We are a community group who believe in healthy, affordable groceries, and who support local and regional food production. We operate a Buying Club, and will soon open our first cooperative store. For more information, please select one of the following topics:

A statement of our mission and goals.

The mission of the New Orleans Food Cooperative is to provide healthy, affordable groceries while supporting local and regional food production. The New Orleans Food Cooperative will open at least one cooperative grocery store in New Orleans, Louisiana, owned by and serving the local community.

We have set these goals:

• To make healthy eating affordable.
• To create an affordable place for organic food distribution.
• To implement our belief that healthy eating need not be prohibitively expensive.
• To create a network for local food production and distribution and to actively support Louisiana food producers.
• To create a store that fosters a sense of community.
• Because health extends beyond the individual, we will seek to minimize our impact on the environment by focusing on bulk goods and low-packaging.

One of the personal stories behind our beginnings

It was the summer of 2002. Until that time I had always lived a fairly insular life, never really taking an active part in the community at large. All that changed one day as I was riding my bike through Jackson Square. The benches were gone! I knew then and there that I was going to stage a protest in Jackson Square. Well, as it turned out, there was already a group formed called BBB (Bring Back the Benches). I went to one of their meetings and suggested we stage a protest.

Three weeks later there were two hundred people in Jackson Square. It was September 8 and I was riding a big wave of community spirit. That afternoon I bumped into my friend Dave Jeffries, and I said, “Hey Dave, do you still want to start a food co-op?”

Well, we met for coffee a few days later and started talking about food co-ops. We got a few other friends involved, and we quickly recognized we needed to involve the community at large.

We held our first general meeting on November 11. There were 22 inspired people there that evening who all, for many reasons, truly wanted to see a food co-op happen in New Orleans.
Before that first general meeting I was a bit uncertain as to whether a food co-op could really work in New Orleans. After that meeting I felt confident that one day there would be a cooperative grocery in New Orleans. On November 11 the food coop was no longer just a good idea shared by a couple of friends, but a true community effort.

-John Calhoun

Grow your Co-op!

• How you can become a member of the NOFC.
• How you can volunteer your time to support an NOFC project.
• How you can support the NOFC through a donation of cash or equipment.

There is also a technical information about this website. Thank you for your interest in the New Orleans Food Cooperative.