Would you like to get involved in helping plan the future of Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op? We are excited to invite you to apply for a position on the Long-Range Planning Community Engagement Committee!
Our Co-op continues to grow in both membership and sales, and this growth makes it possible to expand the positive impact that MNFC has in the community.
We provide healthy food to more people, support more local producers, and return profits back to the community, for example.
But this growth has also meant that the workspaces for staff are tightly packed and sometimes dangerous, that the parking lot is often full, that the store can be crowded, and that there is less space for storage than is needed, among other concerns.
For the past year, a subcommittee of six board members has been meeting with Greg, the General Manager, to learn about the issues the co-op faces, to investigate how other co-ops have addressed such issues, and to begin planning for our future. Now it’s time to expand this work beyond the board and to hear from the voices of the members and the community we serve. We need help with this process.
We are seeking four individuals, including at least one staff member, to work with board members and the General Manager to identify and listen to diverse voices and gather the findings in order to inform the Long-Range Plan. The group will conduct community listening sessions, focus groups, surveys, and other activities to gain a sense of member and community views about the future of the co-op.
Timeline: This work will take place over roughly an eight-month period, starting in November 2026 and ending in June 2027.
Commitment: Committee meetings will take place every two weeks, with some additional work between each meeting. The Committee will likely conduct community engagement activities (like focus groups and town halls) during March and April 2027; more time will be required from committee members during this period.
Qualifications: Time and interest in supporting the long range planning process! We are seeking a diverse range of skills, experiences, and community involvement so that we can work together to gain a broad array of perspectives. No special qualifications are needed.
Stipend: Each individual member will receive a stipend of $600 to support their time and effort to participate in the Committee.
Number of open positions: 4 positions, including at least one position dedicated for a staff member
How to Apply: Start by visiting our Long-Range Planning page to learn more about the process, read the complete committee guidelines, and see what participation will involve. When you’re ready, complete a short application online or pick up a paper application in the store.Applications are due by Friday, October 3rd; all applicants will be notified by Friday, October 16th.
We hope some of you will want to join us in this important work!
Still have questions? Reach out to the Board: Board@middlebury.coop or 802.388.7276 ext 377
The grass was still wet with dew at 6am as the first volunteers arrived on the Middlebury Green. It was quiet and cool, and a long list of to-dos remained undone with only a few hours to go before the first visitors would arrive. Corey Janus, our outside event coordinator, immediately began assigning jobs. Banners went up on the gazebo. Tables and chairs were laid out for our Co-op Connection partners under the long tent. Picnic areas were set up near the food trucks, seating put out by the main stage, and pop tent after pop tent staked across the sloping park. Within minutes, everyone’s shoes were soaked.
Thank you to Susan Woloohojian for digital event photography, and Sasha Meyers for Film event photography.
The raffle was the first part of the day to outgrow its plan. So many items had been donated by our Co-op Connection partners and other vendors that one table could not hold all the prizes; a second was still a tight fit.
Raffle tickets weren’t sold. To get one, you simply had to talk with a Co-op Connection partner, ask a Board member a question, or strike up a conversation with a local vendor. The price of a ticket was conversation, and you could buy as many as you liked.
Signs were still going up at 9:30 as the first visitors started arriving.
At 10 on the dot, The Eschatones – featuring Kai Stanley from the Co-op’s Front End team – officially kicked off the festivities with a 30 minute set. For a moment, the turnout looked respectable, but modest. A quick glance at the time: It was only 10:10. by 10:30, the park was really starting to fill.
By the time Liz Reedy and Nick Bredice took the stage at 10:45, crowds were congregating, but there was no single center to the celebration.
Vendors shared space with new and returning Co-op Connection Partners who filled the tent that ran parallel to the Co-op Hub, selling goods and introducing themselves to Co-op members. Many of this year’s participants are offering 10% off their goods and services for Co-op members!
