Prairie Food Co-op – A Grocery Store That ….
- Supports local farms and keeps money in our community
- Focuses on fresh, healthy, wholesome food
- Serves as an educational resource for healthy living
- Is owned by YOU and gives you a VOTE in its decisions
Become a PRAIRIE FOOD CO-OP FOUNDING OWNER today to make this vision a reality!
Click here to fill out an application and pay for your owner shares. (Payment plans are also available for folks who want to support the co-op but can’t afford the full owner equity payment.)
Why become a Prairie Food Co-op OWNER now?
Because we need Owners BEFORE we can move ahead with a feasibility study to determine the store location and move forward with opening the store. And, by becoming an owner now, YOU help determine where the co-op will be located. The PFC ownership base will have a strong influence on the location of the store.
The folks who become owners during PFC’s early development—our ”organizing” phase—are special. Without them, Prairie Food co-op will never open (which is truly unthinkable!)
Recruiting our first 300 owners is a crucial step in proving we have the community support needed to open the store.
Our initial Owners Will Play a Crucial Role in Defining Prairie Food Co-op’s Future.
Our initial owners will be the ones who elect Prairie Food Co-op’s first permanent Board of Directors–and will also be the first ones eligible to serve as Board members.
Our initial Owners’ votes will set the direction for Prairie Food Co-op far into the future: our values, our goals, owner benefits, and the products, programs, and services to be offered.
Prairie Food Co-op 
This has been a dream of mine. How can I get involved???
So glad to have your support Amy! We have tons of volunteer opportunities – I’ve added you to our mailing list and to our volunteer group. Keep an eye out for our Friday newsletter, which contains our volunteer opportunities. Look forward to meeting you!
We run a company called odd produce, inc. and sell a variety of things to high end restaurants in Chicago. Along with that we are the purveyors of 8.5 acres of usable farm land near Woodstock which we grow a tremendous variety of produce. We would be thrilled to service any growing need the coop may require in the coming years. We should talk about what you may need grown and how versatile our setup is.
Call me
630-253-4899
Thanx,
Mike Murphy
Awesome! Keep me posted for opportunities to assist, as well!
What an amazing opportunity for our community! I’m definitely interested in getting involved in any way I can. Please let me know what I can do!
~Jen
Hi Jen – welcome and thanks for the comment! If it is okay with you, I’ll add you to our mailing list so that you receive all volunteer opportunities, along with our weekly Newsletter. Thanks and look forward to meeting you!
That’d be great, thanks!
I’d like to have info on your volunteer opportunities as well.
Linda
Hi Linda – thanks for your support! Check out the websites “Get Involved” page and all our volunteer opportunities are listed. Let me know if you want to join one of the committees and I’ll sign you up and get you in touch w/ the committee leader(s). Look forward to meeting you!
Hi Linda – I’ve forwarded you an email with all our volunteer information. I’ve also added you to our mailing list, so that you stay informed on what we’re up to (we send out a monthly Newsletter). Thanks!
So excited to find that there is a community supporting local, sustainable food and education. I recently moved from Chicago and belonged to the Dill Pickle Food Co-Op. Looking forward to assisting in whatever way you need.
Hi Jen – wow, that is great. So glad that you found us. I’ve added you to our mailing list and also forwarded you an email with all our volunteer opportunities. Look forward to meeting you soon!
I’m really excited to hear about Prairie Food coop! I’d like to get on your email list but can’t find how to do that. Thanks,
jan
Hi Jan – so glad that you found us! Here is a link to sign-up for our mailing list: http://wordpress.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=17c4f7e6a763879774fe9c839&id=eb5a959f76
Thanks!
Please add me to your newsletter mailing list. Thank you.
Will do Tiffany! Thanks for your interest!
Count me in as a volunteer, I’m really excited!! –Dave Wilcox
Hi David – we’d love to have your help! We have many volunteer opportunities. Please send us a message at info(at)prairiefood(dot)coop so that we can communicate off-line about opportunities to help. Thanks and look forward to meeting you!
This is a great idea. I host a Healthy Lifestyle Support Group at the Helen Plum Library on Saturday mornings – most of our discussions focus on healthy eating. We find it is hard to get fresh, and healthy options from the local stores. Shopping around is almost necessary, but who wants to go to two or three stores every week? If there were a local store that had everything and was geared more toward healthy and fresh choices that would be wonderful.
I would love to get involved too! I prepare raw vegan foods for clients, friends, and family, and I would love to purchase my supplies through a coop. Also, possibly sell some of my goodies through the coop. I look forward to hearing from.
Very interested! Please send me more information as it becomes available.
Great! thanks for your interest. Be sure to sign-up for our Newsletter to stay informed on all our workshops, events, and progress. Thanks!
I would like to get involved. Can you add me to your mailing list? I live in Elmhurst. Thank you!
We’ve added you to our mailing list -thanks!
Wanted to learn more about getting involved.
Hi Kim:
Thank you for your interest in the co-op and helping us in this effort. I will put you in touch with our volunteer coordinator.
