Passion for Food: Baltimore Food Co-Op Opens Its Doors

The brick walls and exposed beams of the recently opened Baltimore Food Co-op in Remington are nothing like the feigned character of some new businesses that spend a fortune on remodeling only to make a space seem old. 2800 Sisson Street is old. And inconspicuous enough that you could easily drive right past its convenient location right off I-83. On a hot summer day, it isn't the air conditioning that will keep you cool as you browse the local produce and organic pastas -- there isn't any. Instead, several industrial-sized fans hum noisily to get the job done. What it might lack in show and shine, the Baltimore Food Co-op more than makes up for in substance and certainly in character.

The possibility of a food co-op -- a business run by its members who make decisions, donate time, and benefit equally by the co-op's profits -- had been on General Manager and Interim Treasurer Cheryl Wade's mind for some time.

"It was always sort of this idea in the back of my mind, and I wondered, 'How many other people are sitting around thinking it'd be nice if Baltimore had a co-op?'" Wade says. "Then I figured I should be the one to do it."

Wade's confidence stems from years of experience. Aside from working in her parents' penny candy store as a child, Wade continued working in food retailing before opening up her own local grocery in 2002.

"I knew my idea of local sustainability would work," Wade says matter-of-factly. "And everybody told me I was crazy. And every year we had more sales than the year before. And then people told me our prices were better than Whole Foods', and then we'd get even more sales."

While Wade has since moved on from that business venture, Whole Foods is the co-op's obvious competition when it comes to organic products. With expert branding and a huge selection, Whole Foods is a well-known haven for those who value products with recycled packaging, among other things. But the Baltimore Food Co-op has an edge over its competitors by offering mostly (though not exclusively) local food at reasonable prices without sacrificing its main goal, which is to know exactly where every product on the shelf originates and how it's made. If crops are sprayed or cows are given antibiotics at a prospective farm vendor, they simply move on.

"Seventy percent of antibiotics in the U.S. are used on livestock," John Segal, co-op board member, says. A quick Google search will show Segal isn't exaggerating. All of the board members seem to be up on their statistics and what some hard-to-decipher food labels really mean.

"Is the chicken really raised in the pasture, or is it only allowed out of its cage for an hour a day?" Segal asks -- rhetorically, because he's not referring to a chicken anyone knows personally. "Because 'one cage-free hour' is actually what the FDA qualifies as a free-range animal."

That's not quite up to the co-op's standards.

Just as important to the board as the food on the shelves are the co-op's members. Unlike most organizations where an investor's ownership stake is based on how much money he or she invests, all co-op members have equal say in how the business is run. According to Segal, the one-time hundred-dollar membership fee is truly an investment.

"With major supermarkets, their commitment is to the parent corporation, their stockholders, the bottom line," Segal says. "Our co-op is about the members, who are also investors."

And no single member has more clout in the figurative board room than another, making it a truly democratic process.

The process of finding board members to start the co-op with was more, well, organic. Through conversations with like-minded customers at her previous business, Wade recruited several board members including Segal and Marketing Chair Korri Jackson. As the three discuss how they were brought onto the team, Wade pantomimes how she reeled them in, which is followed by a group chuckle.

"Customers love Cheryl," Jackson says.

It's easy to see why. She's energetic, knowledgeable, and clearly driven by her passion, despite some setbacks.

"My husband had pretty serious surgery a couple of years ago," Wade says. "Something like that forces you to look at your own mortality."

For Wade, it also seems to force her into action. And she's not the only ambitious board member putting in countless hours of hard work. Most of the 10 other board members have full-time jobs, including Jackson who has worked in marketing at Kraft Foods, Johnson & Johnson, and Hewlett-Packard, among others. She's applying her well-rounded marketing skills to the co-op's success as she amps up for the store's official grand opening, scheduled for August 18th, where there will be tastings, live music, and possibly an appearance by  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

"The grand opening will make it kind of an official celebration for the community and the co-op members. Everybody's been waiting for this, and we're pretty excited."

Their hard work has paid off. Since its doors opened in late July, the Baltimore Food Co-op has received abundant praise and support from its neighbors and will continue to thrive as long as members are joining. As it picks up speed, more and more sustainably produced food items will fill the shelves and more and more people will frequent the store that the co-op's board hopes will eventually become a one-stop shop not only for members, but for all neighbors and passersby. There's still a fair amount of work to do, but the board members know all about hard work.

"It's been a labor of love, for sure," Segal says. "Emphasis on labor," Wade adds with a smile.


Cassie Paton is a freelance writer and food lover who highly enjoyed her grapes from the co-op. She blogs at www.wittytitlehere.com and tweets @WittyCassieHere.


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Photos by Arianne Teeple