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In this edition:
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Annual Meeting Report
“The reason I love co-ops so much is I believe in them,” said Congressman Jim McGovern in an address to the members of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association.
McGovern was the keynote speaker for the 14th Annual Meeting of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) at Greenfield Community College on March 15, 2025, where he thanked co-operatives for the contributions they make for their communities every day. “You are strengthening local food systems, strengthening rural economies, fighting climate change, and fighting hunger,” he said. “And you are doing it in a way that makes those choices accessible to everybody.”
A longtime advocate for justice, food security, and an economy that works for everyone, Representative McGovern is also a member of the Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus. In his remarks [LINK TO VIDEO], he also shared his concerns about proposed cuts to food assistance and recent actions by the federal government impacting family farmers in our region and across the country, as well as his appreciation for the contributions that co-ops make to their communities. “This is a moment for solidarity,” he said.
“As co-operators, we commit ourselves to our shared values and principles, and to working together to build a healthy, just, and sustainable food system and a more inclusive economy that works for everyone,” said NFCA Associate Director Suzette Snow-Cobb in her welcome. “As we carry our work forward, we are excited to welcome representatives from so many food co-ops and partners from across the region this morning.”
“We are so happy to have you all here, especially this year which is the second International Year of Co-operatives,” agreed John Crane, NFCA President and General Manager of Portland Food Co-op (ME). “It’s easy to get a little siloed into thinking ‘we’re just here selling food in our little corner of the world’ — but we’re really part of something much larger than that. We are part of a movement [and] the United Nations recognizes that the world needs more of us.”
The UN declaration of 2025 as a Year of Co-operatives offers an opportunity for co-ops, credit unions, and mutuals to communicate their difference at a critical time. “At this challenging and disorienting time, our co-ops offer a time-tested alternative that empowers people to meet their own needs and strengthen their communities through mutual self-help,” said Executive Director Erbin Crowell. “And through our shared values and principles, we have the opportunity to work together for the betterment of all.”
In his report to the gathering, Crowell shared some of the ways that the NFCA has been focusing on the UN’s goals of the Year, including raising public awareness of the impact of co-ops, promoting growth and development, advocating for policies that protect and promote co-ops, and inspiring leadership, particularly by engaging young people in the movement. As an example, he introduced the NFCA’s interns from UMass Amherst Department of Economics, Nuo Chen and Gabi Urbanowicz, who are pursuing a Certificate in Applied Economic Research on Co-operative Enterprises.
“Co-ops have a unique ability to engage young audiences, offering a space to learn, grow, and collaborate,” said Gabi. “Attending the NFCA’s Annual Meeting reinforced how valuable these connections with co-op leaders are — whether through shared values or new perspectives, they make co-ops so powerful. Every conversation deepened my understanding of co-operative enterprise and the role young people can play in its future.”
The day included a series of peer dialogs providing an opportunity for attendees to participate in exchanges on issues ranging from food security to climate action, supporting small food co-ops to building community among board members, and the important role of associations to co-operative education and training opportunities.
“I appreciate all the discussion about advocating for co-ops, low-income members, local farmers, etc.,” said Carl Etnier, Board President at Hunger Mountain Co-op (VT). “These are crucial times for everyone to be standing up to hold onto what we have as a country.”
Building on the theme for the day, afternoon panels focused on policy advocacy, experiences from international movements, and partnering for impact with food co-op financial partners, including Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, LEAF, National Cooperative Bank, and Shared Capital Co-op.
“The workshop on co-op financing exceeded my expectations and was incredibly helpful to us,” said Emily Hershberger, General Manager at Buffalo Mountain Co-op Market (VT). “I went out of curiosity and thought I knew a lot about the topic already. It was more helpful and relevant than I anticipated.”
A panel of food co-op leaders including Rochelle Prunty (General Manager at River Valley Co-op, MA), Patti Smith (General Manager at Willimantic Food Co-op, CT), and Joanne Todd (Board Member at Willimantic Food Co-op and CEO of Northeast Family Credit Union) shared their experiences engaging with co-operative movements in Colombia, the Basque Region of Spain, and across Africa and the Caribbean.
With unprecedented changes to the legislative environment in DC, a cross-sector panel on “Partnering for Impact: Policy Advocacy in a New Environment” explored how co-ops and credit unions can work together. “This year, more than any, advocacy is a priority and more relevant than at any time in my professional life,” said Doug O’Brien, President & CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association. “We’ve got to lean into the Sixth Principle [of Cooperation among Co-ops], we’ve got to figure out how to work together, and we have to make sure we can advance or protect the priorities that we have.” Panelists including Joe Bergeron, Executive Director of the Association of Vermont Credit Unions, Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, and the NFCA’s Erbin Crowell shared perspectives on how associations can advocate for their members, protect our business model, and advocate for resources for development.
