And why make one for Nashville?  A cooperative, or a co-op for short, is a for-profit, member-owned, and controlled company. Profits are usually re-invested in the organization, or distributed as dividends back to members. Right now, the Nashville Food Co-op has a volunteer board and committees focused on ways to bring value to current members. Co-ops Are the Democracy of Food Why a co-op?! Besides what I said back in post #1–namely, that it reflects and enhances our unique sense of place as Nashvillians–Nashville is the sister city to none other than Athens, Greece – where westerners lov ..read more

Today I want to shout out the commitment of the Tennessee Food Farming Alliance. They have been doing incredible work to help update some of our food vendor regulations; that’s going to mean way less waste and hopefully more profit for small businesses.  I went down the rabbit hole of their Instagram when they posted a photo of a bonfire lit amongst a peach orchard during the last freezing nights in March. It struck me in a visceral way; it stuck with me for days—a rarity in the age of the scroll-and-forget, no-attention-span era.  I kept going back to stare at it with thoughts like ..read more

Let’s talk cynicism. The land where ideals and dreams go to die. In Cynicism, why bother? Why bother with anything? Why bother trying? Because nothing will change anyway, so why spend the energy torturing yourself, burning yourself out for nothing?  Photo by Michaela Kirvan, Hella, Iceland When it comes to the Everest of climate change, it is not hard for the devil on my shoulder to convince me that I am better off in the land of Cynicism. My integrity demands more of me these days, however. I’m here because I believe the only way we are going to actually DO anything about climate change ..read more

Why is it important to consider organic? Co-Owner Lauren Palmer has a short and simple answer about her own farm: “the food was going right there” — directly to her neighbors, friends, and family. When it comes to offering food to those she cares about, growing organic is a must. Lauren is the Owner of Bloomsbury Farm, an organic vegetable, fruit, and herb farm located just outside of Nashville in Smyrna, TN. Learn more about Bloomsbury at bloomsburyfarms.com & find out how you can support Lauren’s local farm! Transparent labeling is important, and we’re excited to make it easier for Nashv ..read more

Food is at the heart of all our lives, and re-connecting to the power of cooking & preparing our own fresh food is a core value of Co-Owner Jilah Kalil and her local business Cooking Up. Preparing our own fresh food daily, rather if it’s for one or a family of five, is better for our minds, bodies AND our wallets. Cooking Up is a non-profit that offers hands-on classes to simplify home cooking. Learn more about Jilah and her work to make cooking more accessible & bring us more connected to what we eat in our latest Co-Owner Conversation. We love the ways that Jilah is working to connec ..read more

Queridos Hermanos Hispánicos, Somos muy afortunados que Nashville va a tener, finalmente y luego de una larga espera, su propia cooperativa. Los invito a que participen activamente y ayuden a desarrollarla, no solo comprando productos sino también, de ser posible, siendo miembro de la cooperativa. Todos nosotros podemos participar en las decisiones que van a dictar su futuro. Nuestra presencia e inserción en la economía local a través de la cooperativa es muy importante para acercarnos al resto de la comunidad. También tengan en cuenta que, tanto nuestra cooperativa como las otras 29.000 que h ..read more

How can we help each other? In the collision of crises that our communities are experiencing, there is so much need right now. One really powerful way that these needs are being met is by mutual aid projects. You may have heard the term mutual aid, but maybe you haven’t! So we’ll start there — what is mutual aid? And what does it have to do with food co-ops? Mutual aid principles Different than philanthropic charity, mutual aid projects are typically: Self-organized Egalitarian Direct action Desiring social transformation Rather than being a structure of haves giving to the have-nots, mutua ..read more

Any other non-fiction reading, systems-thinkers out there? My moon in Virgo is a NERD for thinking about the way things work, how groups of people operate, what makes individuals tick, etc.  Book Club Let’s compare/trade reading lists, shall we? Fun!  Ariana’s Book Recommendations Here’s my shortlist of books I’ve read that have been formative: Doughnut Economics—Kate Rawirth Reinventing Organizations—Frederic Laloux Utopia For Realists—Rutger Bregman Decolonizing Wealth—Edgar Villanueva Check out these books at Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore in Nashville. Let me know your ..read more

An appeal for a food co-op in our city A new friend of mine, like more and more of us every day, is a new transplant to Nashville. One day not too long after she’d moved here and had started to get herself out and about, she remarked, “I can’t think of another city where people talk THIS much about their city.” And she’d lived in DC and NYC, so, you know, not exactly slouchy cities in the resident-pride department. But it’s true! We Nashvillians LOVE to talk about Nashville. Those of us who have been here for more than even a few years feel entitled to comment on how much it’s changed even sin ..read more

Everyone — from founders organizing a co-op from the ground up to community members that invest in membership — should be aware of the seven cooperative principles. Co-ops (like any other ethical business should be) are based on values that support individuality, democracy, equality, honesty, and social responsibility. The seven principles of food cooperatives 1. Open  & voluntary membership Ownership is open to everyone who wants to join, without discrimination.  2. Democratic member control Those who buy in as Co-Owners control the business. Co-Owners will have a voic ..read more