Cedar Falls Community Group Moves Forward With Plans to Establish Co-op Grocery Store (Blog)

Call it a perfect storm:  In 2012 Cedar Falls is selected as a Blue Zones Project community.  Roots Market closes its doors.  And the year is dubbed "International Year of Cooperatives."  Riding a wave of increased interest in healthy and organic food, a wave that some call the "third generation of co-ops," which includes the River Loop Public Market in Waterloo and a new co-op opening this fall in Dubuque, a group of residents in Cedar Falls is looking to establish a food co-op in their community.

The group, which consists of about 25 individuals, launched this past fall following a public meeting in September.  "There was a great turnout at the meeting and I knew I just had to get involved" said Amber Mann, now one of the members of the steering committee, which oversees the planning and logistics of establishing a food co-op.  

With a growing increase in interest in the project, mostly through the group's Facebook page, the Cedar Falls Food Co-op's planning committee decided it was time to hold another community meeting. "We felt it was important to keep people up to date on our progress and provide them an opportunity to get involved," said Mann.  "The more input we get on the vision of the food co-op the better."

The Cedar Falls Food Co-op, a working name for the project, aims to be a full-service grocery store in or near downtown Cedar Falls, and will emphasize local, healthy, and organic produce, foods, and personal care items.  "A co-op is about providing healthy choices for its shoppers, but it's also about building community," said Tom Wickersham, one of the original organizers and now serving as the president of the steering committee.  "Co-ops spend close to 15% more of their revenue back into the community as compared to conventional grocery stores," he added.

The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00pm at the Community Center in Cedar Falls (528 Main Street, next to Cedar Falls Public Library).  More details are on the group's newly launched website, www.cedarfallsfoodcoop.org.

The steering committee has turned to other co-ops in the country for advice on establishing a food co-op in Cedar Falls.  "One of the principles of a co-op is known as 'cooperation among co-ops'," said Wickersham.  "They've all been supportive of our efforts."  Wickersham noted that they've met with the River Loop Public Market and the two groups have discussed the possibility of combining efforts in purchasing or advertising.  "We could be great compliments to each other because of the different models," he said.  "By being a full-service store, the Cedar Falls Food Co-op will have, among other things, toiletries and other personal care products, something River Loop isn't currently focused on.  It could be a win-win for co-ops in the region."

Other co-ops that Cedar Falls is looking to learn from include Oneota in Decorah and the Dubuque co-op.  "We're also in contact with national cooperative organizations like Food Cooperative Initiative," said Kristel McClenahan, a member of the steering committee and a representative on two of the subcommittees.  "The number of resources available to us is amazing," she added.

Asked about the likelihood of actually opening doors on a new co-op Wickersham notes that the average time to launch a co-op is about four years.  "We know we've got a lot of work ahead of us, but the support for this project is definitely here," he noted.  "We just need to follow the steps to make it happen."