Democracy Talk 

In a rural Minnesota town near the Twin Cities, the country's newest natural food cooperative store sprang from bonds formed after the trauma of 9/11.

As citizens in Northfield, Minnesota held weekly downtown peace vigils, they talked about ways to move from grief and anger to power. They discovered a commonly felt need for local access to natural food. From their talk - and a lot of hard work -- Just Food: Northfield Community Co-op was born in 2004.

This new member-owned coop joins the growing food economy based not on highest return to shareholders but on highest return to the land, its stewards, and those who depend on its harvests. Just Food specializes in whole, organic, and local foods.

As momentum grew, a core volunteer group gathered ideas from the people of Northfield about what they wanted in a community-owned store. That start "responding to the community's needs and focusing on locally produced food -- coop leaders now see as a key to their success.

We opened in 2004 with 750 household members; now we have one thousand. And that's in a town of only twelve thousand people. We specialize in food produced locally. The co-op transformed our town. The state representative, the mayor, everybody is joining, said Phil Stoltfus, professor of religion at Saint Olaf College.

From habanero peppers grown by a 10 year-old boy seven blocks away, to fresh, free-range turkeys raised on a family farm just outside town, Just Food Co-op provides local farmers with an outlet for their products and the community with a source for fresh, local and organic foods. Its educational outreach, local involvement and local purchasing, as well as fair compensation for its employees and vendors, mean the co-op works to stay true to its goal of justly nourishing and strengthening its community.

With the new coop, "We can become active consumers -- consumers who vote by shopping at this co-op and consumers who vote to support a more sustainable future," commented David Hougen-Eitzman, a CSA (community supported agriculture) farmer and a St. Olaf professor of biology and sustainable agriculture.

Nationally, there are roughly five hundred food cooperatives. To find the co-op nearest to you, visit localharvest.org. Find out more about Just Food: Northfield Community Co-op at www.justfood.coop