Editor’s note: last week BethMarie used our site’s Contact mechanism to send a request that we study the very successful Wedge Co-op in Minneapolis MN. (We have some and met a few board members at the 2008 CCMA confernce.) At the suggestion of writing something about her experiences, she immediately(!) submitted the following. Below that is information about the dotCoop Award Honorable Mention that The Wedge recently received - to give a bigger picture of how successful that co-op has become. I hope you find this story as inspiring as I do.
Co-ops are a win-win for your community. When I moved to Minneapolis from Southern California 20 years ago, I lived (and still do) close to The Wedge Co-Op and could walk over and get whole, delicious food that was organic and local. Over the years, I also frequent the Seward Co-Op, Linden Hills Co-Op, Eastside Co-Op, Lakewinds Co-Op and Mississippi Co-ops, all of which are only a few miles from each other and are thriving and growing every year. All of these co-ops have had to expand their stores to accommodate their customers and members. I have been a Wedge member for a number of years, and I have to say that I love my co-op for several reasons:
* We got our one time membership of $85 back almost immediately due to all of the member specials and $7.50 in cash towards our groceries on a bi- monthly basis. We also receive a nice check for a couple of hundred bucks at the end of every year based on how much we spent divided by how many members and some other complicated mathematical formula that I can't explain very well.
* Co-Ops in Minnesota are happy places! The people who work at every co-op I patronize are always, always helpful, knowledgable, friendly and deliver incredible customer service. I don't see that very often in average grocery stores and therefore I rarely go to a corporate grocery store anymore.
* Space is valuable. I love the Wedge because they can get a lot of products in the store and have plenty of space, but it's not like those big, monster grocery stores that are the size of a football field. Honestly, I get anxiety if I have to walk into these kinds of stores anymore. They are just obnoxiously cavernous and take up way too much space and energy.
* Product knowledge: The Wedge does a HUGE public education program through their customer service and in schools where kids get to go to organic farms and learn about where their food comes from and how to prepare it and make it tasty. I love being surrounded by smart, healthy, happy people--it's a huge gift in my daily life (especially during the sucky winters that I can't take anymore.) They also have a plethora of cooking, healing, and health related classes that are reasonably priced if you want to learn more about something in particular.
* We own a farm! Yep, a few years ago, one of our local organic farm vendors finally sold Gardens of Eagan to The Wedge membership, so a lot of our food comes from "the farm."
* Local and organic choices everyday. The Wedge is wonderful because we support a lot of local farmers and vendors right here in MN. We do of course, always have the produce from other parts of the country and Mexico that we just can't get year round too. I like putting dollars directly back into my local economy--it's just good business sense to reinvest in your community.
* Fantastic deli, bakery, meats and vitamin and beauty products! There's really nothing more to say there. I love my juice bar peeps, my meat counter peeps, my deli peeps, etc.
* Fair Trade: The Wedge works really hard to work with fair trade standards, so I know that my coffee and chocolate are good and righteous, not just in flavor.
* Communication! I love my online Wedge newsletter. There are always fun, witty articles and the latest dope on the best ways to live and eat well. Also, the Wedge has a customer service counter where you can walk up and say "what do I do with quince?" and they will look it up and help you out. Additionally, if there is a product that they no longer carry or if I want to request something, they respond to every person's request.
* Dignity, diversity, and respect: everyone is treated well when they walk into The Wedge.
* Community: I guess in a nutshell, I love co-ops because they are like wonderful community centers with people who are working with you and want you to succeed as a healthy member of society. I like that a lot.
All this said, you can see why I want Arroyo Food Co-Op to succeed, because when I relocate to California, I want there to be a place like The Wedge in my world! Call the Midwest Cooperative and pick their brains about how you can have a wonderful paradise like this in your community! I look forward to visiting in April when I scope things out.
Warmly,
BethMarie
Wedge Member and Co-Op Evangelist, Minneapolis, MN
Snippet from the most recent issue of Cooperative Grocer magazine (http://cooperativegrocer.coop/articles/index.php?id=921)...
NCGA and Wedge Co-op Honored with dotCoop Awards
...The dotCoop Global Awards are given to cooperatives that demonstrate a strong commitment to the cooperative business model, with mission and practices clearly demonstrating this commitment, especially on their websites. The awards, chosen from over 50 applications from around the globe, were presented by dotCoop Board Chair Louie Doering at the International Co-operative Alliance General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland...
...The Wedge Co-op, in receiving honorable mention, was cited for programs including:
* Developing IS4C open-source software for retail co-ops.
