New Pioneer Food Co-op is a locally owned food cooperative based in Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

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New Pioneer was founded in 1971 as “a natural foods buying club” modeled after the Rochdale Principles

Rochdale Principles

The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England, in 1844, and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operatives around the world operate to this day. The...

, and is now a full-service bakery and grocer with two locations in the Iowa City area. It specializes in local food

Local food

Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...

, organic produce, hormone-free seafood, meat and poultry, packaged foods that are free of artificial additives

Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...

, and eco-friendly home and healthcare products.

New Pioneer takes its name from the organization that created the cooperative model, the Rochdale Pioneers

Rochdale Pioneers

The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumer co-operative, and the first to pay a patronage dividend, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement....

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Organizational structure

New Pioneer Food Co-op's two grocery locations, bakehouse and administrative offices are managed by hired staff, and all are overseen by the member-elected Board of Directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

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Membership

The current member–owner plan, calling for a one-time $60 fee for membership, was created in July 1982. Members avoid paying a 5% surcharge for each purchase and are eligible to receive dividends at the end of each fiscal year.

In profitable years, New Pioneer’s Board of Directors has the discretion to authorize investment in improvements, distribution of dividends to members proportionate to their purchases, payment of staff bonuses, or donations to non-profit organizations in its community.

Publications

New Pioneer is the publisher of Catalyst, a quarterly food magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 that spotlights Iowa farmer

Farmer

A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...

s and chef

Chef

A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...

s. A digital version of the publication, entitled eCatalyst, is released online every month.

History in Brief

1969: Bulk food buying club begins in Iowa City community center

1971: New Pioneer Co-op files legal papers, opens storefront at 518 Bowery Street, Iowa City

1973: New Pioneer Co-op moves to second floor of Vine Building, at Prentiss and Gilbert Streets, Iowa City

1977: Co-op moves into portion of building at 22 S. Van Buren Street, Iowa City

1987: Co-op expands to occupy full building at 22 S. Van Buren Street

1988: Co-op opens unsuccessful store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, closes in 1991

1994: Bakehouse opens at First Avenue and Fifth Street in Coralville, baking hearth bread

2001: Coralville store opens, struggles financially

2004: Coralville store nearly matches Iowa City store in sales

2005: Co-op free of debt

2007: Iowa City store gets remodel, equipment upgrade