This is going on right now...Too bad the Coop folks didn't post about it on here. I would have been there. Oh well.

May 19 -Public Steering Committee Meeting for the JC Food Coop Initiative: 7:00 at the OLC Church Hall. All are welcome. (map)

I have been participating with Purple Dragon for the past month or so and am looking for someone to take my place. The food has been great thus far but I am finding that because I am away from home a lot, we don't have a chance to cook everything before it goes bad.

Pick up is every other Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 in downtown JC. $49 per pickup.

Please PM me if you are seriously interested.

Thanks!

From the JC Iindependent -- "The Jersey City Food Co-op Initiative is holding an informal meeting Saturday, March 20, at 2 pm, to talk about the idea behind and the vision for starting a food co-op ... at Our Lady of Sorrows Church (91 Clerk St.) ========================= This is great - I just worry that holding the meeting in Bergen Lafayette / and not near a subway stop -- might really hurt turn out. Journal Square or Downtown might be the better choices -- also it is too bad that the city doesn't rent out that old fire house on Central Ave in the Heights to make a JC Food Co-op. This might be something that could do real well in a small space in one of those buildings around Moishe's Storage.
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with the ellipses the link doesn't work. try just going to

http://www.jcfoodcoop.com/main.html




hth!

Check us out at www.jcfoodcoop.com...

The Jersey City Food Coop Initiative is an effort to establish a place where high quality, local and organic food can be acquired at a reasonable price.
Please join us for start up discussions:
Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 2pm
Our Lady of Sorrows Church
91 Clerk Street
Jersey City, NJ 07305
Light refreshments will be served.
Parking avail in lot opposite Church entrance at 73 Claremont Ave.
Contact us: 646-388-1825 or gillian@jcfoodcoop.com

For the facebook leery:

JC Food Coop Start Up Discussions
March 20, 2010 @ 2pm
Our Lady of Sorrow RC Church
91 Clerk Street
Jersey City, NJ 07305
Refreshments will be served.

Please join us if you can...

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+1
Yes, please post the schedule and any additional meeting info on jclist.
Thanks

JCFoodCoop, would you please post the meeting schedule here as well, for the Facebook leery?

Thanks

Would be very interested in a local coop and just joined the JC FB page, mentioned here.

We spend many weekends in Vermont and are members of the Rutland CoOp...and find it bizarre that we cart veggies BACK to the *Garden State* each Sunday night.

Farmer's market in downtown JC are good in the summer months, though we've encouraged the farmer's to venture out of the pedestrian offerings and plant varieties of arugula, kale, broccoli raab, etc.

Not interested in working there but would be willing to pay a higher fee to offset this.

The decision to research the viability of a food coop in Jersey City was made after a few neighborhood meetings - primarily in the Ward F community. While our group of <20 persons is committed to seeing this idea through to completion, we thought it would be great to reach out to all Jersey City residents, check for interest and hopefully increase member numbers -- for there is much work to do.... We have spoken with successful food coops in the area (Park Slope & George Street) and they are very willing to assist us.... As referenced by "itgirl" earlier, the Food Coop 500 is committed to increasing the number of food coops in the US from approx 350 to 500 by 2015. They too are willing to help provide guidance to our group and when avail, seed money for the project. We have a lot of information to share with those who are truly interested in working to see this through?But ultimately it will require a serious commitment and LOTS of patience. It takes approx 2 years to complete all the work necessary to finally open the doors of the coop. We believe that if we put our heads together and combine our talents the Jersey City Food Coop will become a reality. If interested or intrigued at all, please visit our FACEBOOK group page ?Jersey City Food Coop Initiative - for info on meeting schedule. Just to prepare you ? our FB page leaves a lot to be desired?so we?re accepting all suggestions that will better communicate our idea. And we definitely welcome members with strong technical skills!

The decision to research the viability of a food coop in Jersey City was made after a few neighborhood meetings - primarily in the Ward F community. While our group of <20 persons are committed to seeing this idea through to completion, we thought it would be great to reach out to all Jersey City residents, check for interest and hopefully increase member numbers -- for there is much work to do.... We have spoken with successful food coops in the area (Park Slope & George Street) and they are very willing to assist us.... As referenced by "itgirl" earlier, the Food Coop 500 is committed to increasing the number of food coops in the US from approx 350 to 500 by 2015. They too are willing to help provide guidance to our group and when avail, seed money for the project. We have a lot of information to share with those who are truly interested in working to see this through?But ultimately it will require a serious commitment and LOTS of patience. It takes approx 2 years to complete all the work necessary to finally open the doors of the coop. We believe that if we put our heads together and combine our talents the Jersey City Food Coop will be come a reality. If interested or intrigued at all, please visit our FACEBOOK group page ?Jersey City Food Coop Initiative - for info on meeting schedule. Just to prepare you ? our FB page leaves a lot to be desired?so we?re accepting all suggestions that will better communicate our idea. And we definitely welcome members with strong technical skills!

