WINNER: Sacramento Natural Food Co-op (Sacramento, CA)

Criteria: Exceptional experience in the store. The co-op demonstrates that a large-format store can continue to accommodate cooperative principles and values and even help enhance them. [Note: “large” was defined roughly as 12,000+ sq. ft. of retail space]

About the Winner:  Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op began as a food buying club in 1972 and opened a storefront of primarily bulk foods. In 1973, the buying club was incorporated as the Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative. In 2016, the co-op opened a brand new store with 25,000 sq. ft. of retail space. The layout, feel, product quality and sense of cooperativeness was HIGHLY impressive! A great model to look to for all existing or aspiring large-format food co-ops.

Honorable Mentions: BriarPatch Food Co-op (Grass Valley, CA), Honest Weight Food Co-op (Albany, NY), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC), Moscow Food Co-op (Moscow, ID), People's Food Co-op - Rochester (Rochester, MN), River Valley Co-op (Northampton, MA)

WINNER: Viroqua Food Co-op (Viroqua, WI)

Criteria: Exceptional experience in the store. Offering much of what a large-format grocery store could offer but in smaller space.

About the Winner: The Viroqua Food Co-op receives special attention in the book, and rightfully so - this is a food co-op that anyone dreaming of what a food co-op could be would be highly advised to visit. VFC began as a natural foods buying club organized by a small group of individuals who worked together to provide their families with healthy foods and in the fall of 1995 they opened their first store. In late 2018, VFC completed construction on their new store.

Honorable Mentions: Bisman Community Co-op (Bismarck, ND), Common Market Co-op (Frederick, MD), Eastside Food Co-op (Minneapolis, MN), Green Top Grocery (Bloomington, IL), Hendersonville Community Co-op (Hendersonville, NC), Menomonie Market Food Co-op (Menomonie, WI), Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op (Middlebury, VT), Monadnock Food Co-op (Keene, NH), Whole Foods Co-op - Denfield (Duluth, MN)

WINNER: Putney Food Co-op (Putney, VT)

Criteria: Author Jon Steinman would love it to be his ‘corner grocer’ that he could walk to every day.

About the Winner: As one of the oldest continuously operating food co-ops in the country (c. 1941), the Putney Food Co-op is a fresh and modern full-service grocery store with a wonderful coffee bar and made-to-order cafe. The co-op was founded when fuel shortages due to World War II made it hard to obtain certain grocery items. To procure the needed supplies, a group of Putney citizens led by Carol Brown formed the Putney Food Co-op. Their commitment to local products was highly visible, and represented a significant percentage of their product selections. A shining example of a community’s resilience through their grocery store.

Honorable Mentions: Chatham Real Food Market (Chatham, NY), Moonflower Community Co-op (Moab, UT), Muskoka North Good Food Co-op (Huntsville, ON), Weavers Way Co-op - Mt. Airy (Philadelphia, PA), Weavers Way Co-op - Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia, PA)

WINNER: Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op (Middlebury, VT)

Criteria: Hot Bar and Salad Bar are bursting with freshness, food quality and flavor! Exemplifies the experience of healthy eating that food co-ops are famous for.

About the Winner: The presentation and quality of food in the salad bar and hot bar of Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op had ‘WOW’ written all over it. Truly a celebration of good food. Even more impressive, were the reusable take-home containers — BPA Free, NSF Certified, Health Code Compliant, microwavable and dishwasher safe! Leave a $5 deposit and bring it back when you’re done. [Read More]

Honorable Mentions: Bisman Community Food Co-op (Bisman, ND), BriarPatch Food Co-op (Grass Valley, CA), Common Market Co-op (Frederick, MD), Good Foods Co-op (Lexington, KY), Hunger Mountain Co-op (Montpelier, VT), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC), People's Food Co-op (Rochester, MN), River Valley Co-op (Northampton, MA), Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (Sacramento, CA), Seward Community Co-op (Minneapolis, MN), Tidal Creek Co-op (Wilmington, NC)

Honorable Mention (small-format hot bar/salad bar): Chatham Real Food Market (Chatham, NY)

WINNER: Weaver Street Market - Carrboro location (Carrboro, NC)

Criteria: The area out front of the store feels like a neighborhood block party.

