A food co-op is a neighbourhood buying group, where members get quality groceries at very affordable prices. The co-ops buy fresh food and household products in bulk and, in addition, get large quantities of free supermarket surplus. Co-op members can save up to 40% off their weekly food costs by organising with friends and neighbours.
Community food co-ops are managed by members, who together decide what to buy and how to run the project. No bosses and no managers!
Anyone can start a food co-op on their street or estate. In this workshop we will hear about examples from other communities and learn how to start a co-op in our area.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course participants will have:
- Learned the different stages of starting a community food co-op, from initial idea to founding a new group.
- Gained access to resources, processes and skills which will help them to successfully co-organise a new co-op.
About the facilitators
Shiri and Fateha are community and co-op organisers at Cooperation Town. They work mostly around north London, supporting neighbours to start their own food co-ops.
