Whole Foods Co-op
Encyclopedia
Whole Foods Co-op is a food cooperative located in Duluth, Minnesota
. Founded in 1970 by the members of a food buying club, the grocery is owned by over 5000 active member-owners and is a member of the National Cooperative Grocers Association
.
and the first cooperative in the nation to receive LEED certification
for its building.
After the Minnesota Health Department stopped allowing participants in the WIC
program to purchase organic food
in 2002, the cooperative offered to cover the difference and take a loss on behalf of its customers, but was refused by Health Department officials. In 2004, Whole Foods began using the IS4C
point of sale
system for its registers.
In 2006, Whole Foods attained Certified Organic
status through the National Organic Program
for its operations.
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. Founded in 1970 by the members of a food buying club, the grocery is owned by over 5000 active member-owners and is a member of the National Cooperative Grocers Association
National Cooperative Grocers Association
The National Cooperative Grocers Association is a marketing service cooperative of cooperative grocery stores founded in 1999 in the United States. NCGA's membership includes 114 independent food cooperatives operating more than 145 stores in 32 states with combined annual sales of nearly $1.2...
.
History
In 1970, the Whole Foods buying club was formed by 20 people in Duluth, Minnesota. The club merged with the Community Food Buying Club in 1973. Whole Foods went on to take over the operations of the West End Co-op in 1981, only to see it close two years later. In 2005, the cooperative expanded into an energy efficient building located at 610 E 4th St. Whole Foods was the first retailer in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and the first cooperative in the nation to receive LEED certification
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
for its building.
After the Minnesota Health Department stopped allowing participants in the WIC
WIC
The abbreviation WIC can mean:*Walta Information Center, a news agency based in Ethiopia.*Dutch West India Company, a former trading cooperation that led to the establishment of some Dutch colonies....
program to purchase organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
in 2002, the cooperative offered to cover the difference and take a loss on behalf of its customers, but was refused by Health Department officials. In 2004, Whole Foods began using the IS4C
IS4C
IS4C or Integrated Systems for Co-ops is a free web-based point of sale software for retail stores initially developed by Tak Tang for the Wedge Community Co-op in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The software utilizes an SQL database and enables tracking of customer purchase totals that cooperatives use in...
point of sale
Point of sale
Point of sale or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs...
system for its registers.
In 2006, Whole Foods attained Certified Organic
Organic certification
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
status through the National Organic Program
National Organic Program
In the United States, the National Organic Program is the federal regulatory framework governing organic food. It is also the name of the organization in the Department of Agriculture responsible for administering and enforcing the regulatory framework. The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 In...
for its operations.