Long-time Co-op Connection Partner Dave Silberman of FLORA
Buy It Again Alley – a new Co-op Connection 2026-2028 partner
Tom Verner’s magic show drew children and adults toward the stage, and one of the designers behind the Co-op’s 50th Anniversary artwork was even drafted into the performance.
Between sets, the stage became an arena for unusually practical competition. MC Bruce Baker recruited volunteers to identify the contents of unlabeled cans, and cut a slice of bread with the most consistent thickness.
MC Bruce Barker at the helm
Children outnumbered adults among the contestants, making us especially glad we had invested in cut-resistant gloves. The thickness of the winning slice varied by only one-tenth of a millimeter from top to bottom—an almost absurdly precise result.
By early afternoon, every communal picnic table was occupied, often comprised of people who had not arrived together.
It was warm but not overly hot; a light breeze and shade from the trees kept it comfortable. It was the kind of summer day people dream about all year and sometimes never get. We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather.
American Flatbread, Steven’s Farm Stand, La Chapina, and Sisters of Anarchy served a steady lunch crowd, while Co-op Connection partners, local businesses, and community organizations filled the surrounding tents. One food-truck operator told us afterward, “We made more today than we have over the last three events we’ve worked—and we needed that money.”
Listeners gathered beneath the entertainment tent and on blankets above the stage.
People moved from the tie die station to face painting, from bubbles to cornhole and Connect Four. They talked with vendors, entered a raffle, and circled back to top of the hill to do it all again.
Adults and children alike gravitated towards the giant bubble wands.
Quotes from audio stories that would be told in full at the evening’s gallery opening were posted on trees across the park, starting conversations and sparking curiosity for that evening’s event.
Conversations unfolded under every tent and at every stopping point along the path. The Co-op’s aisles have always been places where shopping pauses for a conversation. On August 22, that expanded to the scale of the Middlebury Town Green.
On the hill above the Co-op Hub, giant bubbles erased any remaining distinction between children’s and adults’ activities. At one point, every wand in use was taken by an adult while children waited for a turn.
Enormous bubbles lifted over the park, glancing off tents, trees, and unsuspecting guests; those that remained intact longest drew spectators of their own.
David the Bubble Guy – A.K.A. David from the Co-op Deli – spent weeks perfecting his bubble solution to match the temperature and humidity of the day. He quietly kept the station running, offering guidance when needed and demonstrating the best techniques for making giant bubbles. In the end, he worked beyond his scheduled hours because, he said, he was having so much fun.
The temporary tattoos followed a similar trajectory as the bubbles. Designed largely with children in mind, they seemed to appear on more adult arms and faces than kids.
The Co-op Hub stayed busy all day, with people buying 50th Anniversary merchandise, starting or renewing their memberships, and taking home commemorative posters through our one-day membership offer.
At the Board table, the invitation was simple: ask a question and spin the prize wheel. Some visitors undoubtedly stopped for the raffle entry or prize or to sign the giant Co-op birthday card, but many stayed to learn more about what the Board does and how a community-owned grocery store actually works.
Holding court at the raffle table was Sean M., a former Co-op employee who had spent weeks asking to come down from Burlington and volunteer. He spent the day talking with – and probably befriending – nearly everyone who stopped by to throw their ticket in the ring for a prize.
That he wanted to spend his Saturday helping a place where he no longer worked says more about what the Co-op means to people than any anniversary speech could.
(For the record: despite his objections, we did pay him.)
The Co-op closed for two hours at noon so staff working a Saturday shift at the store could join the celebration. Sabouyouma took the stage just as the first wave of employees arrived.
Their set, built around drums and the bandleader’s remarkably fast, precise balafon playing, carried across the Green. A small group danced near the stage as the rest of the celebration continued around them.
At three, the band finished its final song and the daytime celebration came to a close.
From the Town Green to the Memory Gallery
A few hours later, many familiar faces reappeared across Main Street at Town Hall Theater—now in evening clothes and, in several cases, still wearing temporary tattoos from the park.