I've actually been thinking seriously about one for some months now, as I think a retail co-op would be good for the city, and for my neighborhood especially. I have recently joined the E.4th Street Food Co-op to get some practical experience in working a retail co-op. I think Purple Dragon is a great idea but appeals to the usual demographic--those who are already minded to actively seek such a place. A retail presence, I think, will have broader appeal. Also, I may be mistaken in how Purple Dragon works, but I think you have limited control over what you receive and when. A retail outlet is, of course, more convenient. I'm sure other shares/coops have great offerings, but a retail co-op can provide more than fresh produce/groceries. It can also be a source for nutritional supplements and information, organic health and beauty aids, education, community events, etc.

The Farmers markets are great and should be supported, but they are not available every day or throughout the year (again, convenience), and only offer discounts to those who are on assistance. A coop can work year round with a greater variety of local farmers.

I'd be interested in joining a local meetup to discuss startup plans. The Food Co-op 500 site is also a great resource for planning a retail co-op and can help with seed money, etc. if we have practical plans in place.

http://www.foodcoop500.coop/

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Fresh Direct delivers in some parts of Jersey City but not others. They are definitely downtown - not sure where else. (We moved from 6th & Coles to 1st & Brunswick and FD is available in both places. And I know our friends on Mercer Street also get it.)

You can check your specific address here:
http://www.freshdirect.com/about/inde ... us&successPage=/index.jsp

Does Fresh Direct deliver to Jersey City now? I know they deliver to Hoboken and a year or so ago they were handing out fliers at the JSQ Path saying they were delivering - but it was just to get people to sign up, and not enough people did...

I would join a coop and buy almost all my food from there rather than Fresh Direct

Quote:

Probably because there was "adequate" shopping available for the small number of "progressive" eaters, unlike what it likely was in Park Slope in the 80's, and we have always had a higher percentage of car ownership.

It's unclear to the readers of this thread, are you actually a group testing the waters, are are you one person looking for collaborators?

Either way, I suggest you contact the citizen groups that are your natural allies and members in my opinion, like JC Families Initiative, La Leche and some of the more progressive preschools. This is where you'll find stay at home moms with interest in a coop, and often both pent up energy and business experience.

would be 100% down for something like this. tired of moderate quality at the fruit/veg spots, no interest supermarkets and i do not feel the farmers markets offer more than a small percentage of worthwhile goods at a "reasonable" rate.

Hey Tanze,

I'm interested in finding out about Purple Dragon. I sent you a pm.

I'm definitely interested.

The Purple Dragon coops are not seasonal. Produce is available throughout the year. Additionally, other food items are available outside of vegetables and fruits including meat, eggs, honey, etc. Each pod has limited membership but two have sprouted up since the first one, I believe, due to demand.

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I would definitely be interested. Let's get it started.

What exactly are you doing to get this concept off the ground? I'd love a co-op in Jersey City, but you can't just post to a message board and expect things to take off. As far as I can tell, this initiative amounts to two posts on a message board. No website? Have you done research, contacted vendors, secured funding, recruited members, etc, etc, etc?

Jersey City currently has many successful farmers markets, but pricing can be on the high side...There are also successful food coops (or shares) functioning in our fine city...Please correct me if not accurate, but these coops are seasonal and can have a limited membership...The JC Food Coop Initiative endeavors to create a retail location that functions year round - To complement those good food efforts doing well...not replace... This need seems to have been identified some time ago...Can someone shed some light on why it never got off the ground?

If you're actually serious about this, you need to make your plan known, as in put up a website and create a mailing list. There's tremendous pent up demand for this, particularly in Downtown & Hoboken. If you offer reasonable prices and make it a convenient location with at least some parking, it will be a success. But locate it far from from the waterfront, with no parking and have high prices like the farmers markets: most people will continue to travel to TJ's & Whole Foods.

Have you spoken to a commercial RE broker about what locations might be in the budget you anticipate?

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Park Slope Food Coop is a great thing!

http://www.foodcoop.com/

Food co-op? Yes, please!

Purple Dragon is already here in Jersey City. I'm a member of the first pod. Granted, this is not a retail store but we are provided a glorious amount of local and organic produce every two weeks at a reasonable cost. No work by members required other than pick-up.

The Jersey City Food Coop Initiative is an effort to create a retail grocery store that offers organic and locally grown foods at low costs to its members. Following the model of the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, NY, our plan is work cooperatively as member owners and operators to accomplish our primary goal -- PROVIDE NATURAL AND ORGANIC FOODS AT LOW PRICES FOR ALL WORKING MEMBERS! We believe that a food coop in Jersey City would meet the needs of many families who are concerned with the quality of the foods they consume.
Again, is Jersey City ready for its own food coop? Let's talk about it....