Thanks!
Jerry Nash
Is the location still going to be in Lombard?
Hi Nicole:
We are looking primarily at Lombard, but will also consider surrounding communities. We are raising funds to hire a professional consultant to evaluate the communities to tell us the location with the best sales potential.
Thank you!
im in schaumburg, and im interested in learning more. i deal with a coop in wisconsin but it would be nice to have one closer
That is great – so glad you found us! Be sure to sign up for our monthly Newsletter (under the Contact tab) to stay updated on our progress and what we have going on. Thanks! Kathy Nash
I am on the verge of buying shares, BUT am concerned that it may end up in a community other than Lombard. Villa Park is too out-of-the way for me. So will probably wait to buy in until a location is settled on. Keep it going!
Hi Elizabeth: purchasing an ownership now means that YOU will have a voice in where the store is located. The more owners we have from Lombard prior to the feasibility study, the higher likelihood that Lombard is where the co-op will be located. If, for example, 80% of our owners are from Lombard, than that is the only location we will consider. The ownership base will have a strong influence on the future location.
I am not seeing a clear vision in writing here. What exactly does membership provide to members? What type of foods are being provided? Is there limitations to what one can purchase? Are the foods guaranteed to be GMO free, 100% organic down to the seed and the soil the vegetables and animals are raised on, and feed for the animals 100% GMO free etc.? Do you have a basic list of the types of foods you will be providing? Are non-members allowed to purchase products from the co-op? Show me a detailed, well researched plan/vision and then I and others will strongly consider supporting this.
Hi Anne:
What we love so much about the co-op model is that it is all about community and basing decisions on the needs and desires of PFC Owners. As such, it is too early in the process to make any big statements on what products we will or will not carry. The Board of Directors is committed to working closely with local farmers who produce food in an ethical, sustainable manner. But, our Owners will have a voice in whether the store is completely GMO-free, what our producer policy guidelines are, etc. While a few food co-ops are strictly GMO-free, most carry (and clearly label) some GMO products. We will provide the types of food that any other full-service grocery store carries, catered to Owner preferences. The co-op will be open to members and non-members alike. The benefits to becoming an owner are outlined on the “Owner benefits” page, under the “Become an Owner!” menu. Co-op organizers have spent a tremendous amount of personal time over the past year researching and planning the Prairie Food Co-op, and are consulting with not only established food co-ops, but the Food Co-op Initiative, to ensure we are successful. If you have not looked over our FAQ page, I encourage you to do so, as it provides a lot of information about our plans. We will be adding a more specific “timeline to open” soon and will have a much better idea of store size and product mix once we conduct a feasibility study (which will happen when we have 200-300 owners). Thanks!
Great meeting you at the Good Food Fest. We are a small Organic Farm in Fowler, IN. We would love to be a part of your co-op. We grow great roots crops as well as Romaine lettuce, spinach, berries and asparagus. Let us know if we can be of help to you. Thanks so much! Ann
kandaorganicroots@outlook.com and twitter: kandaOR12. 765-426-8845 we also have a go fund me project!
Highly considering joining the CO-OP, however it must have the following in order of priority:
Raw pastured/grass-fed dairy (milk, cream, butter, buttermilk, colostrum, yogurt) from either Jersey and/or Guernsey cows
Grass-fed/Pastured beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat…organic or even kosher would be nice but not required.
Jovial Foods Einkorn products (flour, wheat berries, pasta (whole & white wheat))
Organic produce.
Anything else is gravy.
Hi there. Thank you for your interest in the co-op. At this early stage, we cannot make any guarantees about the products the store will carry. Our mission is to provide access to the types of products you list (sustainable, ethically raised, organic, etc) and we will undoubtedly carry those products, along with a selection of products that the community-at-large is interested in based on our Shopper Survey results. As we get closer to opening, we will develop product guidelines for our vendors. As an aside, Illinois law does not permit grocery stores to sell raw milk – a loophole in the law allows consumers to purchase raw milk directly from farmers (and that loophole is currently being challenged). Thanks!
How cN I become an owner?
Hi Melissa:
Head on over to http://prairiefood.coop/ownership/ and all the details on how to become an owner are listed there.
Thanks for your interest!
I’d love to get more involved! How can I help? I do live pretty far from Lombard ( Vernon Hills). Is it ok to become an owner if we do not live in (or very near) the community?
Hello Megan, yes you can become and Owner no matter where you live, and if you’d like give us a hand please click the Get Involved menu at the top of our home page. Thanks!
Good Morning! I just learned about the Prairie Food Co-op. Do you plan to carry non-GMO products? Thanks, Joan
Hi Joan: so glad you heard about Prairie Food Co-op. The store will likely carry a mix of GMO and non-GMO products – the final decision will be left to our Owners and the General Manger. However, products will be clearly labelled so that it is easy to know whether a product is GMO or non-GMO. We will absolutely offer non-GMO alternatives for most, if not all, products. Food co-ops are way ahead of the trend to label GMO products and offer alternatives. Thank you for your interest.