Starting a Food Co-op

Interest in food is growing fast. More and more people are paying close attention to what we eat, the way we eat it and how we buy it. Eating wholesome, organic food doesn't need to be super expensive.

A great way to cut your costs and make like-minded friends is to start a food co-op. By buying produce in bulk – both fresh food and dry goods – and splitting it up, you can save a lot of the money and effort that otherwise goes into the weekly shop. The closer together the members live, the easier it is to divide and deliver the boxes – so it's ideal for a sharehood.

Depending on the size, activities and location of the co-op, the arrangements can vary a lot. This page gives only a rough guide of the kinds of issues you may need to consider.

You will need to assign somebody to keep the accounts and manage the orders. Needless to say, this person must be diligent, committed and patient. Draw up a roster for buying, sorting and delivering. For example, in a group of two-dozen members, two people could do the shop from the market and another two could sort and distribute. Depending on the structure, this means each member may only be rostered on once a month or even less. As with any group, it's crucial that all the work does not fall to only a few people.

Given that there may be many people (and a lot of money) involved, it's wise to create a formal structure. Your co-op will get the biggest discounts by purchasing from wholesale markets, for which you may need to form a not-for-profit legal entity.