Election results for the NFCA Board were announced, with Cassandra Carmichael (Vice President, Fiddleheads Food Co-op, CT) joining reelected directors Mary Mullally (General Manager, Hunger Mountain Co-op, VT), and Michael Wells (Board of Directors, Putney Food Co-op, VT). Continuing on the Board are Katharine Arnold (Buffalo Mountain Co-op, VT), John Crane (Portland Food Co-op, ME), Lucy Georgeff (High Falls Food Co-op, NY), George Touloumtzis (Franklin Community Co-op, MA), Philip Trevvett (Urban Greens Co-op Market, RI), and Chris Whiton (Littleton Food Co-op, NH). Outgoing Director Brenda De Los Santos (Fiddleheads Food Co-op, CT) was thanked for her service on the NFCA Board.
The gathering also offered an opportunity for community celebration, with the annual Neighboring Co-operator Award going to Kari Bradley, former General Manager at Hunger Mountain Co-op and NFCA Board Member, who continues to be involved in the work of the NFCA, supporting a peer group and online dialogs for general managers.
“Now that I’m not involved in the day to day of running a co-op, I can see even more clearly that what you offer is a special thing and is going to be a critical part of the solution that will see us through these times and future crisis and actually improve things for people,” said Bradley. “I encourage you to recognize our superpower and make the most of it by articulating [our] values.”
Members of the NFCA community are invited to donate to the Cooperative Development Foundation’s Education Fund in Kari’s honor.
“This meeting was awesome,” said Lisa Boragine, Board President of TipTop Co-op (MA), reflecting on the gathering. “How can we continue the momentum throughout the year?”
“I came away renewed and energized to do the best I can for my co-op,” agreed Theresa Haywood, Board Member for Rutland Area Food Co-op (VT). “NFCA helps us direct our focus, particularly in advocacy, with a message to share.”
For resources and recordings from the Annual Meeting and Member Gathering, please visit https://nfca.coop/membergatherings. The NFCA is particularly thankful for the additional support of partners including CoBank, Cabot Creamery Co-op, Cooperative Development Foundation, Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, DotCooperation, National Cooperative Bank, Stonyfield Yogurt, and New England Farmers Union / Local Food Safety Collaborative.
Co-ops Celebrate Earth Month
As we celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives, food co-ops are using the opportunity of Earth Day and the Month of April to promote sustainability through Responsible Consumption and Climate Action!
The United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as an International Year of Co-operatives recognizes the contribution of co-ops to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — including SDG 12: Responsible Production & Consumption, and SDG 13: Climate Action. In fact, food co-ops have long been leaders in promoting organic growing practices, reduced packaging, eating local, and environmental education, enabling people to work together to Build a Better World every day.
Here’s a few of the ways your Neighboring Food Co-ops are celebrating Earth Day and supporting more sustainable and resilient communities throughout the month of April:
- Celebrate on Earth Day! Littleton Food Co-op is giving out seedlings from the NH State Nursery with a UNH Grafton County Extension Forestry Specialist on hand to answer questions and give care instructions. Shoppers on Earth Day at Putney Food Co-op and be entered into a drawing for a seed bundle!
- Challenge shoppers to “Slash Your Trash”! Blue Hill Co-op and Hunger Mountain Co-op are offering give-aways to shoppers who and pledge to reduce waste.
- Encourage new shopping habits! Blue Hill Co-op and Brattleboro Food Co-op are offering discounts and coupons as an incentive for purchasing in bulk during April.
- Support organic dairy farmers! The Neighboring Food Co-op Association was the first retailers’ organization to join the Northeast Family Farm Partnership, encouraging shoppers to increase their purchases of dairy products from our region’s farmers.
- Partner with a local movie theater to sponsor Earth Month Film Festival! Thanks to support from Wild Oats Co-op Market, Images Cinema is offering “pay what you can” tickets.
- Collaborate for responsible disposal! Flatbush Food Co-op’s Sustainable Sunday is a drop site for discarded electronics for environmentally safe disposal in collaboration with the Lower East Side Ecology Center and TipTop Co-op is organizing styrofoam and pill bottle collection for recycling.
- Promote sustainability all year! Buffalo Mountain Market Co-op offers 10% discount on bulk liquids to shoppers who bring their own containers on “Sustainability Sundays.”
- Incentivize reducing waste! Putney Food Co-op’s Earth Day Packaging-Free Challenge encourages shoppers to bring reusable bags, jars, or containers and get entered into a give-away for a Co-op gift card.
- Inspire action! High Falls Food Co-op’s Annual Meeting speaker is New York Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha sharing what the creation of the Hudson Valley Power Authority can mean for the local community.
- Work Together to support local! More than 25% of sales at NFCA member co-ops are local products, reducing food miles!
Your local food co-op is a great place to find more sustainable options — and by working together, your Neighboring Food Co-ops are increasing our impact, helping to Build a Better World for everyone.
