What’s a Co-op?
People’s Food co-op is a consumer-owned co-op, meaning it’s a business owned by the people who use it – our shoppers, community members, and staff members, too!
Our Member-Owners also vote for and sit on the Board of Directors. Co-ops exist to meet the needs of their Member-Owners, and are truly community-owned.
Cooperatives are values-driven businesses, and this is one of the things that makes People's different. We are driven by care for our communities, food, land, and workplace. Profits are directed towards these values.
These are things you can see in the way we choose our products, make decisions, and democratically structure our staff and our business. Our store is laid out and built in a way that considers our community before profits.
Our Ends Statement
Adopted in 2007, our Ends Statement guides the work we do at the Co-op, and describes what the Co-op is continually working toward:
A passionate community working together for sustainability, progressive land and animal stewardship, human rights, social and economic justice.
Thriving cooperative and local economies
A safe, welcoming community where all are valued
A Democratic workplace where all workers' voices are valued
Access to healthful foods our customers can trust
What We Do
We cultivate strong relationships with the food we eat, the people who produce it, and the friends and family we share it with. We strive to buy directly from farmers and food producers whenever possible, and believe that these healthy connections fortify our local economy. We are committed to safe and sustainable growing and manufacturing practices and work to minimize our impact on the earth. Being a cooperative means People’s is owned by the people who shop at the store, and that we focus first on serving the needs of our community.
A Commitment to Social Justice
People's is dedicated to providing an environment that's as safe and welcoming as possible. To that end, our staff-led Social Justice and Equity working group provides insight into some of the issues that may hinder access to our store to people in our communities. Our Collective Management and Board of Directors work to develop their anti-oppression lenses in order to understand the inner workings of our co-op, run our store in a way that expresses our values, and develop a wide-reaching future for People's.
Collective Management
We are a collectively managed cooperative. Our 30 Collective Managers are a mix of people from a variety of backgrounds who work together to run our co-op in the best way possible. The Co-Management is held accountable by a Member-Owner elected Board of Directors. Our non-hierarchical structure is an example of our commitment to social justice and equity in the workplace and beyond. We work towards fair wages and equitable labor practices in all parts of the food system and strive to support others in their quest for a fair workplace.
Most of all, People’s is made up of the people who walk through our doors. Our customers, Member-Owners, staff, farmers, and suppliers are all instrumental in creating the passionate community that we hope to maintain. We strive to be a safe place where people can find the best food possible.
Our Safe(r) Space Policy
Peoples Food Co-op strives to create a safer and accessible space that values everyone. When present on Co-op property, each person is expected to respect all aspects of people including their ethnicity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religion, nationality, size, age, and ability.
Physical or verbal abuse, sexual or any other form of harassment, theft, or damage of property is simply not tolerated. Someone who is unable to meet these expectations will be asked to leave the property.