The Green was a celebration of the Co-op in the present tense. Inside the Jackson Gallery, the celebration reached back 50 years.
The doors between the gallery and the pavilion stood open to the clear, warm evening. A light breeze moved through as visitors circulated among the exhibit, the music, and the gathering outside. Photographs, newsletters, documents, artifacts, and recorded voices traced the Co-op from its buying-club beginnings to the store we know today.
The gallery was designed not simply as a timeline of what happened between 1976 and 2026, but as a portrait of the people, relationships, work, choices, experiments, mishaps, and ordinary moments that made the Co-op what it is today. From the earliest buying-club years to the store we know now, the exhibit traces a history created by thousands of people figuring out, together, what it means to own something in common.
Headphones with adapters ere available so guests could scan the QU codes scattered across the exhibit and listen to stories told by people who had been there; They paused over familiar faces in photographs spanning five decades, and added their own photographs and memories to the community wall. The result was not a history sealed off in the past, but an archive still being made.
Deep Think provided the evening’s soundtrack with instrumental jazz arrangements of familiar popular songs, which proved to be an enormous hit.
Three generations of General Managers, from left to right: Glenn Lower (1999-2002), Greg Prescott (2022-present), and Anne Webster (1989-1999)
Before the evening ended, we paused for a few words of thanks. The celebration itself lasted one day; the work behind it had taken months and drawn on generosity from across the community.
Marketing, Education, and Membership Manager Julia Reed reads a short list of thank yous
A clear moon rose over the theater as evening settled in and the band played under the cafe lights on the plaza. To the observant eye, the tableau looked a lot like the event poster that advertised it.
Made Possible by Many Hands
The celebration was built much as the Co-op itself has been built over the past 50 years: by people contributing what they had to offer. Some gave time or labor; others gave expertise, equipment, food, money, trust, or the answer to a question no one else knew.
Businesses and organizations throughout the community were extraordinarily generous. Casella donated the trash, recycling, and compost receptacles that helped us manage waste from a full day on the Green. Dundon’s provided a handwashing station. MC Bruce Baker donated 2/3 of his fee back to the Co-op. Store vendors and Co-op Connection partners filled two raffle tables with prizes. Others shared hard-earned event knowledge, made introductions, solved last-minute problems, and helped us navigate the countless details behind a day that, to most visitors, simply seemed to unfold.
With Gratitude, In Cooperation
We are deeply grateful to the Town of Middlebury, and especially Beth Dow, for working with us through the many logistical details of bringing a celebration of this size to the Town Green.
Our enormous thanks go to Town Hall Theater, and especially Ellie Friml and Lisa Mitchell, who gave us not just a gallery, but their patience, flexibility, problem-solving, and seemingly endless willingness to help us figure out how to bring an ambitious idea to life.
Thank you to the Better Middlebury Partnership, especially Kathryn Torres and Kelly Flynn, for generously sharing their experience and advice as we learned how to plan a large downtown event, and to Hannah Hoopaugh, who was an absolute tour de force of practical, on-the-ground support.
We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Patricia Boera and the Middlebury Festival on the Green, who graciously shared years of hard-earned event knowledge with us. There seemed to be no question too large or too obscure: vendor recommendations, Dig Safe requirements, lighting plans, park logistics — even who to call when yellowjackets took up residence in an electrical box we very much needed to use. Every answer saved us time, trouble, or both.
Thank you to the Addison Independent, and especially Katy Foote, Christy Lynn, and Elsie Parini, for the extraordinary help, patience, coverage, and support they provided in the months leading up to August 22—from advertising and special features to helping us tell the story of why reaching 50 years matters.
A huge thank-you goes to Corey Janus, whose production experience, unflappable problem-solving, and no-nonsense execution helped kept a daunting number of moving parts on course. The fact that both events appeared to unfold so naturally was, in no small part, the result of Corey’s work behind the scenes.
