By Contributing Member, Dr. Akua Woolbright, Ph.D.
The Detroit People’s Food Co-op (DPFC) is an African American led, member-owned grocery cooperative, which will be located in the historic North End at 8324 Woodward Avenue.
DPFC will be a full-service grocery store, offering a wide variety of products including locally grown produce, groceries, baked goods, meats, fish, dairy, frozen foods, health and beauty items, beer, and wine. Although the exact product mix is still being refined, it is expected that about 80% of the store products will be natural and organic and 20% will be clean conventional. The store will also offer a deli and prepared foods department.
DPFC will support the health and economic success of our community. We will carry fresh, healthy food and uphold high product standards in line with the desires of our member/owners and to support community health. Educational materials and classes will be offered to help people learn more about nutrition, cooking, healthy living, sustainability, community development, and more. DPFC is not profit-driven. We are looking to contribute to the local economy and promote spending within Detroit.In line with cooperative principles, DPFC will work with other businesses to support their efforts and keep as much money as possible within the city. We will prioritize buying from local growers and producers, service providers and other vendors, whenever possible, to help our community thrive. In addition, the co-op will create close to 50 jobs for residents. These activities are guided by our mission and purpose which includes:
- Improving community access to fresh and healthy food
- Educating the community about nutrition and sustainability
- Benefiting the community by supporting local businesses
- Assuring Member access to the goods, services, and facilities of the co-op.
You can be a part of this movement. Detroit residents aged 21 years and older can purchase a lifetime membership for a 1-time fee of just $200, which can be paid in 10 monthly installments. Each person who joins will own 1 share of the co-op and be eligible for periodic store discounts and profit-sharing down the line when the store becomes profitable. The co-op is democratically controlled by its member/owners who have 1 vote and elect six of the nine members of the co-op’s board of directors, the governing body of the co-op. The other three board members are appointed by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), the non-profit organization leading the formation of the co-op. That nine-person board sets policy and receives regular input from member/owners through our monthly board, committee and membership meetings. Member/owners can also run, or nominate others, for the board of directors.
Think about that. You can own a share in a grocery store, and your vote and participation will allow you to decide who sits on the board and influence the direction of this project. You will have more control over your food supply and a say in what’s happening in our city. We can’t help but notice the change that is happening within Detroit. There is an increasing number of new sports and entertainment centers, expensive stores, gourmet restaurants, and high rises going up, it seems like every day, and this “development” is no longer contained to downtown. It is creeping up Woodward Avenue. We have what is now called Midtown and New Center, and it is extending to the North End, Highland Park, and neighborhoods across the city. These activities lie in the hands of a few and are typically led by people who do not look like the majority residents or have our best interests in mind. Many of us are concerned about these changes but feel powerless to stop it. DPFC gives us something positive we can get behind and put our passion and energy into. You can be part of this historic effort to return some control to the people – to give us more control of our food and economic resources. Within the cooperative structure each member/owner has a vote for the board of directors and can participate in decision-making and planning. Cooperatives also return control to black people and other historically disenfranchised groups. While anyone is welcomed and encouraged to join us in this effort, it is important to know that DPFC is a black-led organization. This is a stark difference to what we’re seeing in the corporate structures inundating this city. You can be a part of that change. You can have a say.
We need you. Not just what your one-time $200 membership fee can do to help us reach our financial goals. We need the power of your presence and participation. Cooperatives are businesses run by the people, for the people. A co-op can’t be given to a community. Members of the community must want the co-op and be willing to work together to bring it into being. Prior to opening, DPFC member/owners are expected to move the work of the co-op forward by participating in one of our three working committees: Membership and Outreach – working to recruit 2,000 members before the store opens; Operations – hiring the general manager and determining store policies, product line and staffing needs; and Finance – developing budgets, policies and procedures.
We currently have 1,230 member/owners, surpassing our initial membership goal of 1,000 member/owners prior to opening day, and have now increased our goal to 2,000. You can help us get there by joining today.
For more information about the co-op or to join, visit our website: detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com. You can also reach us via email or phone at either info@detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com or (833) DPFC313 (833) 373-2313.
