Telling Our Stories // NFCA News December 2025

Telling Our Stories

In a recent interview with Edible Vermont, Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association, offers an in-depth look at how co-ops became such a defining part of the Northeast food landscape.

Crowell traces the evolution of food co-ops from early efforts during the Great Depression to the waves of community activism that followed, helping explain why these member-owned businesses continue to thrive in times of social and economic uncertainty.

“When we think about the challenges we’re facing today… the goal is to build strong, resilient, inclusive communities. And people have in their hands this tool to do it themselves,” Crowell says.

Read the full interview to learn more about Vermont’s unique place in co-op history, the role food co-ops play in supporting local farmers and producers, and why 2025—the Year of Cooperatives—arrives at a pivotal moment.

Thanks to NCBA CLUSA for allowing us to republish this article.  To view the holiday issue of Edible Vermont, visit this link.

Preserving Our Co-op Heritage

Historic sites in the Northeast are included in the first world map of Cooperative Cultural Heritage, preserving, promoting, and sharing co-operative principles and practices for future generations.

In November, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) officially launched the Cooperative Cultural Heritage Platform and the first World Map of historic sites illustrating how co-operation has shaped culture, education, and livelihoods across generations.

Included in the inaugural list are several sites in North America, including Adamant Food Co-op in Vermont, founded in 1935 and the oldest continuously operating consumer grocery co-operative in the United States, and America’s Credit Union Museum in Manchester, NH, on the site of the nation’s first credit union.

“It was an honor to be part of this historic process,” said Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), who nominated sites in North America as part of his service on the ICA Working Group on Cooperative Cultural Heritage.  “At this moment, it is more important than ever to remember how communities around the world have used the co-operative model to address the challenges of their times. I hope that people will gain inspiration from these stories as we continue to build a more just, equitable and inclusive future for everyone.”

“Nestled in a small village seven miles north of the state capital of Montpelier, Vermont, the Adamant Food Co-operative has been nourishing community since 1935,” said the Board of Directors in a statement. “As we enter our 10th decade, we reflect on the eleven pioneering founding families of the Co-op and their contributions to the then-burgeoning co-operative movement. Turning hardship and despair into hope and collaboration, these families created an institution that today is deeply honored to join the thirty other heritage sites around the world on the Cooperative Cultural Heritage List and World Map. Together with these other sites, the Adamant Co-op celebrates and upholds co-operativism in everyday life, as well as the broader missions of sustainability, democratic process, and community resiliency.”

Indeed, many early leaders of the co-op were active in the wider movement in the region, forming study groups on the co-operative business model and actively applying it across the economy.  One result was the founding in 1939 of the Washington Electric Co-op to bring power to rural Vermont.  Just a few years later in 1942, food co-op members also formed the Adamant Credit Union, the first financial co-operative to be chartered under new state credit union legislation.

In this sense, the history of Adamant Food Co-op is intertwined with that of the wider credit union movement in the U.S., which is also recognized in the list of Cooperative Cultural Heritage in the inscription of America’s Credit Union Museum.

“We are deeply honored that America’s Credit Union Museum has been included in the inaugural list of Cooperative Cultural Heritage,” said Stephanie Smith, Executive Director. “This recognition affirms the enduring legacy of the credit union movement and the vital role of co-operative values in shaping communities worldwide. As the steward of our movement’s history, the Museum is proud to stand alongside fellow co-ops in preserving and celebrating our shared heritage while inspiring future generations to carry this mission forward.”

Other places of note in North America include Arctic Co-operatives, LTD, a federation of more than 30 community-based co-ops in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the Yukon, Canada, Maison Alphonse-Dejardins in Québec, and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Research and Training Center in Epes, Alabama.

“This recognition by the ICA during the UN International Year of Cooperatives underscores the historical and ongoing contributions of Black co-operative enterprise in the American South,” said Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives / Land Assistance Fund. “Our inclusion in the Cooperative Cultural Heritage map honors the legacy of grassroots community leaders and organizers who developed and sustained the Federation for its first half century while amplifying the work we continue to do to secure land, build economic power, and create equitable systems rooted in co-operation. We are proud to stand alongside co-operatives worldwide that are advancing justice through collective action.”

