Feeding Community
With plenty of local products and neighbourly vibes, small Canadian food co-ops are shaping local food systems — and making a big impact.
By Valerie Howes | Illustrations by LeeAndra Cianci
FOR MANY CANADIANS, it’s routine to load up on groceries every week at a big-box store. But for those seeking out a sustainable, community-focused alternative, it’s worth considering joining your local food co-operative (co-op).
Operating from storefronts or distribution points, co-ops are designed to benefit their members, who generally pay an annual fee to vote on how the co-op is run and take advantage of favourable pricing. Many co-ops host community events to help members connect with one another and with their food producers. They typically prioritize local, seasonal and fair-trade products. You might not find strawberries in December, but you will find fresh fruits and veggies in season, friendly neighbours and opportunities to learn more about the people who made or grew your food.
The history of food co-ops in Canada dates back to the 1860s in Nova Scotia, where British miners wanted to replicate the model they’d used back home to buy collectively and save on food costs. In the early 1900s, southern Ontario farmers got in on the action, creating a co-operative designed to serve the interests of local fruit farmers in the Niagara region. During the 20th century, co-op popularity waxed and waned with the economy and world wars. It truly came into its own in the 1970s, when organic farming took off. Today, there’s a resurgence of interest in how food co-ops support local communities, as the price of groceries has increased and economic uncertainty has made many people think more deeply about where their food comes from.
Now, with a growing appetite for food that’s reasonably priced, local and rooted in community, co-ops across Canada are proving there’s more than one way to stock a pantry.
Hyper-local eats, year-round
Since its inception in 2013, the Muskoka Market Eatery has transformed into a thriving community hub. The Huntsville, Ont. co-operative, formerly called the Muskoka North Good Food Co-op, now comprises a grocery store, café, sourdough bakery, commercial kitchen and hydroponic container farm, which grows lettuces, kale, spinach and herbs, even in the dead of winter. “It’s a lovely opportunity to be able to harvest greens... about 70 feet from our front door,” says general manager Allison Bullen.
Membership comes with benefits, including discounts on groceries, bounty boxes and voting privileges. The co-op partners with Pfenning’s Organic Farm in New Hamburg, as well as several Muskoka growers and food artisans. The goal is zero waste, so imperfect fruits and veggies become hearty soups, smoothies and muffins in what Bullen calls the “rescue kitchen.”
Volunteers help run the farm stand and also cook and deliver wholesome meals and snacks to a local daycare. Through social events like chili dinners and harvest parties, and through informal conversations about the realities of farming, the co-op fosters a deeper connection between people, food and the land.
A community of growers
The Niagara region is renowned for its long, warm summers and bountiful orchards, where peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, pears, apples and plums ripen in the sun. With many small-scale family farms in operation, it makes sense to collaborate — and the Vineland Growers Co-operative is the fruit of that collaboration.
The co-op was founded in 1913 when four fruit farmers in the Niagara Peninsula got together to share resources such as equipment and storage facilities and to make collective decisions for the benefit of fruit farms in the region. Over the past century, its membership has grown to more than 300 farms.
“Farmers share ideas on what works and what doesn’t work,” says Vineland Growers president Michael Ecker, who has worked for the co-op for 49 years, beginning as a truck driver. Traditional knowledge and innovation are both critical to the co-op’s success, he says. “We have a board, and we have committees of growers — the board is usually the older members of the families, and the younger generation are the ones coming up with new ideas,” says Ecker.
The co-op has a plant nursery, where they do important work such as testing peach varieties to see which will thrive in the local climate, especially during the chillier months. This nursery-as-lab shields individual farmers from the risks of experimenting with their precious crops and lets everyone benefit from a longer and more productive growing season.
Vineland Growers also helps its members to store, sell and distribute their fruits in grocery stores across the country. Their temperature-controlled facilities reduce food waste, keeping the farmers’ profits up and your grocery bills down. Vineland handles sales, cutting out the middleman and freeing up precious time during the busy harvest season. “The co-op does the marketing for the farmers, so that they can stay on their farms and pack their peaches,” says Ecker.
Strengthening the local economy
A fixture in Toronto’s West End since 1972, Karma Co-op is a small full-service grocery store. “The founders were, in their own words, a bunch of hippies and draft dodgers,” says general manager Zach Weingarten. They sought to make organic and sustainable foods more accessible right in their neighbourhood.
Tucked away in a Seaton Village alleyway, Karma offers mostly organic and Canadian packaged and frozen foods, as well as bread and sweet treats from local bakeries. Farmers drop off vegetables and fruits in person, and more than 400 items are sold in bulk. You can stock up on everything from flour, nuts and cereals to locally fermented kombucha in funky flavours such as crabapple and sage or beet-Meyer lemon.
These days, Karma is open to members and non-members alike for shopping, but members access the best prices, and volunteers snag extra discounts for helping with tasks such as governance, writing the newsletter or running the store. Customers come from all walks of life, says Weingarten, but hold shared values. “They love food, they love community, and they love being part of a food system that strengthens the local economy.” CAA
If you enjoy your food with a side of community, a co-op might be your jam (locally made, of course). Search online to find a co-op near you, then visit in person to learn first-hand about the benefits of joining. Check out the edible offerings and friendly vibes, sign up as a member and help shape the food system you want to see.