DuPage County’s first food co-op has now opened.
The founders of Prairie Food Co-Op in Lombard cut the ribbon in front of a crowd of shareholders, community officials, and supporters on Wednesday.
Under the co-op model, customers can buy in and become owners for a one-time fee, which grants them certain benefits such as discounts.
“A food co-op is basically a community-owned grocery store,” explains co-founder Jerry Nash. “So they can access products that maybe a lot of conventional grocery stores do not have.”
Nash and his wife established Prairie Food Co-Op thirteen years ago after noticing a scarcity of community-owned stores in DuPage County.
“We complained about it for a few years, but then looked into what it takes to organize a food co-op, and started organizing.”
PFC now has over 2,500 owners.
Nash adds that, while owners receive benefits, anyone can shop at PFC.
“We want the entire community to support this initiative because it strengthens the community. It benefits the entire community rather than just one individual or group.