Unveiled in a ceremony at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasília, the Cooperative Cultural Heritage website marks a historic step in safeguarding and celebrating the co-operative movement’s living cultural legacy.

“Co-operatives are not only enterprises; they are bearers of culture, history, and identity,” said Ariel Guarco, President of the ICA, speaking at the ceremony. “With this global map, we celebrate co-operation as humanity’s shared heritage, linking people and communities through solidarity and self-help.”

The inaugural list highlights more than 30 founding heritage sites from 25 countries around the world, from the birthplace of modern cooperation in Rochdale (UK) and the Monumento ao Cooperativismo in Nova Petrópolis (Brazil) to the Amul Dairy Cooperative and Verghese Kurien Museum (India), Moshi Co-operative University (Tanzania), and the ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (Switzerland).

A Global Launch and the Beginning of a Nomination Process

“These sites are living classrooms of solidarity,” said Márcio Lopes de Freitas, President of Organisation of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), which provided critical support to the project. “They show that cooperation is both history and horizon a cultural force that continues to build fairer societies.”

The launch marks the beginning of a global nomination process through which co-operatives, federations, and communities worldwide can propose sites, institutions, and living traditions that reflect the Co-operative Identity.  This process will be guided by clear international criteria defined in the new Charter on the Recognition of Cooperative Cultural Heritage Sites. These standards ensure that each recognized site demonstrates authenticity, community participation, inclusivity, sustainability, and a continuing co-operative mission.

The ICA invites all member organizations, federations, researchers, and citizens to:

• Explore the 2025 world map of Cooperative Cultural Heritage;
• Review the Charter and selection criteria; and
• Nominate new sites and traditions representing co-operative culture in their countries.

The ICA work on Cooperative Cultural Heritage aligns closely with its enduring partnership the United Nations (UN), and specifically with the UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized agency with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international collaboration in education, arts, sciences and culture.

For more information on the Cooperative Cultural Heritage project, please visit https://culturalheritage.coop.

Strengthening Food Security

In November, the government shutdown combined with dramatic cuts to federal food security programs to leave people on limited incomes in a precarious position.  Your Neighboring Food Co-ops have been working together to respond.

On November 1, funding lapsed for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s largest anti-hunger program, harming people in our communities while also negatively impacting food co-ops, grocery stores, small businesses, and local farmers. In response, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) worked with our partners at the New England Farmers Union to send out an action alert, enabling people in our communities to encourage their representatives in Congress to find solutions to food insecurity, support family farmers, and respond to rising healthcare costs.  We also convened an online meeting of food co-ops across the region to share challenges, solutions, and ideas for enabling people to support one another through co-operation.

While the government shutdown has ended, community need persists.  Food co-ops across the Northeast are responding to economic hardship in their communities in many ways, including:

• Assabet Co-op Market (MA) set up a Community Food Donation Box for canned & dry goods donations and encouraged shoppers to “Round Up” at the register to support their local food pantry and community meal program.
• Belfast Community Co-op (ME) created a webpage of resources on how to help people in need in their community.
• Blue Hill Food Co-op (ME) is promoted their Farm Fresh Rewards program and hosted a food drive in November & December.
• Buffalo Mountain Co-op Market’s (VT) “Friends Feeding Friends” initiative is collecting donations for gift cards that they are then giving out to those in need.
• Chatham Real Food Co-op (NY) maintains a “Free Community Fridge” accessible to all in the community.
• Dorchester Food Co-op (MA) launched a “Neighbors Feeding Neighbors” program with a donation from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
• Fare Share Food Co-op (ME) expanded their Holiday Co-op Food Fund Drive.
• Fiddleheads Food Co-op (CT) is working to support existing food security organizations to expand support systems for people in their community.
• Franklin Community Co-op (MA) increased their Food for All discount for people on food assistance.
• Hunger Mountain Food Co-op (VT) increased their “Co-op Cares” discount and organized matching donations for the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program.
• Leverett Village Co-op (MA) offered a discount on groceries to recipients of food assistance during the federal shutdown.
• Littleton Food Co-op (NH) created a webpage of resources for people facing food insecurity and those who want to help their neighbors.
• Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op (VT) expanded their Empty Bowl Auction and Raffle supporting food security.
• Old Creamery Co-op (MA) focused on its role as a community connector, raising awareness of community programs and participating in the March for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. 
• Portland Food Co-op (NH) hosted a food drive for the Locker Project, accepting donations to help stock in-school food pantries and provide food for local families.
• Quabbin Harvest Co-op (MA) held a “Pay What You Can” soup day on Fridays and worked with state and local partners on “Community Shares” programs distributed through the co-op.
• Rising Tide Co-op (ME) promoted their Share program ofrering a discount for people on food assistance and purchased produce from local farms to donate to local food pantries.
• River Valley Co-op (MA) encouraged people to contact their Congressional Representatives and call on them to restore full funding of SNAP anf other food security programs.
• TipTop Co-op (MA) launched an “Angel Meals” program and provided an online list of local food pantries.
• Upper Valley Food Co-op (VT) doubled their “Common Cents” donation at the register with a match from the co-op to support the Vermont Foodbank.
• Urban Greens Co-op (RI) gathered “Round-Up at the Register” contributions to support the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
• Wild Oats Co-op Market’s (MA) “Families Feeding Families” program partners with their local food pantry to have meals delivered to people in need.
• Willimantic Food Co-op (CT) collected donations for their local soup kitchen, and offered customers the opportunity to purchase gift cards at the register to support people in need.
• Wolfeboro Food Co-op (NH) launched a “Pay it Forward” program inviting shoppers to purchase gift cards for people on food assistance recipients.

