ELORA – The answer to Elora’s grocery store void, as a result of the closure of the L&M Food Market, may just be co-operative in nature.
Centre Wellington District High School chef Chris Jess is organizing a community meeting on Feb. 18 to discuss the possibility of establishing an Elora co-op grocer.
Jess said the idea started with the Dec. 14 closure of the L&M Food Market, the only grocer in town. He was inspired further by stories about seniors who rely on the store and about L&M staff left without work right before Christmas.
L&M was closed by public health following the discovery of one critical infraction and 10 non-critical infractions.
“It seemed odd that we would be in such a vulnerable state with one grocery in Elora,“ Jess said. “And then it was over Christmas that I was talking to other people and it seemed a lot of people had been talking about a co-op grocer.”
Jess said it was like “an itch” that he had to scratch, so he created an event on Facebook to facilitate discussion and lined up Ontario Co-operative Association executive director Peter Cameron as a guest speaker.
“The basic premise of a co-operative is that it’s the members,” Cameron said.
“If people come together, if they have a problem, whatever it is, childcare, funeral services, transportation, energy, you name it, banking, insurance, there’s a co-operative solution for that.”
A co-operative grocer would allow members to control the product, prices, services and consumer or member-focused service, Cameron said.
A core group is needed to get the co-op started.
“They would raise memberships and raise money and then they form a board, the members elect the board but then the board hires staff,” Cameron said.
“They’d hire a manager and that manager would hire staff …
“Like any business the board creates policy and then the staff implement that policy.”
Each member gets just one vote, regardless of patronage or financial support offered.
Models vary by co-op as well. In some consumer co-ops members pay a fee, while in others the fee is a percentage of the overall purchases or the fee is volunteer service working at the store, Cameron said.
Anyone can shop at the store, they just may not be entitled to the same benefits and discounts as members.
The response to the Elora Co-op Grocer meeting on Feb. 18 has been positive, Jess said.
“I think if anything it’s been not just encouraging but it seems to be just a real hunger for this kind of a thing and a real hunger to be more food secure,” Jess said.
Cameron cautioned the success of a co-op venture can be impacted by a lack of awareness and by raising enough capital to get the business off the ground.
“Instead of having venture capitalists … if you’re starting a co-op a lot of times you do have to go to the community to raise capital and that can be difficult,” he said.
Cameron added members have to buy in and choose to do their shopping at the co-op grocer.
“If you don’t patronize it and … your store isn’t properly stocked then it looses that support and it goes downhill …” Cameron said, adding he thinks Elora is a good candidate for a co-op grocer.
“It’s small enough that it has the community spirit but it’s big enough that it could support a store,” he said.
The Feb. 18 meeting, at the Elora Legion at 7.30pm, is open to the public.
“Let’s dream for a bit, let’s figure it out,” Jess said. “We have an opportunity. We have a moment so let’s capture it and explore it as much as we can.”
For more information visit Elora Co-op Grocer on Facebook.
