We’ve had so many great questions about our Co-op, and in particular about the physical store. As we continue on this journey as a community, we are eager to provide as much behind-the-scenes details as we can with you. With this information, you can inform yourself and also answer any of these questions coming your way.
Show your Co-op Pride! Member-owners have the opportunity to sport a Proud Owner yard sign starting late May through July. If you are a member-owner living in Cedar Falls or Waterloo, you may sign up for a Cedar Falls Food Co-op yard sign, so don’t delay! If you haven’t yet reserved yours, contact outreach@cedarfallsfood.coop. Please provide your current address, and we’ll be happy to have one of our volunteers* deliver and place the sign.
*Would you be interested in helping with sign delivery and placement or pick up later in the summer? Let our outreach coordinator know at the email above. We still have room for a few more volunteers. Thank you for your continued support of YOUR community-owned co-op!
Cedar Falls Food Co-op has so much to celebrate. We have reached 945 member-owners! We are actively looking for a suitable site for the future store. Most businesses starting up do not have to announce their behind-the-scenes work at every step of the way. However, because our co-op is equally owned by everyone, we share our process with the public from incorporation through opening AND we need people to invest as member-owners early on to support this process.
Those who have invested as member-owners since that year of incorporation have been following our ride, helping us with the work, and cheering us on every step of the way. We would not have gotten this far without every single Co-op member-owner and the community support at large!
To that end we are inviting you to share with us the things in your life that you find worth celebrating, big or small. Please email us or send us a message via social media with news of what you are celebrating this month. Share a photo to go with it too so we can post to our social media.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the Co-op and all who support it!
Wow! Your community co-op is almost 1000 member-owners strong and we want to thank all of you for what you continue to do to help us grow! From our incorporation in 2014, member-owners started investing with 42 individuals purchasing member shares that first month (October). The following October (2015), we had a total of 252 member-owners, and this amazing growth has continued. Last April, we hit 760 member-owners and grew almost 200 more this past year! Whether you invested in October of 2014 or just last week, we welcome and honor all 945 of you. We also encourage you to continue to spread the word as the more who invest, the sooner we can get our storefront.
If you have not yet invested, please consider doing so. For a $200 investment, you have an equal voice and a say in how our co-op is run through electing our board. The cooperative is a democratically-run business meaning that no one member-owner has more of a say than any other. Ahead of our doors opening, each member-owner receives discounts and deals when they show their member card at one of these 75+ local businesses. This is truly an investment in your community. Help us get to 1000 member-owners soon! https://rootedcarrot.coop/join-today/
Six representatives from the Cedar Falls Food Co-op began March with an exciting start by attending the Up & Coming Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And just like the burst of spring we are experiencing in the Cedar Valley, the conference left us feeling energized and excited for the future!Continue reading
I’ve written numerous times before about the stages of development for start-up co-ops like ours. I’ve pointed out that we’re on the cusp of Stage 3—the final exciting stage where we begin working on the physical store itself. Of course we can’t begin Stage 3 until we have a site secured (more on that later), but that doesn’t mean we’re not busy. Here are some quick updates on what’s happening with the board:
April 22 is Earth Day and your Co-op is honoring the earth all month long! Become a new co-op member in April and chances are you’ll end up with one of these fabulous environmentally-sustainable gifts.
Starting April 1, we’ll offer an earth-friendly gift to the first member-owner who joins that week. We’ll continue these offers through the month until we give them all away. So, what are you waiting for?! Support sustainability by supporting the Co-op. If you are already a member-owner, tell your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. We’re closing in on 1000 member-owners, so help us get there soon!
With 940 member-owners already supporting the Co-op, quadruple membership digits are in sight! And here’s what 1000 (and beyond) member-owners means for our timeline and the opening of your locally-sourced, community-owned grocery store.
Member-owners, Kris Klinehart and LeAnn Sprau toast to the Co-op!
Where were you the afternoon of January 27? If you were a part of the more than 70 people who came to The Brass Tap in Cedar Falls, you experienced the amazing community spirit that permeated the room! Member-owners invited friends, family and neighbors to join them at our fifth annual Plus One Member Mixer, creating a lively crowd.
Co-op volunteer, Melanie Wirtz assists a new member
February 6 is fast approaching – grab some friends, and come celebrate local producers while enjoying a delicious meal made from local ingredients. Everyone is welcome, but space is limited, so purchase your tickets soon! We’d love to see many of our co-op friends there.