About the Winner: Outside Weaver Street Market’s Carrboro location is a large grassy and treed area where shoppers, eaters and the community congregate. It was easily the most bustling outdoor area of any co-op visited.

Honorable Mentions: Ashland Food Co-op (Ashland, OR), BriarPatch Food Co-op (Grass Valley, CA)

WINNERS: SLO Food Co-op (San Luis Obispo, CA) / STARTUP: Rogers Park Food Co-op (Chicago, IL)

Criteria: A creative, vibrant and ‘pleasing’ poster design to promote a Grocery Story event. (Note: There’s a good chance some pleasing posters were missed along the busy tour schedule. Truth is, they were all pleasing!)

About the Winners: SLO Food Co-op got creative by emphasizing the colors in the grocery basket held by author Jon Steinman. The startup Rogers Park Food Co-op put together a flashy poster that couldn’t be missed and they did a nice job sneaking in the tour van.

Honorable Mentions: Co-opportunity Market & Deli (Culver City, CA), Eastside Food Co-op (Minneapolis, MN), Good Foods Co-op (Lexington, KY), Karma Co-op (Toronto, ON), Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op (Middlebury, VT), Monadnock Food Co-op (Keene, NH), Open Harvest Co-op Grocery (Lincoln, NE), River Valley Co-op (Northampton, MA), Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (Sacramento, CA) / STARTUP: Food Shed Co-op (Woodstock, IL)

WINNER: Co-op Food Stores (Hanover and Lebanon NH / White River Jct., VT)

Criteria: Awarded to the co-op purchasing the largest quantity of Grocery Story copies.

About the Winner: Co-op Food Stores (Hanover Co-op) purchased 150 copies of Grocery Story. Author Jon Steinman handed out 100 of those copies to shoppers at their Lebanon, NH location, while the other 50 copies were distributed to staff and board directors.

Honorable Mentions: Weavers Way Co-op (Philadelphia, PA)

WINNERS: Eastside Food Co-op (Minneapolis, MN), Davis Food Co-op (Davis, CA)

Criteria: A ‘can’t-be-missed’ sign. Consideration given for thoughtful integration into the building and surrounding area. Clear, creative, effective.

About the Winners: Eastside Food Co-op is located in a busy urban area with many nearby businesses. Eastside’s signs rise above it all. The Davis Food Co-op’s sign is quite iconic in the food co-op community and it was easily the largest “Co-op” sign seen on the tour!

Honorable Mentions: Bluff Country Co-op (Winona, MN), Good Foods Co-op (Lexington, KY), North Country Food Co-op (Plattsburgh, NY), Outpost Natural Foods - Mequon (Mequon, WI), Putney Food Co-op (Putney, VT), Rising Tide Co-op (Damariscotta, ME), The Food Co-op (Port Townsend, WA), Viroqua Food Co-op (Viroqua, WI)

WINNERS: Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (Sacramento, CA) / Hendersonville Community Co-op (Hendersonville, NC)

Criteria: Thoughtful store design is an inspiration to all food co-ops.

About the Winners: Among large-format food co-ops, the new store design of the longstanding Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (c.1973) is a remarkable achievement. The atrium-style design of the store is spacious and the layout of departments allows shoppers to easily flow through the store with ease. The placement of the customer service desk, checkouts, ready-to-eat foods and seating areas stand out. Among mid-size co-ops, the new store of the Hendersonville Community Co-op (c.1983) is a work of art. Spacious and thoughtful design allows for an easy experience through the store. The seating area is bright and inviting and the community room is one of the nicest seen on the tour. The building construction incorporated a number of ecological considerations including recycled materials from an existing building that was located on the construction site. The exterior metal roof and wall panel colors were chosen for their high reflective properties to reduce as much solar gain as possible. In efforts to conserve water, there are two large cisterns on the grounds to collect rain water from the roof to irrigate a demonstration garden and landscaping.