Food security has been central to the co-operative movement since its beginnings, enabling people to use their collective purchasing power to build a more healthy, just, and inclusive food system.  As part of our commitment to the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) supports the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.  To find a food co-op near you, please visit our website.

Welcome, Learner Limbach

Littleton Food Co-op in New Hampshire Welcomes Learner Limbach as its New General Manager.

The Littleton Food Co-op Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that they have selected Learner Limbach to be the Co-op’s new General Manager. Learner Limbach offers over 12 years of experience in cooperative management with accomplishments in cooperative development, sustainable food systems, and community-based economic transformation.

As Co-Founder and General Manager of Orcas Food Co-op in Eastsound, WA, Learner spearheaded the successful launch of the consumer-owned grocery store in 2014. Under his leadership, the co-op has grown into a $5.7 million business with more than 50% of Orcas Island residents as members.

Learner’s expertise extends beyond operations into strategic governance, organizational culture, and policy advocacy. He has played a significant role in shaping food policy and systems development at the county, regional, and national levels and looks to continue this work as the next General Manager of the Co-op.

“I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity. It’s clear that the Littleton Co-op has been stewarded well over the years and is poised for continued success,” noted Learner during the interview process. “I look forward to helping lead the Co-op into the next chapter, as well as learning more about the area and connecting with the Littleton community.”

He has also said that he sees many similarities between Littleton Co-op and Orcas Food Co-op; he’s very interested in small-town life and in integrating himself into the Littleton community and welcomes the opportunity to be an active member of the regional co-operative work already underway in New England.

“Learner is a hardworking visionary and a passionate, engaged, and well-respected leader in the co-operative world,” said Deborah Rossetti-Sullivan, President of Littleton Co-op’s Board of Directors and head of the General Manager search committee. “He will bring years of knowledge, success, and dedication to our Co-op’s future.”

Please join us in welcoming Learner and look forward to meeting him at NFCA’s 15^th Annual Meeting on March 21, 2026.

Local Food Counts!

The Neighboring Food Co-op Association is partnering with the 2025 Local Food Count to ensure that food co-ops are part of the effort to strengthen our regional food system by tracking local food purchasing and sales.

Food co-ops and other retailers and organizations across New England are invited to participate in the upcoming 2025 Local Food Count, a regional effort to measure how much local food they buy and sell.  The NFCA will also be surveying food co-ops in New York State as part of our ongoing effort to communicate our shared impact across the Northeast.

The Local Food Count is part of the New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) initiative, which aims to strengthen the region’s food system and increase local food sourcing with the goal of having 30 percent of the food produced in New England consumed in the region by 2030. Data collected will update the last survey conducted in 2023. By participating, food co-ops can demonstrate their leadership in supporting local producers, help identify purchasing patterns, and uncover opportunities to grow local food procurement across the region.

