Saint Paul, MN ― National Co+op Grocers (NCG) was only formed in 1999, but 1976 was a big year for co-ops. Fifteen NCG member co-ops are commemorating their 50th anniversary this year, with owner celebrations, special promotions, merchandise and more.
The 1970s saw a boom in what is called the “second wave” of food co-ops that filled a gap with consumers interested in alternative diets, seeking natural and organic food and offering a large bulk foods section.
“Other co-ops have celebrated their 50th anniversary recently, but this is the largest batch of 50th anniversary celebrations we’ve seen in one year,” said Dave Olson, National Co+op Grocers Chief Membership Officer. “We could not be prouder of these 15 NCG member co-ops on their 50-year milestone anniversaries and for the amazing positive impact they’ve had in their communities.”
Here are the 15 NCG member co-ops commemorating their 50th anniversary this year:
3 Rivers Natural Grocery
Established Oct. 1, 1976, in Fort Wayne, Ind., 3 Rivers Food Co-op began in a church basement as a natural foods buying club with over 200 members who ordered food monthly. The buying club grew into a storefront that expanded three times, finally settling into a spacious building in 2003 with easy, ample parking and a new name — 3 Rivers Natural Grocery. Today, they are over 2,100 owner households strong, emphasizing that everyone is welcome to shop.
Belfast Community Co-op
Belfast Community Co-op in Belfast, Maine, will be holding their 50th Anniversary celebration on Aug. 22 at Steamboat Landing, and the community is invited. What began in 1976 as a small buying club has grown into a community cornerstone in the heart of Belfast, Maine — built by neighbors, nurtured by shared values and sustained by generations of owners.
Bloomingfoods Co-op Market
Bloomingfoods Co-op Market in Bloomington, Ind., opened on July 24, 1976, and now has two locations. They will host a birthday party this July to celebrate.
BriarPatch Food Co-op
Fifty years later, BriarPatch Food Co-op is still bringing people together around good food, local farms and community connection. Founded in Grass Valley, Calif., in 1976, the co-op now has stores in both Grass Valley and Auburn, Calif., and is celebrating the milestone anniversary with a year full of special projects and events.
The festivities included a 50th Anniversary Owners’ Party on May 29, complete with food, disco music and plenty of longtime co-op spirit, along with limited-edition anniversary merch created just for the occasion. BriarPatch’s quarterly magazine, The Vine, is also leaning fully into the celebration, with both the spring and summer issues dedicated to the stories, memories and people that helped shape the co-op over the past five decades.
Chequamegon Food Co-op
Chequamegon Food Co-op in Ashland, Wis., opened its doors in August 1976. They will celebrate their 50th anniversary on Aug. 16 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a parking lot bash, food and live music.
Cook County Co-op
Cook County Co-op, located in Grand Marais, Minn., opened in 1976 and will be celebrating their anniversary in the fall. Sign up for their emails or follow on social media for the details when they are announced!
Deep Roots Market
Deep Roots Market has been deeply rooted in the Greater Greensboro, N.C., community since 1976. The store began as a small vegetarian buying club in the basement of a Guilford College dormitory in the 1960s. By 1976, ownership in the co-op had grown enough to support a storefront business and incorporated to become Deep Roots Cooperative. They hosted a block party on Saturday, June 6.
Flatbush Food Cooperative
Located in Brooklyn, N.Y., Flatbush Food Cooperative is commemorating their anniversary with a Member-Owner Appreciation Day celebration on Sunday, June 21, with food and live music, plus 10% off regularly priced items.
High Falls Food Co-op
High Falls Food Co-op in High Falls, N.Y., is celebrating their 50th anniversary milestone with a full calendar of community events, member gatherings and a special annual meeting highlighting its decades of supporting local farmers.
Honest Weight Food Co-op
Honest Weight Food Co-op, located in Albany, N.Y., began as a basement buying club between 20 friends and has grown into an 18,000-square-foot community-owned grocery store. To commemorate, the co-op is organizing community-focused events, interactive workshops and retrospective features throughout the year.
La Montañita Co-op
La Montañita Co-op is the largest food co-op in the Southwest, serving communities throughout New Mexico from their four locations. In March of this year, they opened a new storefront in Albuquerque’s Avanyu Plaza, which replaced an older location in Rio Grande.
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op in Middlebury, Vt., is currently asking members to share their favorite co-op memories to help shape their celebration. Over the last 50 years, the co-op has expanded several times, adding a prepared foods section and deli with indoor and outdoor seating.
Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op
Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, located in Ukiah, Calif., was incorporated in 1976 as the Homestead Exchange, which is still the official name of the co-op, although they do business as Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. They celebrated this milestone with an annual member party at a local vineyard in April.
Upper Valley Food Co-op
Upper Valley Food Co-op is located in White River Junction, Vt. Throughout the summer, they host first Friday events with live music and festivities, with a 50th celebration in the works. In addition to selling local and organic groceries, the co-op is a vital community hub with an upstairs space for classes and events.
Wheatsville Co-op
Wheatsville Co-op has two locations in Austin, Texas. The co-op celebrated their 50th anniversary with an event in March featuring live music, local art vendors, food and limited-edition 50th anniversary T-shirts and tote bags.
About National Co+op Grocers
National Co+op Grocers (NCG), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCG 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.
NCG's 169 community-owned food co-ops operate 241 stores in 40 states with combined annual sales of nearly $2.8 billion. NCG is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence and a Certified B Corp. Learn more about NCG and find a map of member co-ops at grocery.coop.
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Media inquiries may be directed to meghan.flynn@ncg.coop.