With the turning of the calendar pages to 2023, the Bethlehem Food Co-Op will see its vision of opening a community-owned, ‘everyone welcome’ grocery store at 250 E. Broad St. come to fruition.

The full-service market, which is expected to open during the third quarter of this year, will lease the ground floor of a four-story, mixed-use building currently under construction by Peron Development and Boyle Construction.

The new store will provide customers the opportunity to shop for fresh, locally-produced food, and provide good-paying jobs and a year-round sales outlet for local growers and producers.

With a community meeting space and both indoor and outdoor eating areas on the list of features, the co-op is expected to be a hub in the community. It will include typical grocery store departments like produce, meat, dairy, grab and go, bakery, deli/prepared foods, and health and household items.

Membership in the co-op – in which households and organizations purchase a one-time equity share – has now reached 1,250 members, who will be honored as “Founding Members” and have their name displayed on a special wall in the new store. Additional members are always welcome to join, even after the store opens.

In addition to the revenue generated by members’ one-time investments, the co-op works to secure grants, including a number of funding opportunities through the City of Bethlehem. In July 2021, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild announced a $2.9 million grant to the city on behalf of the co-op’s construction and start-up costs.

Other costs – such as supporting the co-op’s “Membership for All” scholarship program for new members, educational programs and the initial purchase of the store inventory – will be covered by the group’s Community Investment Fund initiative to raise dollars for the co-op.

The co-op recently announced that the Community Investment Fund has successfully raised $280,000 of its $300,000 goal.

In addition to grants from State Senator Lisa Boscola and the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, the CIF funds came from donations, as well as the purchase of “Naming Opportunities” within the store itself. This allows the purchaser’s name (or business or family name) to be displayed on part of the physical store, such as the produce department, kitchen space or a bulk bin.

To move forward toward the opening of the store, the co-op board has hired a number of professionals, including a project manager, store designer, interior decor team, and prepared foods consultant; work is also in progress to hire a general contractor, and the store’s general manager.

Three new board members were elected at the co-op’s annual meeting in October; incumbents Kathy Fox and Heather Terrible were re-elected and candidate Justin Beaver was elected to a three-year term. Carol Ritter has been re-elected as chair, Heather Terrible as co-chair, and Domenic Breininger as treasurer. Debra Fritz was elected secretary; other board members are Cindy Glick, Tony Marinho and Todd Mertz.

“Our food co-op is really by the community, for our community – we can’t wait to get our doors open and shop alongside our neighbors for fresh, healthy, reasonably-priced locally-produced food,” Ritter noted.

Contributed article