COMMUNITY
Feeding Community
From a focus on local products to community vibes, co-ops offer a healthier — and kinder — way to fill your cart.
By Valerie Howes | Illustrations by LeeAndra Cianci
FOR MANY CANADIANS, it’s routine to load up on groceries every week at a big-box store. But for those seeking out an ethical, sustainable, community-focused alternative, it’s worth considering joining your local food co-operative (co-op).
Operating from storefronts or distribution points, co-ops are designed to benefit their members, who generally pay an annual fee to vote on how the co-op is run and take advantage of favourable pricing. Many co-ops host community events to help members connect with one another and with their food producers. They typically prioritize local, seasonal and fair-trade products. You might not find strawberries in December, but you will find fresh fruits and veggies in season, friendly neighbours and opportunities to learn more about the people who made or grew your food.
The history of food co-ops in Canada dates back to the 1860s in Nova Scotia, where British miners wanted to replicate the model they’d used back home to buy collectively and save on food costs. In the early 1900s, southern Ontario farmers got in on the action, creating a co-operative designed to serve the interests of local fruit farmers in the Niagara region. During the 20th century, co-op popularity waxed and waned with the economy and world wars. It truly came into its own in the 1970s, when organic farming took off. Today, there’s a resurgence of interest in how food co-ops support local communities, as grocery-store monopolies have made headlines for price fixing, and the climate crisis and tariff wars have made many people think more deeply about where their food comes from.
Now, with a growing appetite for food that’s fairly priced, local and rooted in community, co-ops across Canada are proving there’s more than one way to stock a pantry.
A place to chat and scoop
Started by a group of friends who dreamed of launching a cooperatively run bakery, The Grainery Food Co-op has been a steady presence in Halifax’s North End since 2001. To raise funds, the group initially sold locally milled bulk flour and grains at the Brewery Market. The venture proved so popular that they changed course, opening a storefront food co-op in a cozy 19th-century building on Agricola Street.
Entirely volunteer-run and proudly non-hierarchical, The Grainery thrives on collective effort. Members who pitch in six hours a month get 15 percent off their grocery bill, and the co-op’s low overhead keeps prices on par with or below those of big grocery stores. Non-members are welcome to shop, and the co-op also sells larger bulk pre-orders to neighbourhood restaurants and businesses.
“Since joining The Grainery, my food expenses have dropped 40 to 50 percent easily. And I’m eating way healthier,” says outreach committee member Spencer Osberg.
Step inside The Grainery and you’ll find birch wood shelves lined with glass jars of grains, legumes, spices, dried fruits and herbs as well as tofu, eggs, chocolate and olive oil. Two local farms use the location as a distribution point for their community-supported agriculture boxes. Members chat, scoop and weigh as they refill their containers.
“It’s not a place where people rush in and out,” says committee member and volunteer Allison Eddy. “I see my regulars, and it’s like, ‘Hey, tell me about your bread project!’”
New members are carrying on The Grainery’s good work, bringing in a jar-refill system and fresh ideas like food- and social justice-themed movie nights. After weathering some tough pandemic years, the co-op will soon be celebrating its 25th anniversary. “There’s some kind of magic about the place that keeps everything working and moving together,” says Osberg. “The community is really dedicated.”
A community of growers
The Niagara region is renowned for its long, warm summers and bountiful orchards, where peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, pears, apples and plums ripen in the sun. With many small-scale family farms in operation, it makes sense to collaborate — and the Vineland Growers Co-operative is the fruit of that collaboration.
The co-op was founded in 1913 when four fruit farmers in the Niagara Peninsula got together to share resources such as equipment and storage facilities and to make collective decisions for the benefit of fruit farms in the region. Over the past century, its membership has grown to more than 300 farms.
“Farmers share ideas on what works and what doesn’t work,” says Vineland Growers president Michael Ecker, who has worked for the co-op for 49 years, beginning as a truck driver. Traditional knowledge and innovation are both critical to the co-op’s success, he says. “We have a board, and we have committees of growers — the board is usually the older members of the families, and the younger generation are the ones coming up with new ideas,” says Ecker.
The co-op has a plant nursery, where they do important work such as testing peach varieties to see which will thrive in the local climate, especially during the chillier months. This nursery-as-lab shields individual farmers from the risks of experimenting with their precious crops and lets everyone benefit from a longer and more productive growing season.
Vineland Growers also helps its members to store, sell and distribute their fruits in grocery stores across the country. Their temperature-controlled facilities reduce food waste, keeping the farmers’ profits up and our grocery bills down. Vineland handles sales, cutting out the middleman and freeing up precious time during the busy harvest season. “The co-op does the marketing for the farmers, so that they can stay on their farms and pack their peaches,” says Ecker.
Hyper-local eats, year-round
Since its inception in 2013, the Muskoka Market Eatery has transformed into a thriving community hub. The Huntsville, Ont. co-operative, formerly called the Muskoka North Good Food Co-op, now comprises a grocery store, café, sourdough bakery, commercial kitchen and hydroponic container farm, which grows lettuces, kale, spinach and herbs, even in the dead of winter. “It’s a lovely opportunity to be able to harvest greens... about 70 feet from our front door,” says general manager Allison Bullen.
Membership comes with benefits, including discounts on groceries, bounty boxes and voting privileges. The co-op partners with Pfenning’s Organic Farm in New Hamburg, as well as several Muskoka growers and food artisans. The goal is zero waste, so imperfect fruits and veggies become hearty soups, smoothies and muffins in what Bullen calls the “rescue kitchen.”
Volunteers help run the farm stand and also cook and deliver wholesome meals and snacks to a local daycare. Through social events like chili dinners and harvest parties, and through informal conversations about the realities of farming, the co-op fosters a deeper connection between people, food and the land. CAA
If you enjoy your food with a side of community and a dash of conscience, a co-op might be your jam (locally made, of course). Find one near you to experience the benefits of joining a food co-operative firsthand. Check out the edible offerings and friendly vibes, then sign up as a member and help shape the food system you want to see.