“Our first survey of food co-operatives in 2008 demonstrated the positive impact they have on our regional food system and economy,” said Erbin Crowell, NFCA Executive Director.  “As we look toward celebrating our 15^th year in 2026, we want to make sure that all of the food co-ops across the Northeast participate in the Local Food Count so we can continue to communicate the impact we have, together.”

Participation is open to food businesses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, and the NFCA will also be surveying food co-ops in New York State to help communicate our wider regional impact. All data submitted will be kept confidential and used only in aggregate to inform regional planning.

“This effort helps us understand our collective impact on the local food economy,” said Leah Rovner, Director of the New England Food System Planners Partnership. “It’s a simple way for businesses to contribute to regional food supply availability.”

“We’re excited to see food related entities across our state take part in this effort for the fifth time,” added Jake Claro, Program Director for Vermont Farm to Plate. “Tracking local food purchases helps us identify gaps and opportunities to better support our farmers, food producers and retailers. Through this local food counts process, we’ve been able to document that local food sales have grown from $114m (5% of total Vermont food purchases) in 2011 to $481m (10%) in 2022. We’re very curious to learn the results of the Vermont local food sales in 2025 and in the other New England states.”

The New England Food System Planners Partnership (NEFSPP) is a collaboration between seven state-level food system organizations and representatives from the six-state agricultural, economic and environmental departments in New England. New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) is the Partnership’s primary initiative and aims to have 30 percent of the food produced in New England consumed in the region by 2030. https://nefoodsystemplanners.org 

Co-op Month Winners

In celebration of National Co-op Month in October, your Neighboring Food Co-ops partnered with Cabot Creamery Co-op and other co-operatives to offer people an extra incentive to become a member of their local co-op!

This year, thanks to our collaboration with Cabot Creamery Co-op, Real Pickles and Fedco Seeds,  local food co-ops offered a special thank-you to their members: the opportunity to win a two-night stay with Cabot farmer-member Liberty Hill Farm & Inn in Rochester, VT, as well as co-op gift certificates and swag!  Winning names for Cabot’s Fan Favorite Gift Box were drawn from Dorchester Food Co-op (MA), Buffalo Mountain Co-op (VT), and Flatbush Food Co-op (NY).  New members joining Franklin Community Co-op (MA) and TipTop Co-op (MA) won prizes from Real Pickles, and members of Blue Hill Co-op (ME) and Assabet Co-op Market (MA) received a gift certificate from FEDCO Seeds.  

“I joined because I am a member of the community, live and work [here], so I am in the co-op a few times a week to either pick up lunch or buy food for the week,” said Megan A. from Buffalo Mountain Co-op Market in Hardwick, VT. “I love their salads, soups and coffee as well as their fresh local produce!”

“I joined the Littleton Food Co-op [in New Hampshire] because I have tuned into the dangers of the food production industry, especially in this country, and the focus of large food production companies on profit over quality and health,” said Kazimir C., a winner of the Cabot Creamery Co-op Farm Stay. “Sourcing and consuming healthy food became a #1 priority for me, because good health IS quality of life. Farm-to-table, pasture-raised/finished, non-GMO, organic foods are of such high value, and the Littleton Food Co-op delivers!”

“I didn’t realize the co-op was here, but then heard their Co-op Month radio ad,” said David B., a new member of Franklin Community Co-op, (MA). “We stopped in and joined!”

“I became a member to support both local farmers [and] businesses, and healthier alternatives,” noted April L., who joined TipTop Co-op, (MA) “And I like the people!”

“I was inspired to join Flatbush Food Co-op, (NY) mainly because of the produce!” said Delaney C. “The co-op is a great place to find organic goods, and I’m glad to cut down on packaging by buying from the bulk section. The staff is also super friendly and helpful!”

Big thanks to our co-operative partners at Cabot Creamery Co-op, FEDCO Seeds, and Real Pickles Co-op, for helping our food co-ops celebrate Co-op Month in October — and offering a special thank you to food co-op members for joining the more than 290,000 people across the Northeast who are working together to build a more healthy, just, and sustainable food system!