Celebrate Co-op Education!
Help honor Tom Webb, co-founder of the Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions program, and raise funds for co-op education, training, and development at the same time!
Tom Webb, co-founder of the Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions program at Saint Mary’s University, will be inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in October of 2025 and we need your help to celebrate! Whether you are a graduate of the program, have participated in events organized by the International Centre for Co-operative Management, or are a believer in the importance of co-op education and training, we invite you to “like” his page and make a donation as a “Friend of Tom Webb”!
“When we began building the Master’s program, we wanted it not just to meet the basic needs of co-ops but to spur students to think about what the impact might be if co-ops lived the Co-op Values,” said Webb. “We wanted co-ops to be focused on meeting human need. We also knew bankrupt co-ops cannot meet human need, so we needed to promote financial health.”
Please consider making a contribution in Tom’s honor. You’ll be helping us celebrate one of our Co-op Heroes, shining a light on the importance of co-operative education, and raising funds for the Cooperative Development Foundation.
The Neighboring Food Co-op Association is proud to partner with the International Centre for Co-operative Management in nominating Tom Webb for the Co-op Hall of Fame. Please contact us if you are interested in additional options for supporting this award and the work of the Centre, such as the bursary fund supporting co-operative leaders in accessing the graduate programs so beloved to Tom.
Don’t Tax Credit Unions!
Federal lawmakers are working on tax reforms that may impact co-ops. They need to know how eliminating the Credit Union Federal Income Tax Status would hurt the very people they were elected to serve.
For more than 100 years, credit unions have offered people a co-operative alternative to provide themselves and their communities with financial services. Today, about a third of Americans — or approximately 142.3 million people — are credit union members.
In basic terms, a credit union is a not-for-profit financial co-operative formed by a group of people (some also have business members) who have pooled their own resources to provide one another with savings and checking accounts, loans, and other services. Like other co-ops, credit unions are designed to meet member needs, as opposed to generating profit for investors, and members see benefits in local ownership, higher return on savings, and lower fees.
The unique purpose and impact of credit unions has been recognized by Congress, which provided them with the federal income tax status to ensure they continued to meet the needs of underserved people and their communities. While credit unions pay billions in state and local taxes each year, they do not pay federal income tax on profits. That’s because those profits are returned the members, usually in the form of higher interest rates and lower fees.
The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) believes that our co-ops are stronger and serve our members better when we work together across sectors, including credit unions. For more information, check out our webinar, “Credit Unions are Co-ops, Too,” part of the Co-op Education Webinar Series that we developed as a resource for engaging food co-op staff, directors, and members in the wider co-operative movement.
By working together, co-ops and credit unions can advocate for policies that protect and promote their unique status as not-for-profit businesses, owned and controlled by their member-users. Your food co-op can help by sharing this alert with your members on your website, in your e-news, and in social media.
Peer Collaboration for Impact
Food co-ops across the Northeast established the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) in part to provide staff and directors with opportunities for peer-to-peer networking, collaboration, and innovation, enabling co-op leaders to support one another and build stronger relationships.
Participants in these forums have noted that it has been extremely helpful to share successes, challenges, and approaches to issues with their peers from other co-ops.
In addition to our Annual Meeting & Member Gathering, the NFCA’s Peer Networking Groups provide forums for ongoing communication, problem-solving and collaboration for Food Co-op Directors, Managers, and Departmental Staff. These dialogs are organized based on feedback from our Member Co-ops on their needs and priorities, and currently include online opportunities for Board Leaders, Bulk Departments, General Managers, and Small Food Co-ops. We also coordinate more focused dialogs on projects such as the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership (NOFFP) and planning for Co-op Month. In 2024, we held 18 online sessions with over 200 co-operators participating.
“What I found most valuable was hearing from other board leaders what their challenges are and knowing that we aren’t alone.”-Board Member, NFCA Member Co-op
Participants in these forums have noted that it has been extremely helpful to share successes, challenges, and approaches to issues with their peers from other co-ops. For example, in the Bulk Peer Dialogs discussion of product sourcing challenges and solutions as well as packaging and seasonal merchandizing are ongoing topics. Board Peer Dialogs’ discussion topic range from recruitment ideas to gain new board members and member engagement, to conducting a General Manager search and the Board’s role in expansions. Earlier this year we worked with NOFFP to have two Northeast organic dairy producers share their stories and talk with to co-op managers, cheese & dairy buyers, merchandisers, and marketers to learn about their farms, practices and products, and why being an organic dairy is important to them. (You can view the recorded session here.)
“It was nice to seeing bulk buyers/managers communicating with each other, figuring out who is doing what at which store and what is working and not.” -Store Manager, NFCA Member Co-op
In every peer session there are new topics to be discussed or fresh perspectives on age-old questions. By providing opportunities for informal conversations and exploration of topics that are relevant to the day-to-day challenges, ideas and innovation can be brought forward, supporting shared success.
