In 2008, five years before the Monadnock Food Co-op opened, founding Member-Owners of our Co-op, then known as Monadnock Community Market, developed our Ends, or Mission Statement.
The Monadnock Food Co-op is cooperatively owned and operated by people in our community, and exists to meet our community’s need for:
• An accessible, community-owned downtown food market
• A marketplace that welcomes and connects community
• A healthy, sustainable food system
• The support of local farmers and producers
• Appropriate education and training for the community
• A strong, sustainable and improving local economy
The same Ends Statement is used today by your elected Board of Directors, plus our store management and staff to guide the Co-op and to plan for our future.
Since opening, we’ve worked to stay true to our Ends Statement in many ways. Our Co-op has become an essential player in downtown Keene. Hundreds of shoppers visit us each week, and we are community-owned by over 3,000 Member-Owners! Our busy café is a place that helps to connect our community. Each month, the staff of the Co-op organize farm tours, educational programs and tastings. Many shoppers frequently find that they may need to build more time into their schedule because of conversations with friends or staff in our crowded aisles.
The co-op’s purchasing practices focus on healthy foods, and staff help educate us about making nutritious choices in our diets. The Monadnock Food Co-op’s Healthy Food for All Program is an initiative that gives more people access to healthy, local and organic food options. In these five years, the Co-op has increasingly sourced and purchased more local products, and supported local agriculture and producers. We’ve also contributed to our local economy through the creation of almost 100 full- and part-time jobs paying a fair wage for the Monadnock region. Our Round It Up Program, thanks to generous shoppers, has also supported many community nonprofits.
As we think about the increasingly real possibility of expanding our co-op, it is important to take a look at some of the ways that we will continue to accomplish our ends.
1. An accessible, community-owned, downtown market: Expanding the store will enable the Co-op to reduce prices through increased purchases from our primary supplier, United Natural Foods. These savings can be passed on to shoppers. There will also be more parking spaces in the Co-op parking lot!
2. A marketplace that welcomes and connects community: A larger store will include a larger customer service counter and an expanded, redesigned café space.
3. A healthy, sustainable food system: An expanded store will mean increased product selection. The Co-op will offer more healthy and nutritious choices to shoppers.
4. Support of local farmers and producers: A larger store will allow the Co-op to purchase more products from local farmers and producers to offer to customers.
5. Appropriate education and training for the community: An expanded store will give us room for a new education, tasting, and demonstration space so the staff can increase the offering of programs while allowing more people to attend.
Find updates about expansion plans in the store and on the Co-op’s website. We are proud of the success of the Co-op in the five years we’ve been open. Our Ends Statement serves as a compass and will continue to guide us going forward.
