By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The rising popularity of local and naturally grown foods has people across the country talking about starting food co-ops to improve access to those foods beyond the height of the growing season.

A two-day conference in Bloomington, Ind., on Feb. 19-20 vows to help turn that talk into action.

“There’s a lot of interest in starting food co-ops right now,” said Debbie Trocha, executive director of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC), which co-hosts the event with Bloomingfoods Market and Deli. “The conference will address some of the issues people may face both in the startup phase and once they’re up and running, and hopefully we’ll be able to provide some tools to help them jump over those hurdles.”

The conference will be at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center on 302 South College Avenue, and starts with registration at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19. After an introductory panel discussion that looks at the process of starting a co-op today, the conference will have two tracks; one for participants who are in the planning stages to start a food co-op and one for those who are already in business.

Trocha said some of the challenges facing co-ops “once the paint dries” are to continue membership growth and ensuring that members actually buy from the co-op. “A lot of time people want to support the co-op and buy a membership, but don’t spend their food dollars there,” she said.

The conference will also address the importance of forming partnerships in the community and making sure the right people are hired in the right positions, in addition to addressing financial issues that have been exacerbated by the economic crisis.
“Credit is very tight right now and if you’re a start-up business, it’s very difficult to get funding. The food co-op sector has been affected like everything else, and it means it may take a little longer to get your doors open,” Trocha said.

Food co-ops are nonprofit organizations owned by their members. Often, a food co-op is started to meet the demand for local and/organic foods, but some also carry a broad range of conventionally grown products.

“This is still a very small part (of the food sector), but we’re getting a lot of calls from people who are interested in starting food co-ops,” Trocha said. “Some are in a small, rural community, just lost their grocery store and want to know how they can bring it back.”
ICDC currently lists approximately a dozen food co-ops in Indiana, most of which are brick-and-mortar stores. Some food co-ops, however, are basically buying clubs that operate without a storefront and some exist online only.

The conference, which is open to participants from Indiana as well as surrounding states, will feature several experts, including three food co-op consultants. Several staff members from Bloomingfoods and the Lost River Market and Deli in Paoli, Ind., will also share their co-op experience and offer their expertise.

The fee to participate is $150 and includes all materials and meals; scholarships are available for participants who are on a co-op steering committee or staff. For more information, contact Debbie Trocha at 317-692-7702 or via e-mail at dtrocha@icdc.coop
To register, go to http://icdc.coop/start-up