IOWA CITY, Iowa — National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), a business services cooperative serving 120 consumer-owned food co-ops nationwide, today welcomes Friendly City Food Co-op as its newest member.
Friendly City Food Co-op is a consumer-owned grocer located in downtown Harrisonburg, Va. Opening in July, the co-op integrates local and sustainable food systems, cooperative business values and environmental stewardship into a lively community marketplace.
Area residents committed to sourcing healthy foods, quality goods, and local products have been developing the Friendly City Food Co-op for nearly six years. The 4,000 square foot co-op currently has 1,200 members, a number expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead. Steve Cooke joins the co-op team as general manager after having served in the same capacity at Atlanta-based Sevananda Natural Foods Market, one of the Southeast’s largest food co-ops.
“We're thrilled to become a member of the National Cooperative Grocers Association,” said Cooke. “As members of NCGA we will have access to national support, tools, data and better prices for our member-owners and other shoppers in our community.”
“Co-ops born out of community demand for local, organic and healthy foods – like Friendly City Food Co-op – not only provide shoppers with delicious food but also help influence the way we eat and produce food in this country,” said Robynn Shrader, CEO for NCGA. “We’re pleased to have Friendly City join our virtual chain of food co-ops.”
About National Cooperative Grocers Association
National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCGA helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. Our 120 members and associate co-ops operate over 150 storefronts in 33 states with combined annual sales over $1.3 billion. NCGA is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence in recognition of the application of cooperative values and principles to drive cooperative and business success. For a map of NCGA member and associate co-ops, visit www.ncga.coop. To learn more about food co-ops, visit www.strongertogether.coop or www.go.coop.
Source: National Cooperative Grocers Association