Thank you to Brand Animism for creating the visual language of our 50th year — from the anniversary marks to the collection of icons drawn from the Co-op’s history. And special thanks to Matthew Rudnicki, who immersed himself in the Co-op’s history and undertook the enormous task of digitizing and archiving 50 years of analog Co-op newsletters, preserving a resource that will continue to tell us things about ourselves long after the anniversary is over.
And none of it could have happened without our Co-op staff. In the final days before August 22, staff across the store took on extra shifts, strange schedules, last-minute projects, event setup, gallery work, problem-solving, hauling, organizing, and some extremely late nights to get everything over the finish line. Many of them then got up and came back to work the celebration itself. We are enormously grateful.
Finally, thank you to every person who sat down and told us a Co-op story for the 50th Anniversary archive; to everyone who loaned us photographs, documents, and pieces of their own history; and to those whose stories we have yet to record. The history of this Co-op does not live in a filing cabinet. It lives in the memories of the people who built it, worked here, shopped here, farmed for us, served on the Board, raised their children here, made friends here, and kept coming back. We hope to continue preserving those voices long after the anniversary year has ended.
Here’s to the Next 50
Above all, thank you to our community—to everyone who filled the Town Green by day and the Memory Gallery that evening, to those who have shopped at the Co-op for decades, and to those who walked through our doors for the first time this year.
A community-owned grocery store exists only because a community keeps choosing to own it—not only on paper, but in practice: by shopping, working, questioning, contributing, and caring what becomes of it. For 50 years, those choices have carried the Co-op from a small group of neighbors buying food together to an organization that serves thousands of households, supports hundreds of local farmers and producers, employs our neighbors, and returns resources to the community around us.
August 22 gave us an opportunity to look back at everything that brought us here. More than that, it made 50 years of community ownership visible over the course of a single day.
We are here because you are. Thank you for the first 50 years.
Here’s to the next 50 years of owning a grocery store together.
The Memory Gallery will remain on view at Town Hall Theater’s Jackson Gallery through September 18, 2026.
One of the benefits of Co-op membership is that it extends beyond the Co-op itself. Through the Co-op Connection, local businesses and organizations offer special discounts and benefits to Co-op members — giving you more ways to save while supporting the businesses that help our community thrive.
Over the past several months, we’ve been working with businesses across the area to refresh the program and build our next group of Co-op Connection partners. We’re excited to introduce the 2026–2028 lineup, which includes both new and returning partners and a little something for just about everyone. Simply show proof of your current Co-op membership at participating businesses to receive the listed offer.
Keep your member card handy and take advantage of your Co-op Connection benefits whenever you visit one of our participating partners. And stay tuned — we’ll be introducing you to more of the people and businesses behind the program in the months ahead.
We are pleased to announce that, following another profitable year, the Co-op will issue a patronage refund for the 11th consecutive year since member-owners voted to adopt our patronage system.
Patronage refunds are a defining feature of the cooperative model. A portion of the Co-op’s profits is returned to member-owners based on their purchases, while the remainder is retained and reinvested in the Co-op for the benefit of all member-owners.
The Board approved returning 25% of this year’s patronage allocation. In total, $178,945 will be returned to our member-owners and community through patronage refunds and donations to our local food shelves. The remaining $536,834 will be retained by the Co-op on behalf of all member-owners.
These retained funds strengthen the Co-op and help finance improvements to our facilities, equipment, and operations. Over time, retained patronage becomes part of the shared value we have built and continue to own together.
Changes to This Year’s Distribution Model
This year, patronage refunds have been credited directly to member-owners’ store accounts rather than mailed as paper checks. This change reduces printing and mailing costs, makes refunds available more quickly, and allows us to return patronage to more member-owners than before. To learn more about this change and read our FAQ, click here.
Individual refund amounts are prorated based on each member-owner’s eligible purchases during the Co-op’s fiscal year, April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. Refunds of less than $1 will not be issued and will instead be donated to our local food shelves, HOPE and CVOEO. Any patronage refunds that remain unused after six months will also be donated to HOPE and CVOEO.
