About the Coop
COMMUNITY MARKET COOPERATIVE (CMC) IS A NICHE GROCERY MARKET located in Carroll, Iowa. CMC will offer customers organic and locally grown produce, chemical- and preservative-free groceries, cruelty-free body care and eco-household products. Most of the products will be healthy alternatives to the products available at conventional grocery chains.
To be located on or near the Hwy 30 Corridor in Carroll, IA, the market will serve a trade area of eight counties, which consist of about 96,000 residents. The trade area is defined as a 30-mile radius around Carroll with Sac City/Lytton to the North, Southwest to Denison, Southeast to Audubon, East to Guthrie Center, Northeast to Jefferon and Northwest back to Lytton.
The creation of the market is in response to the growing demand in the area for better access to local, natural and organic foods. The store will have a small retail sales area and will provide fresh produce, general grocery, frozen and refrigerated foods including meat and dairy, bulk products, and a deli with ready to go food.
CMC will operate with a paid staff and will be open daily. A board of directors, voted in by the members, will oversee the long-range strategy and communicate solely with the General Manager for monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
What is a coop?
Unlike conventional grocery stores, co-ops are democratically run and exist to benefit their owners and the surrounding community. Owners support their co-ops by purchasing Patron Shares and by patronizing the business. Profits are put back into the business or refunded to owners through a Patronage Dividend. Daily operations are run by staff, but a board of directors, voted in by the owners, oversees the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.
As businesses, co-ops rely on capital for buying inventory, acquiring equipment and financing operations. Community Market Cooperative Patron Owners provide capital by purchasing a share of the business. Patron Owners purchase one share for their entire household for $100. There are no annual dues or other fees. However, there may come a time that the owners increase the investment in order to raise more capital for a particular project. At that time, all CMC owners would need to contribute the remaining amount to be in good standing.
As a Patron Owner you are entitled to one vote. You also have the opportunity to guide the direction of the store with your ideas, participation, electing members of the board and even sitting on the board or an advisory committee. You can help with product selection by suggesting new items, providing valuable feedback to our buyers and by providing input on product prohibition policies.
Cooperative Definition
A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
Other organizations helping us
- Food Co-op 500
- FC500 granted us a $9,000 matching Seed Fund grant which enabled us to pay for a market feasibility study and to get incorporated. As a grant recipient we send them monthly reports and we have the opportunity for monthly phone conferences with an advisor. They also offered us (and other coops) free webinars, which have been instrumental in our research and planning. For more information about their program, visit their website www.foodcoop500.coop
- M&M Divide
RC&D
- We cannot say enough thanks to Rick Tafoya and Patty Axman at M&M Divide RC&D. Patty has been assisting us with all our administrative needs including keeping our membership database updated, assisting in mailings, paying our bills and keeping our finances in order. Rick has been a valuable and trusted advisor to the board and has assisted us in writing grants, looking for funding options, suggesting events and activities and attending our board meetings. Visit their website to learn about all the other projects they also work on, www.mmdividercd.org
