Our Roots
Whether you remember it as the year that Sammy Davis Jr. and Mao Zedong invented Pong in the Watergate Hotel or simply as the year that Ben Affleck was born, there was something special about 1972. Here in Winona, on October 4, 1972, our co-op officially opened in its Second Street location.
The buzzing energy of the individuals who formed our Co-op, and the sense of community and spirit that was its first year of operations, is wonderfully described in the article “First Year of Famine Foods,” written by Roger Lacher, one of our Co-op’s founding members.
During those early days, the co-op had yet to acquire many of the most basic necessities needed to run a successful grocery store: cash registers, telephones, regular store hours, employees. The store was only open when members could volunteer for a shift. Rather than a cash register, Famine Foods used a yellow tackle box to store cash for transactions. Savvy members and shoppers knew that the tackle box was hidden in the peanut bin and the store key was hidden at the police station. Even heating and lighting were in short supply: “The donated pot-belly stove was going full-tilt, and yet everyone was wearing their scarves and parkas inside. The store was dimly lit. Its inventory included little more than the basics…however, people were cheerful and enthusiastic.”
This cheer and enthusiasm, coupled with passion and dedication, launched our Co-op. One member “spent a couple days just driving around Wisconsin and Minnesota looking for cheese sources,” while other members “who had vans or trucks and happened to be going to the Cities” served as delivery drivers.
In addition to a food co-op, other kinds of organizations with similar goals and ideals were being planned: The Garden of Eden Bakery, the Land & Buildings Co-op, a women’s center/people’s clinic, a restaurant, and an Open Door Bookstore.
Quite a few things have changed at our co-op over the years. When there were no longer enough volunteers to run the store, Famine Foods hired its first full-time employee, Michael Doyle, who established a system for bookkeeping and inventory and ensured regular store hours were maintained. From there, our store moved from mostly volunteers to mostly employees. Today, we are run completely by paid employees. These changes didn’t come without some turbulence. Doyle writes:
“Because a need was felt for a detailed record of each sales transaction, it was decided to obtain a cash register. This single act seemed to be the most apparent symbol of our changes. The fishing tackle box till was no longer needed; now additional skill was necessary to check out a customer, which caused some dismay among our more anarchistic members. It came in the winter. At about the same time, some working members advocated installing a phone in the store. The opposition stated their case: The co-op was uncomfortably beginning to resemble every other capitalistic business operation.”
Since those early days, we’ve changed our name, moved to a new location, and expanded our store. It’s sometimes hard to believe the many changes that have taken place; yet at the same time, the same drive that motivated people to volunteer their time to go out searching for healthy, local food to bring back to their community is still very much alive in our co-op. Today, Bluff Country and its 2,000+ owners continue to serve our community using a cooperative business model and mindset. We strive to honor our co-op’s story by providing high quality, local products as well as education about the benefits of healthful food and sustainable, local agriculture.
Timeline
Over coffee at WSU a small group begins talking about a better way to buy better food. The idea of a food buyer’s club is born.
Memberships and “food coupons” (short-term loans repaid with food) were used to raise funds for initial purchases – a $30 scale, $25 bins, $100 first food run to a warehouse in Minneapolis.
Six bulging bins in the back of a truck (which often moved from place to place) served as the “Co-op,” and a yellow tackle box served as the till. It was not uncommon to find cryptic IOUs in the till, such as this one: “I picked up $17.42 worth of food for Jane’s cousin’s brother’s wife, John.”
Famine Foods opens as a 10×15 foot corner store at 114 E. 2nd Street in the Kupietz Feed and Seed Building. One month’s rent is $30. The store is dimly lit, heated by a wood stove, and run entirely by volunteers. Hours are sporadic, and the store is not always fully stocked.
The first paid coordinator comes aboard. The coordinator establishes regular hours, maintains a full stock, and creates an official bookkeeping system to help anchor store operations.
The Free Trade Exchange & Barter supports the Co-op by loaning an employee several days a week.
During their weekly flour deliveries to Minneapolis, Stockton Roller Mills picks up stock for Famine Foods. All local goods are delivered to the store by member volunteers.
Famine Foods hires a manager, who organizes the first board of directors.
The wood stove is replaced by a gas furnace and the first prep kitchen is installed.
The Co-op celebrates 20 years!
Upgrades are made in bookkeeping, and documents are moved to computers.
The eastern half of our current store is remodeled and the Co-op moves in.
Different departments are formed and department managers are hired. Our first deli and wellness departments are created.
The Co-op begins an official review process for the GM. The board implements policy governance, policy monitoring, and ends. Staff and board members take retreats and tour supplier sites.
The Co-op starts a monthly donation program for local non-profit organizations.
Within one year at the new location, sales have nearly doubled.
The General Manager signs a purchase agreement to purchase the building.
A design-build team is formed and an initial design is created.
The Co-op holds a Capital Campaign to raise money for the expansion.
The city decides to install a rain garden in the Co-op parking lot.
December 9 is the Co-op’s Grand Opening in the new store!
On August 28th, Bluff Country Co-op celebrates 50 years with a party at Levee Park.
Old billboard mural in alley behind the store is replaced with a new design by Ian Hanesworth.
Double Up Food Bucks launched in March 2023.
SNAP/EBT card holders can double their purchases of fresh fruits and veggies with Double Up Food Bucks. Bluff Country Co-op is the first store in Minnesota to offer Double Up Food Bucks to it’s shoppers.
