The Free Range Food Co-op steering committee was formed in October of 2015 to gauge the interest and feasibility of starting a food cooperative in the Itasca County area. After a few months of new members joining the committee, and an overwhelmingly positive community response, the decision was made to move forward. The official definition of a cooperative is: an autonomous association of persons
united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. For our purposes, this means we want a member-owned, member-run, food co-op that specializes in fresh local produce, sustainably raised meats, and organic and natural products in OUR community! Our promise to you is that we will work tirelessly to make this happen, by conducting community outreach to gain support and memberships, establishing relationships with farmers and growers to secure fresh, local produce when our store opens, fundraising events, and taking advantage of every possible resource in order to be successful. But, ultimately this can't happen without the support of the community. We need YOU to let us know you want this. You can do that by taking the community survey, reaching out to us to let us know you support the co-op, serving on a planning committee, and of course joining the food co-op by purchasing your member equity share of $100. This is a one-time payment only. There are no annual fees, and no volunteer requirements to work in the co-op. Contact us at: [email protected]