Honorable Mentions: BisMan Community Food Co-op (Bismarck, ND), Eastside Food Co-op (Minneapolis, MN), Green Top Grocery (Bloomington, IL), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC), Menomonie Market Food Co-op (Menomonie, MN), Monadnock Food Co-op (Keene, NH), Outpost Natural Foods - Mequon (Mequon, WI), People’s Food Co-op - Rochester (Rochester, MN), Seward Community Co-op - Franklin (Minneapolis, MN), Viroqua Food Co-op (Viroqua, WI), Whole Foods Co-op - Denfeld (Duluth, MN)

WINNER: Old Creamery Co-op (Cummington, MA)

Criteria: A strong feeling inside the store that the co-op is more than just a place to purchase food, but is an important gathering space for the community. High percentage of shoppers seem to be in no rush to leave!

About the Winner: In the tiny town of Cummington, Massachusetts (pop. 881) is a food co-op that epitomizes a co-op’s role as a community hub. As the only gathering place open seven days a week, the Old Creamery Co-op really is the heart of the community. The Old Creamery has only been a cooperative grocery store & cafe for eight years, but it’s history is generational. In 1886, the building housed the Cummington Cooperative Creamery and churned out 20,000lbs of butter per month. The building would eventually become a restaurant, a general store and in 1988, became both. In 2011, when the owners were looking to get out of the business, the community banded together and in 2012 turned the Old Creamery into a community-owned cooperative.

Honorable Mentions: Buffalo Mountain Food Co-op (Hardwick, VT), Cook County Whole Foods Co-op (Grand Marais, MN), Co-opportunity Market & Deli (Culver City, CA), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC), Leverett Village Co-op (Leverett, MA), People’s Food Co-op (Portland, OR)

Note from Jon: At only 2.5 years old, Co-opportunity’s new Culver City location is in a unique place among the other 40+ year old co-ops receiving honorable mentions. It can take a lot of time to build a strong hub of community in a co-op. But something special happened when I was there in Culver City on a weekday evening. I had set myself up in the corner of the eating area where a small group gathered to hear about Grocery Story. The space had been pretty quiet until then, but just after beginning my discussion, a few other groups also began gathering in the space. By the end of my discussion, the eating area had transformed into a bona fide community center. At one table were eight people having a community meeting, at another table was a book club discussion, and at another was a couple playing chess.

WINNERS: Honest Weight Food Co-op (Albany, NY) / STARTUP: Cedar Falls Food Co-op (Cedar Falls, IA)

Criteria: Strong commitment among owners to the Grocery Story message and to the future of their co-op.

About the Winners: Honest Weight Food Co-op was founded in 1976 and has grown into one of the largest food co-ops in the country. Member-owners at Honest Weight displayed a strong commitment to their co-op’s cooperative values, mission, and its importance as an employer and venue for good food. Member-owners were also some of the most enthusiastically interested in the Grocery Story book. Among startup food co-ops working towards developing their new community-owned grocery store, the enthusiasm among owners at Cedar Falls Food Co-op was clearly one of that co-op’s most important assets.

Honorable Mentions: Karma Co-op (Toronto, ON), MOON Co-op (Oxford, OH), Seward Community Co-op (Minneapolis, MN) / STARTUPS: Shared Harvest - Elgin Food Cooperative (Elgin, IL), Whitewater Grocery Co. (Whitewater, WI)

WINNER: Swarthmore Co-op (Swarthmore, PA)

Criteria: Natural/organic products are thoughtfully and effectively integrated with conventional options.

About the Winner: Whereas most food co-ops remain rooted in the more alternative product offerings that have set them apart, there are some co-ops who have identified the need to expand their product selections and be in service to the wider community. Swarthmore Co-op (c. 1937) has found itself in an area without many nearby grocery options. As the only grocery store in the town’s small city center, to best serve the whole community near the store, the co-op has effectively integrated familiar name brands found at conventional stores with the more natural/organic and local options that food co-ops are well known for. To encourage healthier and more local eating, the co-op thoughtfully places the healthiest and most local products in the most visible places (such as eye-level shelf space). The more familiar (or less healthy) name brands are placed on the lower shelves… accessible, but not the first products one sees. Nice work Swarthmore!