Spring is finally here, and with it comes that familiar itch to plan your next Vermont adventure. Whether you’re dreaming of backcountry trails, mountain-fed rivers, or just a weekend escape close to home, Green Mountain Adventures—located right on Middlebury’s Main Street—is the place to start. They offer top-tier gear, guided outdoor experiences, and one of the best local summer camps around. Member-owners enjoy a 10% off their purchases year-round, and we’re thrilled to spotlight this local institution as April’s Co-op Connection featured business!
A Family-Owned Business with Deep Roots
Green Mountain Adventures is co-owned by Steve and Marion Atocha, who first opened the business (originally called Middlebury Mountaineer) back in 1998 in a small space above the Storm Café on Mill Street. Since then, the shop has moved a few times—first to the old Ben & Jerry’s spot on Park Street, then a bit further up the street next to the Sheldon Museum—before finally landing, in 2017, at their current, sunny Main Street location. It’s the space they’d always hoped for: centrally located and easy to find, with a steady stream of locals and out-of-towners alike.
The Family
Steve and Marion Atocha co-own Green Mountain Adventures. On the store’s webpage, Steve is described as a father, a fly fishing enthusiast, and a certified American Canoe Association Kayaking Instructor. He spends his free time hiking for out-of-the-way fishing holes or backcountry skiing on the Lincoln Gap. Marion serves as a clothing buyer for the store, and divides her time between the shop and working full-time as a nurse in Bristol. An avid hiker, swimmer, and Nordic skier, Marion’s real passion is raising her three boys and working on her family farm. In true family business fashion, their boys pitch in as part of the Green Mountain Adventures team.
Steve and Marion AtochaSteve Atocha with his sons
Quality Gear & Rentals for Every Season
Green Mountain Adventures is known for carrying high-quality outdoor gear and apparel, with a focus on brands that hold up to Vermont’s rugged landscape. You’ll find gear from Patagonia, Prana, Blundstone, Darn Tough, Howler Bros., Hydro Flask, Yeti, and more. In winter, they’re a go-to destination for Nordic skis, boots, poles, wax, and accessories from trusted brands like Rossignol, Fischer, Swix, Salomon, and Craft.
Not ready to buy? They offer rental and lease options year-round, so you can test out top-tier gear before committing—or simply grab what you need for a weekend trip without having to invest.
Guided Trips for All Experience Levels
For those who want a more hands-on introduction to Vermont’s outdoors, Green Mountain Adventures offers guided trips for fly fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, hiking, and even rock climbing. Whether you’re a beginner or someone looking to refine your skills, they can customize a full or half-day adventure that fits your goals. Guides are experienced, knowledgeable, and deeply familiar with the local terrain.
Unforgettable Summer Camps for Kids
Green Mountain Adventures also runs one of the most beloved summer day camps in the region. Now in its 26th season, the camp serves kids ages 6–15 and offers an immersive experience in the wild landscapes that surround us—from rivers and cliffs to wooded trails and glacial swimming holes. Campers might spend one day paddling, another hiking or biking, and another tubing or rock climbing, all led by experienced local guides.
Camp groups are intentionally small, with a low camper-to-guide ratio (max 6:1), and the culture is all about building confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging. As Steve puts it, “We encourage a ‘come as you are’ ethic where campers can be fully themselves, without external pressure to act or perform in a certain way.” Over the years, many campers have returned summer after summer, forming deep friendships and memories that stick.
Plan Your Visit
Green Mountain Adventures is more than just a gear shop—it’s a community hub for outdoor adventure. Whether you’re shopping for new equipment, booking a guided trip, or looking for a meaningful summer camp for your child, they’ve got you covered.
Don’t forget: Co-op member-owners receive 10% off year-round—just show your member card at checkout. Stop in this month to take advantage of the deal, explore what’s new, and start planning your next adventure.
