Beechworth Food Co-Op

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Beechworth Food Co-op is a member-owned and operated community initiative, allowing members access to healthy, sustainable whole food. New members welcome!

Boiler House Lane Precinct Beechworth NSW 3747
www.buls.org.au/foodcoop/

What's it all about?

The Co-Op is open weekly, every Thursday 2:00pm – 6:00pm and Saturday 9:30am – 3:00pm (the Co-Op will not be open when a public holiday falls on a Thursday or Saturday however will be open on public holiday long weekends).

What is a Co-op?

Co-operatives belong to, are operated by, and benefit the people who become members. Because the most important aspect of co-operatives is people, they also enhance the communities they operate in. They are formed by people with like-minded needs and aspirations which can be fulfilled by working together and taking responsibility to support the vision set by the members. The democratic nature of a Co-op means that all members are equal decision makers. Co-Ops worldwide adhere to 7 key principals:

- Voluntary and Open Membership
- Democratic Member Control
- Member Economic Participation
- Autonomy and Independence
- Education, Training and Information
- Cooperation Among Cooperatives
- Concern for Community

Why a Food Co-op?

Eating food is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. Eating is an act where we connect to the earth and agriculture at a most basic level. Since the beginning of time we have relied on food to bring us together where we celebrate, share, grow, laugh, gather and yearn. Food can do all this like nothing else. As a basic need with the potential to add richness it makes for the perfect candidate to glue communities together through cooperative thought and energy.

So what are the benefits of setting up a Co-op in our community?

- Better quality food direct from wholesalers & producers
- Reduced packaging & “food miles”
- Save time, money and distance travelled to obtain food
- Contribute to the resilience of our community by building and encouraging local food security
- Meet other like-minded people and share knowledge about local foods, markets, recipes and other food-related activities
- Reduce reliance on the big supermarkets