EAT CO-OP : A Community Grocery, Kitchen & Cafe

We’re trying to put farmers, workers, and local consumers first— by creating a community owned, cooperatively run— grocery store, commercial kitchen & cafe. EAT — it’s basically Everything All Together.

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Co-operative Food Stores, or “Food Co-ops” offer an alternative model to the conventional grocery store standard. Empowering workers and consumers with the power to vote, co-ops emphasize a collaborative process directed by worker-owners and consumers, who have the option to own a share of the company.

In upstate New York, where organic farms surround small towns, it is somehow nearly impossible to find markets which actually sell local groceries to local consumers. Prioritizing New York City's demand for organic produce, the communities in between these large agricultural spaces are often neglected. Today, Catskill's grocers are Price Chopper, Walmart or the local Stewart’s gas station -– none of which prioritize fresh or local foods.

EAT Co-op is an attempt to address these local (and global) issues, by participating in a replicable model for providing food security. A co-operatively owned community grocer, kitchen & cafe, EAT will prioritize the needs of farmers, workers & consumers while giving back to local regenerative agricultural projects.

Mission & Vision : 

EAT is a small scale co-operative & communally owned grocery store, providing fresh, local or organic foods to main street, while also highlighting and giving back to regional regenerative farm projects, by offering commercial kitchen rental and cafe access to farmers and makers. 

We will also offer a variety of CSA and sliding scale payment models, that prioritize local farmers & consumers alike. We will process any unsold produce for value added products, like jams or canned goods-- offering a menu of soups, smoothies, and nourishing snacks to highlight local and seasonal foods, while securing a year round farmer's market for local growers to sell their produce directly to the community. Our Kitchen, will extend commercial kitchen status to farmers who would like to host farm dinners or pop - up dining experiences, while also allowing local farmers, caterers, or chefs to scale their professional food production. Finally, we will prioritize equitable pay for all of our employees, and commit profits to funding local regenerative land projects, with a focus on BIPOC Farm & Nature access.

 
Our goal is to raise $22,222 to ensure our first year is a success :

1. Securing our space : Deposit = 3 * Rent ( 7,000 )
2. Liability Insurance : 1,000 - 2,000
3. Equipment Insurance : 1,000 - 2,000
4. First month's rent : 1,800
5. Website Development, Printing & Marketing Costs : 1000
1. Commercial Freeze Dryer : 6,000
2. County / Municipal Administrative Fees : 300 - 700
(Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Kitchen Certification, Garbage Collection etc.)
3. Sign Production : 500 - 1000
4. Fair Compensation for Labor  : 3000
5. Advertising & Outreach : 500


EAT would be a fiscally sponsored Earth Arts initiative under our 501(c) 3 until 2024, when it will become a separately established not for profit organization. EAT is a small scale co-operative & communally owned local grocery store, providing fresh and dried local or organic foods to main street, while also highlighting and giving back to regional regenerative farm projects, by offering commercial kitchen rentals and cafe access to farmers.

Values 👍