For more information on participating in NFCA Peer Dialogs, please visit our website or e-mail info@nfca.coop. For upcoming sessions and other events, please see our online calendar.
Co-ops in the News
Congressman Jim McGovern’s address to the NFCA’s Annual Meeting on March 15, 2025, was featured in the Greenfield Recorder:
“We are witnessing a concerted effort to starve out independent farmers and dismantle local food systems.”
Green Fields Market move on pause while Cleary Jewelers negotiations proceed in Greenfield
Greenfield Recorder
Advocates say state’s Health Incentives Program ‘more important than ever
Greenfield Recorder
Maine food co-ops wrestle with high prices, see increasing customer demand
News Center Maine
Has your co-op been in the news recently? Send your item to info@nfca.coop.
April Cave-to-Co-op Special
This month’s special Cave to Co-op cheese is Moses Sleeper from Jasper Hill, Greensboro, VT.
Andy and Mateo Kehler are the cheesemakers at Jasper Hill Farm. The Kehlers began farming and making cheese with a goal of creating a model to be replicated by other farmers in Vermont who wished to diversify their quickly disappearing farms into more workable options. They wanted to demonstrate that it is still possible to prosper on a rocky hillside farm, creating a vehicle for the renewal of the local dairy economy in the form of a business model that can be replicated by other dairy farms.
Jasper Hill works with Cabot Co-op graders to hand select vats of young cheese that are suited to graceful cave-ripening. They have a 22,000 square foot, 7-vaulted underground cave where they age their award-winning cheese.
Moses Sleeper is a Jasper Hill Creamery original, inspired by classic, French Brie and is a 2019 World Cheese Awards Gold Medal Winner. This cheese’s historic namesake, Moses Sleeper, and his compatriot, Constant Bliss, were Revolutionary War scouts killed while defending a blockhouse along the Northeast Kingdom’s legendary Bayley Hazen Military Road.
Moses is an approachable and nuanced soft-ripened cheese made with pasteurized cow milk. Beneath its thin, bloomy rind lies a gooey, milky core showing a complex array of flavors at peak ripeness: cauliflower, crème fraîche, and toasted nuts. A bright, clean finish with a hint of white mushroom aroma follows the rich flavors of the paste.
Putting together a cheese platter? Moses is perfect for a festive cheese board or for baking en croute as an elegant dessert. At room temperature, this cheese is pliable and decadent without being runny. Include this wonderful brie-style cheese and check out “Creating the Perfect Cheese Plate” for tips on pairing and combining.
Each month, your Neighboring Food Co-ops feature our region’s artisan cheesemakers by offering a specially selected cheese at great price. Look for the “Cave to Co-op” sign in the cheese section at your local food co-op. To find one near you, visit www.nfca.coop/members.
Each month our Cave to Co-op partnership between Provisions International and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) offers a delicious regional cheese featured at a great price.
New England Farmers Union
Delegates from the Northeast joined over 450 family farmers and supporters for the National Farmers Union 123rd Anniversary Convention in Oklahoma City in March.
“This is a challenging moment for family farmers. Rising costs, corporate consolidation and uncertainty around federal programs—including the lack of a renewed farm bill—are creating real hardships,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “Yet through it all, the state of Farmers Union remains strong, resilient and prepared to turn the policies set at this convention into action for a stronger future in agriculture.”
The finalized policy priorities approved by NFU’s delegates include three special orders of business on timely topics: Fairness for Farmers, Family Farming and the Farm Bill and Family Farming and Our Federal Government.
“NFU’s democratic, grassroots efforts that determine the organization’s policy priorities each year have unified family farmers and ranchers for 123 years,” said NFU Vice President Jeff Kippley. “We are leaving Oklahoma City feeling energized and ready to tackle the challenges ahead.”
NFU also announced a Farmers Union Week of Action to take place May 5-9. Farmers Union members will join together both in Washington, D.C., and in their communities across the nation to call on Congress to make farmers, ranchers and rural Americans a priority.
You can make a difference: Join the Farmers Union! Share this story in your food co-op’s social media and e-news. As an affiliate member of the New England Farmers Union, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) invites our member food co-ops and your individual members to sign up at a special discount — and to encourage your producer partners to sign up as well. For more information, please visit www.newenglandfarmersunion.org.
The National Farmers Union envisions a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice. The Neighboring Food Co-op Association is an affiliate member of the New England Farmers Union chapter – and invites farmers, food co-ops, and consumers to join us! For more information, please visit www.newenglandfarmersunion.org
It’s not too late to join the Co-op 5K!
Run, walk, roll or stroll as we build a better world, together. Join your Neighboring Co-operators as we raise funds for co-op education and development — April 19-May 2.
