City Market Works with Mansfield Cooperative to Save Underhill Country Store
Cooperative Partnership in Underhill
Onion River Co-op works with Mansfield Cooperative to save Underhill Country Store
Burlington, VT – A cooperative partnership was created recently between the Onion River Co-op and the Mansfield Cooperative to transform the Underhill Country Store into a Member-owned food cooperative. The Mansfield Cooperative’s Board and Members met with managers from the Onion River Co-op on Monday, January 18 to share information and answer questions. At the end of the evening, Mansfield Cooperative Members in attendance unanimously supported working with the Onion River Co-op in any number of possible ways, all aimed at the successful transition of the store.
In November, Underhill residents formed the Mansfield Cooperative to investigate purchasing the Underhill Country Store from current owners Peter and Nancy Davis, who are planning to retire. The cooperative model has been a popular one with Underhill’s 3,000 residents and over $50,000 has been pledged by potential Co-op Members between early November and mid-December.
Starting a food co-op from scratch under a tight timeline and raising enough capital to replace aging equipment, pay for insurance and staff, purchase an existing business and lease property is a daunting task. Cooperatives align around seven principles, called the “Cooperative Principles” of which principle 7 speaks to “Cooperation among Cooperatives.” Since Onion River Co-op is one of the largest single store food co-ops in the U.S. in terms of sales and is right in Mansfield Cooperative’s backyard, it certainly makes sense for both Co-ops to join forces to best ensure success. About 200 of Onion River Co-op’s 11,300 Members live in the Underhill area and several attended the Mansfield Cooperatives recent meeting to voice support for the alliance.
As of Monday, January 25 and for about four weeks, several managers from the Onion River Co-op will start learning the day-to-day operations of the Underhill Country Store from current owners Peter and Nancy Davis. During these four weeks, these managers will also be learning from customers what sorts of items and amenities they’d like to see in an Underhill Co-op and learning more about what makes the Underhill Country Store such a vital part of the community. At the same time, the Onion River Co-op team will contract for a market study and review the financials of the Underhill Country Store to better understand the potential for a future Underhill Co-op.
Onion River Co-op’s General Manager, John Tashiro, shares his excitement for the partnership and notes that, “The new partnership between Onion River Co-op and the Mansfield Cooperative is another example of how Co-ops are a very different and beneficial business model. We’d love to see more businesses become community-owned and focused and we look forward to learning how we can best support the success of the Underhill Co-op moving forward. Future support may include serving the Underhill community as part of the Onion River Co-op family, assisting the Mansfield Cooperative with hiring their own General Manager, offering free consulting for different segments of the store, or any number of other possibilities.” Kyle Clark, Board President of the Mansfield Cooperative, shares that, “The Underhill community has united around the idea of operating the Underhill Country Store as a Member-owned food co-op. The Mansfield Cooperative Board has spent countless hours working in the background on all the details required to purchase the business, lease space from the Davises, create incorporation paperwork and by-laws, purchase insurance and look into state licensing. We’re energized to have Onion River Co-op on board as part of this process and feel certain that their assistance will offer the best opportunity for success.”
About the Onion River Co-op: The Onion River Co-op is a consumer cooperative, with over 11,300 Members, selling wholesome food and other products while building a vibrant, empowered community and a healthier world, all in a sustainable manner. Located in downtown Burlington, Vermont, Onion River Co-op provides a large selection of local, organic, and conventional foods and thousands of Vermont-made products. Visit Onion River Co-op online at www.onionriver.coop or call 802-861-9700.
About the Mansfield Cooperative: The Mansfield Cooperative is a start-up Co-op that is working to purchase the Underhill Country Store and operate it as a community-owned business. They have a 6 member Board of Directors who are currently seeking Membership commitments and conducting due diligence on details needed to start this new business venture. For any questions contact Kyle Clark, Board Chair at Mansfield Cooperative at 802-338-1876 or email kybclark@gmail.com. For more information about Mansfield Cooperative Membership online at www.designbook.com/funding/underhillcountrystore.
###