Committee working toward an area food cooperative

““There’s a lot of energy and excitement surrounding this,” says Waseca resident Jim Boerboom, who is part of a steering committee to form a Waseca area food cooperative. “People are interested in a retail model that supports local growers and allows them access to locally raised meat and poultry.

 

“Along with that, it brings the community together, gives them a shared interest and a gathering place where they can collaborate and learn from each other.”

 

Investigation into the viability of a local food cooperative began about a year ago after Boerboom retired in 2016 from being deputy commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and was challenged to make a difference. 

 

Building on a longstanding community interest in having a grocery store, Boerboom concluded, “The corporate retailers have dismissed Waseca as a viable market.” In other words, if the region is going to have a grocery store, it will be because the people of the area made it happen.

 

He began looking into the steps it would take to open a food cooperative in Waseca. There is now a 14-member steering committee. The initiative has its vision statement and articles of organization in place, and has completed a preliminary market assessment.

 

“It’s a process that takes a lot of patience,” Boerboom observes. “The earliest we might actually see a store is about three years from now.”

 

The differences between a typical retail store and a cooperative, he explains, rest in the types of products offered and the ownership model.

 

Food co-ops emphasize locally produced, natural and organic goods which have experienced limited processing. The stores must conform to food safety and inspection rules, so they are not like a farmers’ market where items are purchased directly from growers and home producers.

 

Cooperatives are owned by people who invest in the business by purchasing shares, and thus provide money which helps pay start-up and organizational costs. Owners elect a governing board which oversees store operations, but occasional major decisions are returned to the full ownership for a vote. Based on information gathered so far, Boerboom says the cooperative would need at least 500 members to be financially viable. He estimates at least $1 million will be needed to get it started, but points out low-interest loans and even grants are likely to be available.

 

Anyone can shop at a cooperative, but in exchange for their support, owners receive benefits which might include special discounts or offers.

 

Boerboom and others have toured four other cooperatives and received advice regarding topics from pricing to parking lots. Some of the most emphatic advice offered is that the store should have products or offers which lead shoppers to come to the co-op as their first stop.

 

Boerboom says he is encouraged by the dedication and goodwill he has encountered so far on the journey. “These are community-minded people who want to do good things well,” he says. “They believe in the value of what they’re accomplishing, and they’re willing to help others along the way.”

 

Boerboom says he welcomes the knowledge and talents each person brings to the process.