CHICAGO — A new coop grocery store filled with locally grown produce is in the works for the Chicago area. Plans are to open the store next year. 

The store is the dream of people like Grant Kessler who is on the store’s board of directors and Dan Arnett who is the store’s general manager. “We knew that the local food supply chain wasn’t as robust as we’d need it to be. So, we’ve known all along that we were building a grocery store and a connected community – we’d also be building a local food supply chain to meet our needs and at the same time to be supporting our regions growers,” Kessler said.

Arnett’s vision for the grocery coop came about through a circuitous route.  “I am a businessperson by accident,” he said. “I was on a science scholarship, and I did a food study and thought it would be fun to get a job at a food coop.” Soon, Arnett found himself in an unwanted management position that he admits offered, “A commitment to human health and dignity”.

Today, Arnett is managing the Chicago Market Cooperative, is the Chairman of Fairtrade America, and does business consulting. 

The market will rely on many farmers, such as Marty Travis. 

Travis is part of Down at the Farms, a farmer-to-farmer marketing and delivery service based outside of Fairbury, Ill. The coop represents over 60 farms in Central Illinois for chefs, grocers, individuals, and institutions.  Kessler said, “Marty’s level of organization, commitment, and supply solutions paired with Dan’s operational commitment to our vision, will mean our store opens with a very strong local food supply chain in place.”

Through his efforts he said today young farmers are producing food for some of the best restaurants in Chicago.

Travis, his wife Kris, and son Will first created their organic farm at Spence Farms where they produce heirloom and native crops, have heritage animals, and offer a huge diversity of agricultural opportunities. People come from all over the world to learn about small scale family farming in the Midwest. 

Arnett and Traves are working with local farmers looking for the perfect crops for the store. They recently toured three farms in Illinois including Drake Parker’s Middlefork Farm in Danvers, Ill.   

Middlefork Farm is a small herb, flower, and greens farm, that Parker said was established in 1915.  In the past it was a traditional corn and soybeans farm. While some of the acres are still in conventional tillage, Parker has created an area with a greenhouse and fields.

The store will be located at the CTA station near Wrigley Field, which is currently the location of the group’s Uptown Farmer’s Market. 

For more information visit www.chicagomarket.coop