The Four Big Goals of the Co-op

We’ve all come to enjoy shopping at the Fredericksburg Food Co-op. Each of us has our favorite products. And we enjoy the cool Co-op events – the music nights, the cooking classes, the gardening tips. We like getting the reusable bags made by Co-op volunteers from donated t-shirts. We love the Co-op coupons. We value the friendly and helpful Co-op employees. And we appreciate the nice prices on great Co+op Deals!

But beyond all of that, what is the underlying WHY of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op? For large chain stores the WHY may be easy to discern – to maximize profit. That is not the motivation of this community-owned grocery.

WHY did the Co-op’s founders spend so much time (more than five years) and so many thousands of volunteer hours to get the Fredericksburg Food Co-op grocery store open?

Let’s take a look at the Fredericksburg Food Co-op’s ENDS statement. These ENDS are the WHY of the Co-op. This ENDS statement was formally adopted by the Co-op’s board in August 2020 to articulate the aspirational goals that are at the heart of the Co-op and to provide direction to Co-op employees.

The Co-op’s ENDS are goals that will not be achieved overnight. Some would say that the ENDS goals are ideals we are always reaching for but may never quite achieve. Their value is that they point the Co-op in a direction and toward goals that are worth striving for. Our Co-op is committed to these ENDS.

Please take a moment to read our Co-op’s ENDS goals and send us your thoughts at fxbgfoodcoop@gmail.com.

Published June 10, 2022