About Us
A food co-op is a grocery store owned by your neighbors (and by you, if you choose). Unlike corporate chains, we’re totally independent and owned by the community members who shop here.
Here’s how it works: Everyone is welcome to shop, eat and hang out here. And everyone is welcome to join the co-op by making a one-time investment. In return, you get back financial benefits and a vote to choose the board of directors and impact the direction of the business.
While each food co-op is unique and owned by the community, they’re also part of a network of neighborhood stores across the country that work together toward the day when everyone has the good, local, healthy food they deserve.
Our History
The Merc Co+op began in 1974 by a group of Lawrencians with a shared passion for community access to affordable, local whole foods. In those early days, folks had formed buying clubs to purchase bulk quantities of eggs, milk, fresh produce, grains and more. Each member had access to foods they wanted that weren’t readily available at the time, and they saved money getting them!
After operating out of basements and backrooms, the buying clubs united and formed a democratically-run, cooperative enterprise called The Community Mercantile. The first storefront opened in 1975 in downtown Lawrence with just one employee and a committed group of volunteer member-owners.
Their dedication laid the foundation for the more than 9,600 owners today to participate in a business that puts people before profit and supports a vibrant local food economy.
Over the last 50 years, The Merc Co+op has grown to a staff of 100 employees and operates in two locations — one in Lawrence, and one in Kansas City, Kansas. The vision of increasing access to healthy, local and affordable food across our regional community continues to guide us today.
The Merc Co+op’s Mission
The Merc Co+op provides our community a place to shop, gather, eat and learn by offering real food and sustainable products at reasonable prices through cooperative ownership and responsible commerce.
Ends
Ends articulate the results for which our organization exists, the recipients or beneficiaries of those results and the worth of the results. Our current Ends were authored by the Board of Directors in September of 2015.
Our ends
The Merc Co+op will be a thriving consumer-owned cooperative in our region that is on the forefront of:
Providing access to healthy, local, organic food and products;
Transforming and nourishing the health of our community;
Creating a robust, sustainable local food economy;
Demonstrating hospitality, generosity and care for the environment
Building a community based on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
We Believe Good Food Brings Us Together
Who says healthy, local, organic and delicious has to be exclusive? Not us. We want to welcome everyone to the table where great food is served. We think that all of us are hungry for delicious, healthy, affordable food that nourishes us. Co-ops are on a mission to make sure that everyone in our community can get it!
We’re owned by our community, not some corporate office 1,000 miles away. So, instead of focusing on Wall Street investors, we focus on what our neighbors want — nourishing everyone according to their budget and cooking style. We know how to get the best local food because we know our farmers by name and we shake their hands every time they bring their bounty to our doors. And we’re passionate about giving back to our community because we know that good food is just the beginning of what we can achieve by working together. So, if you want the neighborhood gathering place for fresh, healthy, affordable and delicious food, our doors are wide open — to everyone.
The Seven Cooperative Principles
Co-ops are based on values not unlike those we subscribe to individually, including self-responsibility, democracy, equality, honesty and social responsibility.
In addition to these common values, seven basic international principles serve as guidelines to provide a democratic structure for co-ops around the world. While adoption of these principles is not required, most co-ops choose to adopt them for their business.
1. Voluntary and Open Membership
Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all people able to use its services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
2. Democratic Member Control
Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members—those who buy the goods or use the services of the cooperative—who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.
3. Members' Economic Participation
Members contribute equally to, and democratically control, the capital of the cooperative. This benefits members in proportion to the business they conduct with the cooperative rather than on the capital invested.
4. Autonomy and Independence
Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If the co-op enters into agreements with other organizations or raises capital from external sources, it is done so based on terms that ensure democratic control by the members and maintains the cooperative's autonomy.
5. Education, Training and Information
Cooperatives provide education and training for members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative. Members also inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperatives.
6. Cooperation among Cooperatives
Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
7. Concern for Community
While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members.
National Cooperative Grocers (NCG)
About NCG
National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. They represent 151 food co-ops operating over 200 stores in 38 states with combined annual sales of nearly $2 billion and over 1.3 million consumer-owners. NCG helps unify natural food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere.
www.Grocery.coop
The Co+op website represents NCG food co-ops nationwide and their shared commitment to providing delicious, high quality, healthy food; supporting local, sustainable agriculture; and strengthening local communities. With 143 independent food co-ops and over 190 storefronts in 38 states, NCG brings together a wealth of experience and passion for great food.
