Berkshire Food Co-op

It Takes a Community to Sustain the Berkshire Food Co-op

For 45 years, the Berkshire Food Co-op has been more than a grocery store. Since opening on Rosseter Street in 1981 and later moving to Bridge Street, we have been a community owned, mission driven alternative to corporate chains rooted in Great Barrington and built by the people who shop here.

We were founded on a simple belief: a grocery store can strengthen a community. It can support local farmers, pay fair wages, create a welcoming place to gather, and make healthy, sustainable food accessible.

For decades, you have made that belief real.

Today, we are facing a serious financial challenge. Rising food costs, above market rent, declining sales, and increased competition have significantly strained our cash reserves. Without immediate support, we risk closing our doors.

We share this plainly because you deserve honesty.

This Is a Turning Point

This appeal is not simply about avoiding closure. It is about executing a clear turnaround plan and inviting our community to help bridge us to stability while that work takes hold.

In recent months, we have been working closely with our national co-op partners, National Co+op Grocers and Columinate, organizations that specialize in strengthening community owned grocery stores across the country. Together, we are implementing a focused recovery strategy that includes:

• Pursuing lease improvements to reduce occupancy costs
• Aligning staffing and operating expenses with industry benchmarks
• Strengthening pricing, margins, and purchasing discipline
• Prioritizing primary suppliers, hyper local producers, and cooperative partnerships
• Rebuilding working capital so shelves remain stocked with the products you rely on

These changes are already underway. What we need now is liquidity and time.

Our Goal

We are seeking to raise $150,000 to stabilize operations and rebuild working capital during this transition. Your donation will:

•  Support payroll and essential operating costs
• Restock high performing local and staple inventory
• Rebuild critical cash reserves
• Provide breathing room as lease negotiations and operational improvements take effect

This capital is a bridge that allows disciplined operational changes to succeed.

If the Co-op closes, nearly 60 people lose their livelihoods. Local farmers and makers lose a vital retail partner. Nonprofits lose meeting space. Our town loses a community owned alternative rooted in shared values.

We are not backed by a corporation. We exist because our community chooses us.

If the Co-op has ever mattered to you, if you believe a community owned grocery store belongs in Great Barrington, we are asking you to show up now.

How to Help Immediately

• Make a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, the Cooperative Development Fund of CDS. Tax-deductible donations made through the Fund will support the Co-op's charitable programs in food access, community support, and workforce development. When you support these programs you also strengthen the Co-op, as funding our charitable work frees operating resources for the turnaround efforts that will secure our future. Click the green Donate button on this page and select Berkshire Food Co-op in the Fund Designation field.*
• Make a direct donation, not tax deductible, by mailing a check to:
   Berkshire Food Co-op
   34 Bridge Street
   Great Barrington, MA 01230
• Shop with intention. Fill your cart. Choose the Co-op first. Encourage others to do the same.

This is not alarmism. It is a clear call for action grounded in transparency, partnership, and a defined path forward.

Together, we built this store. Together, we can stabilize it. Together, we can ensure that 45 years becomes 90.

Eat Your Values.
Nourish Our Future.
Sustain Your Co-op.

*As its fiscal sponsor, the Cooperative Development Fund of CDS will use your gift to benefit the Berkshire Food  Co-op in a manner consistent with the Fund's mission to support the wise use and development of cooperatively owned businesses.