More than a decade in the making, the dream of the Bethlehem Food Co-op has finally come to pass with the May 5 groundbreaking of its future grocery store. Set to open a year from now with major fundraising, grants and the support of 1,115 members, 250 E. Broad St. will be the first Westside grocery, providing an oasis in the longstanding food desert.

The Co-op, organized by local residents, emphasizes local, sustainable and humane food systems to encourage physical and social health. Stemming from its founder’s long search for a red pepper in 2011, the Co-op’s been intent on securing a local grocery.

Co-op Chair Carol Ritter, who shed tears while thanking Rep. Susan Wild for years of help culminating in a $2.9 million grant, said the Co-op is a leader in the field and a finalist for the national co-op Innovator Award later this month.

The final product will be a four-story mixed-use building that will house the Co-op’s 6,300-square-foot grocery on the ground floor with 41 residential apartments upstairs; 25 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom units.

“We are also in the process of rebranding because we’re not going to be a grassroots organization any more,” said Ritter. “It takes a village, and that village is here with us today.”

Peron Development Director John Callahan said the overall project still lacks a proper name, but he congratulated everyone involved with the first successful co-op in the nation to open a store debt-free.

For information, visit bethlehemfood.coop.