A Food Co-op is Coming, A Food Co-op is Coming!

Catawba River Women, by Carla Linster – May 17, 2012

A food cooperative or food co-op is a grocery store organized as a cooperative. Food cooperatives are usually consumers' cooperatives and are owned by their members. Food cooperatives follow the 7 Cooperative Principles and typically offer natural foods. Since decisions about how to run a cooperative are not made by outside shareholders, cooperatives often exhibit a higher degree of social responsibility than their corporate analogues.[1]

The cooperative movement started in the 19th century and the first notable food cooperative was started in Rochdale, England by industrial weavers known as the Rochdale Pioneers. The cooperative movement saw a resurgence in the 1970s when many "second wave" cooperatives started.

In the United States, the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) is a cooperative federation that is composed of 146 food cooperatives.

References

[1] The food cooperative. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/dec/08/ethicalfood) Guardian.co.uk. 8 Dec. 2005

I love food co-ops! I love to roam the aisles and see unusual, hard-to-find items and items that I’ve never seen before. But I rarely have the opportunity to shop at a co-op because the closest one I know of is over 90 miles away in Hendersonville. 

In Spring 2013 that will change! The Catawba River Market will open in Mount Holly. It will be located in the Mount Holly Municipal Complex at 411 Central Ave. The complex is near the intersection of Highways 27 and 273 and the new Linear Park that eventually will connect Main Street Mount Holly to greenway trails along the Catawba River.


The force bringing the Catawba River Market to Mount Holly is Leigh Brinkley. Leigh, a talented graphic designer and owner of Brinkley Design in Charlotte, is also responsible for starting and running the Mount Holly Farmers Market. Leigh has worked to highlight the areas resources and make them available to everyone, making our little town that much more special.

The Catawba River Market food co-op will be a significant benefit to local farmers and producers. The market will allow consumers to know the people who are growing their food, to have a connection to the land and respect for what is produced.

Membership at Catawba River Market is voluntary and open to all and anyone can shop there. As a member you are an owner and you ideas and opinions will count in to the function of the co-op and decisions on which foods are offered at the co-op. There will be educational seminars and cooking demonstrations that members can attend. Members also share in the financial success and can take pride in creating a resource so important to the area.

Interested in becoming a member of the Catawba River Market?

CLICK on this link to CatawbaRiverviews.org, where you can download a membership application and interest survey. Then mail both to:
Catawba River Market
P.O. Box 1074
Mount Holly, NC 28120

About Carla Linster – Carla, 47, is enjoying a “mid-life spring” after overcoming several medical problems. One new joy is working with “an amazing group of women,” the Catawba River Women’s Group, as they seek to create a sense of unity among communities along the Catawba River.