This week’s Member Deal Spotlight features a producer we’re proud to have on our shelves: Big Picture Farm, a goat dairy and farmstead confectionery located in Townshend, Vermont. Their focus on environmental stewardship, humane treatment of animals, and thoughtfully made food makes them a natural fit for our community of shoppers. And from April 15-21, Members enjoy 20% off their delicious line of products.
Photo courtesy of Big Picture Farm
Big Picture Farm was founded by Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell—artists who became farmers with a vision of raising goats and making something meaningful from their milk. Their small herd of pasture-raised goats is at the center of their operation, and you’ll see them (the goats) featured proudly on their packaging. Each one has a name and personality, and the farmers make it clear they’re the heart of the farm.
Sustainable and Humane from the Start
The farm is solar-powered, uses zero-waste packaging, and holds Certified Animal Welfare Approved status—one of the highest animal welfare standards out there. Their goats spend their lives outdoors on pasture, and the team is deeply committed to making choices that are good for the land, the animals, and the people who enjoy their caramels.
Photo courtesy of Big Picture Farm
Award-Winning, for Good Reason
Big Picture Farm has earned multiple national awards, including several Good Food Awards and Best Confection at the Fancy Food Show. Their Sea Salt & Vanilla caramel is a classic, but they offer a range of rotating seasonal flavors, too—each one rich, creamy, and a little bit addictive.
Photo courtesy of Big Picture Farm
20% off for Members April 15-21
Now’s a great time to try them (or stock up) while they’re on sale for members. Whether you’re picking up a treat for yourself or a gift for someone else, these are the kind of sweets you can feel good about.
We’ve partnered with Equal Exchange to offer Organic BioRevolution coffee – available only at food co-ops. What makes it special? A fully cooperative supply chain and added impact: for every pound purchased, 50¢ supports farmer-led environmental resilience projects.
Cooperative Power, From Farm to Shelf From cultivation to your cup, this coffee moves through a network of co-ops. Small-scale farmers grow and process the coffee through their own cooperatives. Equal Exchange – a worker-owned co-op – sources, imports, and roasts it, paying premiums that support organic farming, quality, and community-led projects. They then sell it to food co-ops like ours, building relationships rooted in transparency, shared values, and long-term commitment.
This creates a unique co-op to co-op to co-op supply chain – connecting our members not just to one farm, but to dozens of farmer co-ops, and by extension, hundreds of individual farmers. Because Organic BioRevolution is sold only in food co-ops, that connection extends across co-op communities nationwide. What looks like a simple bag of coffee is actually a network of people working together to build a different kind of food system.
Environmental Innovation, Led by Farmers The farmers behind this coffee are also committed to organic, restorative practices that work with ecosystems rather than against them. In response to growing climate challenges, Equal Exchange created the BioRevolution fund – contributing 50¢ per pound sold to support farmer-led innovation. Thanks to co-op shoppers, this fund has already directed over $100,000 toward projects that strengthen environmental resilience.
These efforts include farmer exchanges to share knowledge across regions, the development of “living fertilizers” made from local microbes to improve soil health and plant resilience, and integrating native stingless bees into farming systems. These bees boost pollination, support biodiversity, and produce high-quality hone – adding both ecological and economic benefits.
Why It Matters Organic BioRevolution is more than a coffee – it’s a way to support cooperative ownership, environmental stewardship, and a global network of farmers and communities working toward a more resilient future.
Our Member Deals Spotlight this week is Klinger’s Bread Company, a Burlington-based bakery known for its traditional European-style artisan loaves. From March 18–24, Co-op member-owners receive 20% off Klinger’s full line of fresh-baked breads.
Founded in 1993 by the Klingebiel family, Klinger’s has been producing hearth-baked breads in Vermont for more than three decades. Their loaves are made using time-honored techniques: slow-developed starters, long fermentation, and careful hand shaping before baking in a French brick oven. The result is bread with real structure and flavor — crusty on the outside, tender and chewy within.