Honorable Mentions: Brattleboro Food Co-op (Brattleboro, VT), Co-op Food Stores (Hanover/Lebanon/White River Jct., NH/VT), Littleton Food Co-op (Littleton, NH), People’s Food Co-op (Rochester, MN)

WINNER: BisMan Community Food Co-op (Bismarck, ND)

Criteria: Staff are exceptionally friendly!

About the Winner: Opening their doors in 2016, BisMan Community Food Co-op is one of the younger food co-ops in the country. Along with an unmistakable friendliness among the staff, staff also displayed a strong sense of community, pride and care for their co-op. This ‘feel-good’ experience at the co-op and among its staff is even more impressive given the challenging market the co-op finds themselves in. Walmart commands 83% of the Bismarck grocery market. This is Walmart’s most significant market share of any U.S. city larger than 37k people. In 2019, the co-op also watched as Natural Grocers arrived into town (a Colorado-based national chain of natural food stores).

Honorable Mentions: Coos Head Food Co-op (Coos Bay, OR), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC), SLO Natural Foods Co-op (San Luis Obispo, CA), Swarthmore Co-op (Swarthmore, PA)

WINNER: Isla Vista Food Co-op (Isla Vista, CA)

Criteria: Is an oasis of good food in an area without any or very few options.

About the Winner: Isla Vista, California is an unincorporated community neighboring Santa Barbara. Adjacent to the University of California Santa Barbara, of IV’s population of 23k, 85% of residents are between the ages of 18-24. Of the student population, 48 percent of undergrads are at some level of food insecurity, 6 percent of them are homeless, and 400 of them are undocumented. In all of IV, only one other full-service grocer (a small independent) is within easy walking/cycling distance. Since 1972, Isla Vista Food Co-op has been an oasis of good food supporting predominantly young people with options for healthy, responsibly produced food.

Honorable Mentions: 3 Rivers Natural Grocery (Fort Wayne, IN), Abundance Food Co-op (Rochester, NY), Bexley Natural Market (Bexley, OH), Bluff Country Co-op (Winona, MN), Chatham Marketplace (Pittsboro, NC), Chatham Real Food Market Co-op (Chatham, NY), City Center Market (Cambridge, MN), Coos Head Food Co-op (Coos Bay, OR), Fare Share Food Co-op (Norway, ME), Friendly City Food Co-op (Harrisonburg, VA), Harmony Co-op (Bemidji, MN), Harvest Moon Food Co-op (Long Lake, MN), MANNA Food Co-op (Detroit Lakes, MN), Monashee Community Co-op (Lumby, BC), Moonflower Community Co-op (Moab, UT), North Country Food Co-op (Plattsburgh, NY), Placerville Food Co-op (Placerville, CA), Purple Porch Co-op (South Bend, IN), Quabbin Harvest Food Co-op (Orange, MA), Syracuse Cooperative Market (Syracuse, NY), Tidal Creek Co-op (Wilmington, NC), Whole Foods Co-op (Erie, PA)

WINNERS: One Big Table (Kelowna, BC), Oryana Community Co-op (Traverse City, MI), Muskoka North Good Food Co-op (Huntsville, ON), Whole Foods Co-op (Erie, PA)

Criteria: A memorable made-to-order meal. Food quality. Selection. Innovation. FLAVOR!!!

About the Winners: One Big Table was a truly artisanal gourmet lunch experience with a strong commitment to food quality and ingredient sourcing (sadly, the co-op closed its doors on Jan. 2, 2020). The flavors of my lunch at Oryana Community Co-op were the most memorable of any. The selection and diversity on the menu at Muskoka North Good Food Co-op were as extensive as some of the largest co-ops on the continent - despite it being one of the smallest food co-ops on the continent (maybe THE smallest) . The complete experience of menu selection, innovative recipes and flavor came together in a truly impressive way at Whole Foods Co-op (PA).

Honorable Mentions: BriarPatch Food Co-op (Grass Valley, CA), Kootenay Co-op (Nelson, BC)