The Trail

Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Nicole Marshall UPS alums work to grow healthy and natural food co-op.

Tacoma residents are considering reestablishing a consumer food cooperative in Tacoma, and two UPS alums are involved with the project.

A cooperative is an association of people united to meet a common economic, social or cultural need and aspiration through a membership-owned and democratically-controlled business.

Today, there are over 100 million cooperatives worldwide, ranging from credit unions to energy providers to dairies. Consumers form food co-ops to control the products, the operation and the financing of the store.

Tacoma formerly had a food co-op, but it closed in 1984. In fall of 2006, a group of Tacoma residents with an interest in obtaining affordable, organic, local and natural foods organized to discuss the idea of reviving a food co-op in Tacoma.

This initial discussion led to the creation of a Tacoma food co-op steering committee. Kira Doley, a 2005 UPS alum and manager of the Tacoma Farmers Market, is a member of the steering committee.

Additionally, Chris Andree, a 2006 UPS alum, is active with the group project.

"The vision for the group is different, focusing on the environment and the community," Andree said. "There are essentially four elements to the co-op's vision: affordability, environmental sustainability, local supply and healthy options."

Andree went on to explain how the food co-op's goal is to fill a need within the Tacoma community, the need for an affordable grocery store with local, organic, healthy, bulk, whole and natural foods. Furthermore, the planners envision the Tacoma food co-op educating and building community.

"(A food co-op) builds social capital," Andree said. "It's not just a store, but it brings people together, enriching one another."

The community-based vision for the potential Tacoma food co-op was agreed upon by the members of the steering committee, which introduced its vision to the public on Feb. 21 at a community-wide meeting to attract attention, support and enthusiasm for the project. Seventy-five people attended the meeting.

The steering committee has been working with the Northwest Co-op Development Center (NWCDC), an Olympia-based nonprofit organization that assists new and existing cooperative businesses. NWCDC hopes to encourage community economic development with the cooperative business model.

Continued...

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