Co-ops in the News

December Cave-to-Co-op Special

This month’s special cheese is Triple Crème from Champlain Valley Creamery, in Middlebury, Vermont.

With a graduate degree in Food Science and a background in wine making, Carleton Yoder moved to Vermont in the late 1990s to make hard apple cider. He took a year’s detour making farmstead Vermont cheddar at Shelburne Farms and then decided to venture into cheesemaking on his own.

After a number of years in an old mill in Vergennes, where he carried countless full milk cans up countless flights of stairs, he finds himself in Middlebury making cheese. He still uses his traditional recipe but now with the aid of technology to move the milk cans around the creamery.

Champlain Valley‘s Triple Crème is crafted from certified-organic, grass-fed Jersey-milk with traditional techniques in a solar-powered facility. Their signature offering, the Organic Champlain Triple Crème, is a sumptuous soft-ripened triple crème cheese — made from cultured whole milk and cream, ladled by hand into blocks and aged for roughly 10 days. With a rich, buttery interior and a delicate bloomy white rind giving subtle mushroom-and-earth notes.

Triple Crème pairs well with sparkling wines, crisp dry cider or barrel-fermented Chardonnay and would be a luxurious addition to any cheese board along with honey or fig chutney, quince paste and fresh apples!

Try this recipe for a special holiday or family gathering adapted from PardonYourFrench.com.

Brie en Croûte with Cranberries, nuts, and Thyme

Featuring Champlain Valley Triple Crème

• 1 (13 oz.) ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
• 1 Champlain Valley Triple Crème cheese
• 2 TB honey
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts,
• almonds and/or pecans)
• 4 sprigs thyme, stemmed
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Egg Wash: 1 egg yolk & 1 TB milk

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Unwrap your puff pastry and (if needed) roll it out and cut it into a large circle of 12-inch in diameter. Transfer the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet.
3. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center, up over the cheese, pleating the dough around as you go. Make sure the top center (where the pastry ends meet) is well sealed. Pull the final pleat a little more, so it goes over the cheese, to make sure it is well sealed.
4. Whisk together the milk and the egg yolk. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with the egg wash.
5. Transfer the pastry in the oven (middle rack). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is just golden brown. Do not bake the pastry any longer, or the cheese may re-harden.
6. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, transfer onto a serving platter and serve immediately, with toasts and/or apple wedges.

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.

Thanksgiving by the Numbers

In November, the National Farmers Union (NFU) released its annual “Farmer’s Share of the Food Dollar,” revealing stark inequities in America’s food system. Farmers continue to receive only pennies on the dollar for foods typically consumed for Thanksgiving dinner despite high supermarket prices.

Farmers earn small returns on staple Thanksgiving foods according to this year’s Thanksgiving Farmer’s Share report. The agricultural economy is fragile and uncompetitive after decades of corporate consolidation. Monopolies now dominate everything from food processing and distribution to the markets for seeds and farm equipment, leaving family farmers at a steep disadvantage while consumers face fewer choices and higher prices.

“Even in a season of gratitude, we must acknowledge the continuous inequality in our food system and agriculture industry,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “Family farmers and ranchers work year-round for historically low profits across all sectors of the industry, while consumers are still paying unsustainably high prices at grocery stores. Fairness for farmers is also fairness for consumers – when rural America does well, we all benefit.”

NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign continues to spotlight how consolidation and anti-competitive practices in the food and agriculture supply chain squeeze both ends of the system. By pushing for stronger antitrust enforcement, transparency, and fair markets, the campaign aims to ensure farmers receive a more equitable share of the food dollar, and that consumers see relief at the checkout line.

“Every Thanksgiving, the numbers tell the same story: farmers aren’t asking for a bigger slice of pie, just a fair one,” Larew added. “It’s long past time to fix a food system that works for corporations but not for the families who grow and consume our food.”

Data for this publication were sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and other industry sources. Retail prices are based on the Safeway (SE) brand in the Washington, D.C. area.

You can make a difference: Join the Farmers Union!  The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is an affiliate member of the New England Farmers Union as part of our commitment to building a more healthy, just, and sustainable food system for everyone.  We invite our member food co-ops to sign up at a special discount — and to encourage individual members and producer partners to sign up as well.  For more information, please visit https://newenglandfarmersunion.org.