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about usOur History |
Our Co-op RootsIn 1844, the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers organized the first consumer cooperative when they opened a cooperative store on Toad Lane in Rochdale, England. Toad Lane was the humble birthplace of a worldwide cooperative movement because the principles and practices of the Pioneers assured the success of the cooperative business model. The Rochdale Cooperative Principles have been adopted by thousands of cooperatives, including the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (SNFC). SNFC's HistoryOur co-op began as a food buying club in 1972 and opened a storefront of primarily bulk foods at 16th and P Streets in downtown Sacramento. In 1973, this buying club was incorporated as the Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative, a Board of Directors was elected and the first paid employee was hired. With continued growth, the Co-op needed a larger space and in 1974 the store was moved to 2996 Freeport Boulevard, where it stayed for the next 15 years. In 1989, the Co-op moved to 1900 Alhambra Boulevard at the corner of S Street in midtown Sacramento. In making this move, the Co-op doubled its physical size and its employee count. The Co-op also added a fish and poultry counter and wine and beer to its offerings. In recent years we have enhanced our gourmet food selection, including an excellent selection of specialty, artisan cheese and wine. Our Produce Department now sells organically grown fruits and vegetables exclusively. We have also added organic red meat to our product offerings. In 2001, the Co-op's Board of Directors adopted a new 2001 also marked the year that we first opened the doors to our Co-op Community Learning Center, adjacent to the Sacramento store and home to cooking classes, health seminars and a variety of owner meetings and special events. We are committed to serving our Co-op owners and supporting our community through consumer education, owner meetings and events, outreach activities and charitable programs and projects. Our Elk Grove store opened as of June 15, 2005, after cost overruns and unexpected construction delays. Sadly, due to lower-than-expected sales and our organization's financial hardship, we closed the doors to our Elk Grove store on Jan. 21, 2007. We are saddened by this most unfortunate turn of events and appreciate all those who shopped at and supported the Elk Grove store. Today, the Co-op is over 30 years old with annual sales of over 22 million dollars, a community of owners that exceeds 9000 and our Sacramento store that continues to thrive. We've come a long way from our buying club days, but we stay true to our cooperative roots with the multitude of discussions on product selection, owner services, retail practices and ethical issues that take place every day in our business.
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