Be A Part Of The Community! Help Us Build Wasatch Co-op Market in Salt Lake City

We are building a community owned, democratically run Food Co-op filled with local, sustainable produce, meat, cheeses, baked goods, and all the other items we share at our tables. Wasatch Cooperative Market will help create a thriving, local food system and be a place to shop that feels like community, where we re-invest in each other, in our children, and in the land.

The store will be in the Liberty Park neighborhood and was originally built as a grocery store in 1929. Redevelopment is transforming the entire block into the “Milk Block” on 900 South—a shout out to the street’s namesake, Harvey Milk. The Milk Block will be a vibrant neighborhood hub for commerce in the heart of Salt Lake City anchored by the Co-op.

The first step is to conduct a market study. This will reveal the potential revenues and, hopefully, give a green light to designing the space. With a design and solid financial information in hand, a lease with contingencies can be signed while also launching a rigorous outreach campaign to build our member-owner base. 

Food cooperatives are grassroots member-owned and member-governed grocery stores that operate for the benefit of their members and community. Cooperative principles, including democratic control and concern for community allow co-ops to employ true triple bottom line policy (i.e., concern for people, the planet, and profit). They typically are the best sources of organic, bulk, locally sourced food while helping to create a resilient local food system, stabilize local economies, educate the public on food issues, and invest in sustainable technologies and practices. Because the seven principles guide cooperatives, the values of the member-owners are reflected in how the business is run and amplify the needs of the community. As cooperatives are responsive to member-owner values, they also amplify community impact, especially regarding sustainability.