Klinger’s breads are made with simple, high-quality ingredients and the patience that good bread requires. It’s the kind of loaf that turns a simple meal into something memorable — and a reminder that great bread doesn’t need to be complicated to be exceptional.
We invite you to check out this month’s featured Co-op Connection Business — Middlebury Fitness! Flash your Co-op member-owner card and you’ll receive 50% off your enrollment fee! Read on to learn more about what this community wellness center has to offer:
Middlebury Fitness is a community health and wellness center founded in 1997 that puts its members’ needs first. Their facility features a wide variety of the most current strength and cardio equipment by the leading brands in the industry. Is group fitness your thing? They offer a variety of live and remote programs and group fitness classes to meet the diverse and ever-changing needs of their member base, ranging from ages 13 to 93. Click here for their class calendar and descriptions. Other services and amenities include personal training, sport-specific athletic performance training, nutrition consultations with Registered Dietician Amy Rice of Champlain Nutrition Solutions, and more!
The crew at Middlebury Fitness is incredibly proud to be so active in this great community and annually receives recognition and awards for various initiatives. For the past four consecutive years, they have received the United Way of Addison County’s “Partner Award” for an annual event that has raised $60,000 for our local friends and families in need since 2014. Wow!! They were also the 2018 recipients of the prestigious BOB (Best of Business) award in the Health Club category by Vermont Business Magazine.
At Middlebury Fitness they understand that you have options when it comes to your health and fitness needs. They aim to meet and exceed their members’ expectations every day and believe they have some of the most attentive, caring, professional, and knowledgeable instructors, personal trainers, and staff you will find. Their ultimate goal at Midd Fit is to ensure that each of their members achieves their personal fitness goals while experiencing exceptional customer service in a supportive atmosphere of fun and camaraderie.
If you are a current member, they’d like to extend a sincere THANK YOU for being a part of the Midd Fit family! If you are not yet a member, please visit and let Middlebury Fitness guide you through your fitness journey today! And don’t forget to mention that you’re a Co-op member-owner!
Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Jessica McColly’s 5th grade class from Mary Hogan Elementary School to the Co-op. The students are currently learning about how consumers and businesses make buying decisions – including discussions about fair trade, supply chains, and the ways everyday purchases can affect workers and farmers. We were glad to open our doors for a hands-on activity that brought those ideas into the real world.
After a brief discussion about what influences buying choices – price, need, familiarity, supply – students paired off, grabbed clipboards, and headed into the store. Their assignment wasn’t to decide what people should buy. Instead, they were asked to investigate why a grocery store might choose to carry certain products in the first place.
Each pair rotated through departments – produce, dairy, bulk, and grocery – answering the same set of questions in each space. They compared local and non-local foods. They examined different versions of the same item – organic and non-organic, store brand and national brand.
They considered what might make a product easier or harder to keep on the shelf if something changes. They also looked at familiar, widely expected foods that shoppers rely on, even if those items aren’t local.
When we gathered back together, the conversation was thoughtful and wide-ranging.
Students noticed that some foods simply don’t grow in Vermont, but might be in season somewhere else. They observed price differences and talked about how offering multiple options helps different families shop in one place. They considered what might happen if a popular item disappeared from the shelves. They wrestled with the idea that staying financially healthy is part of what allows a community-owned store to support local farmers, employ staff, and continue serving the community.
One theme surfaced again and again: tradeoffs. No single product accomplishes every goal. A grocery store – especially a co-op – has to balance supporting local producers, offering accessible choices, remaining resilient when supply chains shift, and meeting the everyday needs of its customers. It’s not about perfect decisions. It’s about how those decisions add up over time. Walking the aisles as investigators rather than shoppers sparked questions we don’t always stop to ask.
We’re grateful to Jessica McColly and the Mary Hogan fifth graders for spending their morning with us and for bringing such curiosity to the conversation. We’re always glad to welcome students into the store as part of their learning, and look forward to meeting next year’s class of 5th graders!