* Operating Co-op Partners Warehouse, a regional distributor.
* Establishing WedgeShare, a philanthropic fund.
* Purchasing an organic farm, Gardens of Eagan.
* Emphasizing local food, products and businesses.
* Partnering with Spire Federal Credit Union to offer a low-interest Visa card.
* Helping initiate the Sow the Seeds fund to assist sustainable farmers.
* Launching a new nonprofit, the Organic Field School.
* Continuing support of school children’s lessons through Midwest Food Connection.
* Returning over $5 million cash in patronage refunds over the past 10 years.
The Wedge web site: http://wedge.coop/
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Just making my bi-monthly check on how things are going and saw this great piece.
I really love her description of the good parts of "The Wedge" and I tend to agree with most of them.
I think it is significant that #1 on the list was tangible member discounts that quickly recouped the one time buy in. That was made possible by the reasonable cost of the share: $85; the Arroyo coop is charging 3 1/2 times what the Wedge charges.
She mentions the Wedge having one of the things I find seriously lacking at Cooportunity -- a meat counter with knowledgeable butchers (or meat counter peeps ).
I also notice no mention of hot foods, coffee drinks, prepared meals, etc. etc. If they have them at all, she doesn't think they are important. I think they waste valuable space.
...the Arroyo coop is charging 3 1/2 times what the Wedge charges...
In order to open a store like The Wedge, we need a lot of capital. (Keep in mind that real estate prices were significantly lower for The Wedge when they established themselves years ago in Minneapolis.) Memberships are a big part of our plan. We need to demonstrate to potential investors that we have the support of the community. We do this by investing the most each of us can.
To many people (55% of our members so far) the $300 amount is doable. If we were to limit ourselves to that significantly lower investment limit we'd need 3 1/2 times as many members in order to open.
We recognize that, for some people, that higher limit is too much right now. That's why the $30 option has been made available.
We're happy to have everyone join at the level they're comfortable with. If it's not the full $300, you're still an owner with full rights. Just keep investing as best as you can in the future.
And this really is an investment not an expense. If you want to leave the Co-op after it's established, the money is returned per the bylaw rules.
So when are you going to join Jugband?
So when are you going to join Jugband?
Hi Patrick,
Making my every-few-months visit to the site to check the progress of the Coop and saw that you've actually asked me a question directly!
Sorry for not responding more quickly but, as I said, I visit every so often to see what's new. What I'm looking for is the answer to the very question you posed, with the added words if ever.
As I've said elsewhere, I'm currently a paid-in-full member of the Cooportunity consumer's coop (shopped there this evening). I'm also a member of the country's largest consumer cooperative, REI. I just got my dividend notices from both of them. I know the benefits of well run and appropriate cooperatives.
I saw the wonderful non-profit Fedco cooperative die a few years ago, and I mourn its passing. I paid $2 for a lifetime membership and probably saved thousands of dollars over the years.
I was originally attracted to what is now the Arroyo Coop when it was an Altadena project. I attended one of your meetings and learned more. The honest truth is that I was fully expecting that I would pay-in-full once I knew how much the price was in order to help get a better shopping experience here in Altadena.
Since then the Coop's focus has moved south and the name has changed to celebrate the Arroyo Seco, which is much more associated with Pasadena than it is with Altadena.
When I raised my objection to this you said I was the only one who had expressed that opinion.
I feel the buy-in should be lower (I don't fall for the "installment plan" illusion), a feeling supported when I compare it with other cooperatives (for example Cooportunity on the fashionable and expensive West Side). Clearly all of your members think the price is just fine. I am, again, in the minority.
There is little else more frustrating than always being on the losing side of the voting in a democratic organization.
My feeling is that there is an adequate variety of food-shopping opportunities south of Woodbury. My feeling is that Los Angeles county already has an excellent cooperative store in Cooportunity and doesn't need another just for the sake of having another. My feeling is that should I join the Arroyo coop at this time I would consistently be at odds with the trajectory favored by the majority.
I expect that once your store opens I will visit it a few times and decide whether or not to join.
That you consider the investment price "doable" indicates that you've done the calculations and figure that the additional money raised by the higher buy-in will offset the lower membership numbers as those who might have joined at a lower price opt out.
As I've said elsewhere, one curmudgeonly old Altadenan deciding to "wait and see" will not make any difference in your success.
But my plan is to continue to visit the site and see how things are developing. I will comment from time to time so your members can see how things look to someone on the outside looking in. And, who knows? I might see things move in a direction I feel warrants my support at the level you require and join before the store opens.
I always keep an open mind.