A Portland food cooperative that started seven years ago as a buying club to pre-order produce from local farms and processors announced plans Monday for a storefront near the city’s India Street neighborhood.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the Portland Food Co-op plans to open its storefront location with 3,000 square feet of retail space at 290 Congress St. in September 2014. Co-op President Daniel Ungier said Monday that the store will employ around 20 workers and a general manager.
Last year, the 616-member co-op had more than $200,000 in sales. To make the storefront possible, the group is recruiting 1,000 members willing to pay $100 per person.
Ungier said that the store expects its prices will be competitive with prices at larger grocery stores as the co-op plans to work with some of the same distributors.
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