Androscoggin Food Co-op volunteers attend a national conference

BERLIN -- Laura Jackson and Peter Higbee, members of the Androscoggin Valley Food Co-op Board of Directors, recently attended the Up & Coming Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, a national event for newly forming co-ops nationwide. It was the largest gathering in the group’s 11-year history with 293 attendees representing 69 forming co-ops. Information presented in the multitude of workshops ranged from membership growth, choosing a location for a co-op store, setting up vendors, store design and architecture, and getting ready to open.

“This is a gathering of people from around the country who are doing what we here in the Androscoggin Valley are trying to do,” said Higbee. “There were so many good ideas to share, successes and failures to learn from. Community-owned grocery stores are part of a new way of looking at the food supply system.”