Placerville Natural Food Cooperative (PNFC), Placerville, CA, is a town of about 10,000 residents on highway 50 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, about 50 minutes from Sacramento. In 2011 the locals who shopped at the failing natural foods store wanted to keep a natural foods store in town but this time, forming a consumer cooperative. The coop became the county’s first community owned grocer. Over the decade, the coop has grown from 350 to 833 members and over 20 new members every month.
Placerville Coop grows from the ground up
LEAF Fund’s rooted in community
What’s working? The Placerville Natural Foods Coop management team is committed to the coop and gaining the experience they need to meet the challenges of growth. In a recent study, they found the local population is able to sustain and grow the coop and it’s membership. And that means supporting more local farmers who they source from. One challenge for them is to find a more central location for their store to be more accessible and attract more members. The coop needs capital to move to a new location and to manage inventory as they grow. In 2022 Placerville Food Coop came to LEAF looking to help fund their growth. The Placerville Food Coop identified a tool to support their growth—replace an outdated Point of Sale (POS) system. Investing in a new POS System would help them to: improve financial data, improve margins by increasing efficiencies, better serve members, and help manage inventory and reporting. Another strategy the coop identified to support their community and improve margins is to expand their hot foods section with a deli. In August 2023 the Coop is being given full membership to the National Coop Grocer. This means the coop can take advantage of lower costs and increased purchasing power.
With this new membership, strong sales and growing coop membership, all in a “food desert” LEAF saw the coop was a fit for their Healthy Food Financing Loan. This LEAF loan, flexible and affordable, will keep Placerville Food Coop filling the void no other local grocery store can—bringing local control, supporting small farms and expanding access to healthy foods to all.
Photo: Placerville Team attends annual Consumer Coop Management Association conference 2023