starting a co-op. The Community Market is at the beginning of Stage 3: finding a site and getting a lease, updating the proforma (a spreadsheet calculating financial results using certain projections or presumptions) and determining capital requirements. This proforma has been updated by CDS Columinate, a consulting service that helps cooperatives with capital campaigns, training, etc. The co-op is hoping to find a site by the end of this year. Once a site is identified, there will be a capital campaign. The current plan is to have a store open by the end of 2023.
Currently, The Community Market has 589 active member-owners and seven new board members. Liz says, “With so many new people in Fuquay-Varina, the co-op is hoping to get more new members. Members and volunteers are really important. People are needed to run for the board, people who tend toward being active and who are servant leaders who want what is good for the community.”
The Community Market has open board meetings online the third Thursday of every month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Links to the meeting are published on Facebook, The Community Market, NC. Anyone can join the open session of these meetings.
To find out more about The Community Market and learn how to become a member, visit their website at
https://communitymarket.coop.
