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ABOUT US
In 1844 the Rochdale Society, possibly
the first ever successful Cooperative venture, was founded
to provide affordable food to local craftspeople in
Rochdale, England. One hundred and twenty-six years later,
at a small meeting convened by a CMU student, that
revolutionary idea led to the formation of a buying club. At first the only items ordered were vegetables, purchased
in bulk from the Grand Rapids Farmer's Market. After an
exciting mishap involving late night partying and a
misplaced coat, the group decided they needed to make
things more official and the Mt. Pleasant Food Co-op was
formed.
Later a small distribution space was found on Adams St and
bulk items became available. The space wasn't suitable in
the long run though, mainly because it lacked heat. The
Co-op then experimented with neighborhood based
distribution, and a student organized concert was held to
benefit the Co-op. It not only generated some much needed
capital, but led to the formation of the Wheatland Music
Organization! It wasn’t until 1977 that we, then the Mt. Pleasant Food
Co-op, moved into our current space. (The name was changed
to GreenTree in 1991.) At that time the front half of the
building was an apartment, and the only entrance to the
Co-op was on the right side, where the greenhouse is
today. It would be another 15 years before we expanded to
fill the entire building.
Today, after 40 years of new spaces, name changes, and
reorganization, we’re still going strong. Who knew you
could build a business and a community out of veggies,
granola, and a couple of nuts? The last 10 years have been big ones for GreenTree; a
greenhouse was built, a walk-in refrigerator added, lots
of remodeling was done, we acquired a new freezer and
produce cooler, and lighting for the sign out front. In
2009, for the first time in the Co-op’s history, we had
over $1,000,000 in sales in a single year!
With the advent of 2011, “The Year of the Deli”, it looks
like the next 10 will be just as eventful! |
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