The National Co+op Grocers Association (NCG) is growing again. New grocery store members include the Purple Porch Food Co-op in South Bend, Indiana which is few miles south of Notre Dame University. Good Tern Co-op located in Rockland, Maine as also joined the NCG. Good Tern has been in business for 40 years and operates a bagel shop and retail store. The Detroit People’s Food Co-op has been fundraising since 2010 and plans to open their first store in February. NCG CEO C.E. Pugh remarked, “from an established co-op serving its community for generations, to a newer co-op located near an iconic location and to a start-up co-op preparing to open its store front, we are excited to support these co-ops as they seek to grow their impacts”.
An example is Suncoast Market Co-op which has been working for the past seven years to get their dream project up and running but they are still looking for additional funding to get the project finished. The store is slated to be built in Imperial Beach and would be one of the few alternatives to the conventional grocery stores and fast-food options within the area. So far, the co-op has raised 1.8 million of the 3.4 million required to complete the project and is openly searching for funding for the last 1.6 million. Residents are very excited for an additional grocery store option within the community and especially a healthy option. Project organizers are projecting a summer 2024 open date and speculate that the co-op could add 6.5 million to the local economy. Founded in 1999, NCG membership includes 160 co-ops nationwide with 230 store fronts and sales north of $2.4 billion.