starting your own food co-op

[Jude's Mama]

I was talking to a friend of mine and we are interested in starting our own food co-op. I was wondering if any of you have done so and what is involved in doing so. Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[MamaSoleil]

NOt sure what you mean, but I get together with my mom, sister and another girlfriend, about twice a month. We each pick a recipe, and make four dishes. We then have great homecooked meals for those days when making dinner just ain't possible!! I love it, we call it the community kitchen...is that sort of what you are thinking about?
Mamasoleil

[Jude's Mama]

We are looking to buy organic produce and stuff on that line. We have a Whole Foods Market close to us and it's a bit pricey for produce and we are hoping to cut some costs by buying "bulk" I guess you can say. Does this make any sense? I'm so tired today if my tying is bad I apologize and if I'm babling just tell me to be quiet!!

[gossamer]

I am a part of a co-op. We have a wonderful organic farmer who provides boxes of mixed vegetables for a reasonable price and if she has enough we can also purchase bulk veggies. Is that what you were looking for?

Gossamer

[Jude's Mama]

Yes Gossamer that's exactly what I'm looking for. How many people are in your group? Do you need lots of people to make it worth your wild?

[Elismama]

I belong to a co-op/buying club. We get together once a month to order, and the following week to sort out our order. We split cases/bags of bulk foods (a case of cereal, a 50lb. bag or rice- that kind of thing). We work with Northeast Cooperatives- I think its easy to set up. You just need to spend a total of $500 (for your whole group) for each order period. Some acquaintances have just set up there own buying club- seemed easy. Mine is well established and a little bigger.
Check out this link: http://www.northeastcoop.com/CUSTOME...FABC_Home.html

They do sell organic produce, which I resort to in the off-season. But CSA's are also wonderful- you pay the farmer up front and get a weekly box of fresh local produce. Check out this link to find a CSA near you:
http://www.localharvest.org/

Best wishes,
jeanie

[gossamer]

I think we have about 25 members but not everyone orders every week. I don't order every week. I get to choose when I want to order and the farmer delivers boxes every week at a specific house for drop off. I usually buy a medium box for $17.50. THis is a box about the size of a bushel. It is packed full of seasonal veggies. Our farmer also cooperates with an ORganic Egg farmer, so I can purchase free range organic eggs for $2.25 a dozen delivered every week. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[Jude's Mama]

Thank you so much ladies!!

[reilly's momma]

you might be interested in this co-op/buying club already operating in NJ http://www.purpledragon.com/about.html Meli65 posted this link after I enquired about wanting to start a buying club in the Cleveland, OH area, which we are tring to do if we can get enough people together. There are also lots of online groups for stuff like sewing supplies, gardening stuff, fabric, etc. If you do a search on yahoo groups you'll find lots for non food co-ops. If you do want to start you own, tho, the northeast site already mentioned by elismama has a wealth of info.