Kalamazoo People's Food Co-op

The People's Food Co-op (PFC) is a consumer-owned cooperative business, which means that it is owned and controlled by the people who use it. They have been around since the 1970's and have been located in multiple locations throughout Kalamazoo. There are currently around 1700 owners of this particular Co-op. Everyone in the community is welcome to shop there. Their mission statement is to create access to food that is healthy for people, land, and the economy. They currently carry a wide variety of products including produce, grocery, deli, bulk, refrigerated, frozen, bakery, and health & wellness. The PFC tries to focus on fresh, local, delicious, and organic products at reasonable prices.

I currently try to buy as much of my produce and dairy products from the PFC as possible. They make it very convenient to find which products are local and which are not. Most products have an easily visible sign stating where the product is from such as this Fresh Apple Cider (A bit expensive this year as a result of the very small apple crop). I find that as compared to organic products from large retailers such as Meijer or Harding's the prices are very comparable and some are even cheaper. Of course prices are a bit more expensive than that of those products who are produced by large industrial farms, but you get what you pay for. For me there are no substitutes for fresh local organic produce. I actually in fact can't hardly eat a conventionally grown store bought tomato anymore after eating my own and other locally grown ones all summer. If you haven't ever really ate fresh organic produce I highly recommend it.

By supporting local farmers the PFC keeps money in the local area and also reduces the harmful effects on the environment brought on by transporting goods thousands of miles. It is estimated that they kept around $300,000 dollars in the community last year alone that would have normally got sent to other parts of the world.

The PFC is also home to the Can-Do Kitchen. The Can-Do Kitchen is a place that allows local small-business owners/Entrepreneurs to produce their food products in a large and clean kitchen that they normally wouldn't have access to. The Kitchen is rented out by the hour. Many of the products are sold in the PFC and other local stores. Cooking classes are also offed in the Can-Do Kitchen throughout the year. If you haven't checked out the PFC I highly recommend it. There is something for everyone and the employees are very friendly.