We strive to establish a grocery business that:
-is owned cooperatively and governed democratically,
-opens a retail storefront located in the city of Cleveland,
-offers fresh and nutritious foods with local, non-GMO and organic options,
-has a strong and active membership and
-serves as a vital resource and meeting place for the community. Our Foundation and Progress
What we have done:
We came
together in March of 2012 as a group of people interested in the idea of having a food co-op in Cleveland. Since that time, we have built our communication and group process, solidified our visions, established regular meetings, educated ourselves, promoted within our community, legally established with the state of Ohio, and continued forward with progress in mind. In the winter of 2015, we attend the Up & Coming, Up & Running food co-op conference in Bloomington, IN. There we learned much about the process of starting and maintaining a successful food co-op, and received support and resources from professionals and peers. UCUR was a huge source of inspiration and allowed us to see that we were indeed on the right track. Where we are at:
We are presently in our organizing stage. It is a main focus of the steering committee to solidify our governing documents at this time. We are also presently reviewing resources gained from UCUR to know what is out there and how we can use these resources. In addition, we have been working on compiling information that will allow us to educate our community. What is next:
We want to continue to educate ourselves, and also educate others on the process, and include those who would like to be involved. It is our aim to grow our foundational group (steering committee) and begin to delegate workloads. Building a solid foundational crew will help us to do much more work and move forward at a faster rate.
