Our Story

Our Mission:
In order for a company to make a difference, it needs to be different. Here at Downtown Coop, we want our members, our beliefs, and our choices to reflect a respect for the earth, the creatures on it, our bodies, and our minds.

Who We Are:
We are a Jersey City family that saw a lack of healthful choices in our neighborhood and community. Jersey City is a diverse, complex city and the average grocery store does not capture the depth of the complexity nor the need for consistent access to organic, sustainable foods. The amazing people of Jersey City will decide how and where to spend their money. We want to offer a local store with great foods, so you will have a place to shop, experience, contribute, and learn. We hope to grow our membership, so this story changes from a we to an our!

Keeping Jersey City Local and Healthy:
By working with farmers, trusted distributors of organics, and through membership participation the Downtown Coop will be something different, something new, and something exciting.

Downtown Coop will offer a variety of foods, that reflect the needs and interests of its members and our neighborhoods. We will specialize in local (when possible), natural, fair-trade, and organic foods with a wide selection of organic produce.

Membership:
Downtown Coop will not require members to work at the store. Downtown Coop has decided to take into account the current social and economic needs of Jersey City families and the community at large. Families and individuals in Jersey City are stretched for time, this should not exclude them from the ability to shop for high quality foods at reasonable prices. A mandate for working as a requirement for membership would lower the costs of goods, however, we believe members are willing to pay a little more for organic, local, conventionally grown, pasture-raised and grass-fed products. It is a compromise- access to accessible, high quality foods at reasonable prices for the cost of membership and participation. Would the products be less if the membership was required to work? Possibly. However, this work requirement does not reflect the complex, busy lives of the people who most demand and desire organic and sustainable foods.

The membership programs offered will allow members to decide what sacrifice they can make, be it financial or time.

We are not trying to copy a specific model or organization. Rather, we are trying to listen to the needs of our neighbors. Members will have a powerful say in how the Downtown Coop is managed and what products are purchased. Additionally, members will have the right, privilege, and power to create change.