To our valued Co-op Member-Owners, 

The Board has been putting a lot of energy into working out the details of the future relocation and expansion of the Potsdam Food Co-op. As you can probably imagine, this consumes a lot of time at our monthly Board meetings, but there are still plenty of other discussions to be had. 

For a number of years now, the Co-op management and Board members have been thoughtfully considering the sale of alcohol at the Co-op. Through this process, we have sought advice from and visited other Co-ops in New York State, Vermont and New Hampshire, all of whom have alcohol available for purchase. We have also taken into consideration requests from many of our Member-Owners to be able to purchase locally-crafted beers and specialty brews (think gluten-free beer, hard cider and hard kombucha) for off-site consumption and are now seeking additional feedback. 

While our focus will always be meeting the community’s need for specialty and whole foods at the lowest possible cost, we believe expanding our offerings to include alcoholic beverages will lead to continued growth of the Co-op, making it a one-stop shop for many, and continuing to support our local and regional economies through our purchases. Projections have shown this could increase our overall yearly sales, and strengthen the Co-op’s financial viability well into the future. This decision would also support our Ends Policies, by providing a marketplace for our local and regional producers, and offering our customers local and organic products they may not have easy access to elsewhere.

As a democratically-controlled business, we understand the importance of communicating with our membership when making big decisions which impact our store. We welcome your comments on this topic of discussion. If you would like to share your thoughts with us, please use the form below.

Cooperatively, 

The Potsdam Food Co-op Board of Directors