There is has been a big turn in the tide lately among the American population, a return to eating whole foods and using herbs and other forms of alternative medicine.

The problem that most people are encounter is a way to find these more health products. While Health food stores are on the increase, they are still not as abundant as we would like, plus prices can be pretty high. One way to buy cheaper health products and not have to go far to do it, is to join or start a Whole Foods Cooperative aka as a food coop. What is that you might ask? A food coop is where a bunch of people get together and order from a wholesale company. The combination of orders means you can buy in bulk and is usually much cheaper than buying retail.

How it works - The lady in charge of our coop sends out a list of dates of when to order by and pick up dates for the year. Each member gets a copy of the wholesalers catalog when they join (there is not fee to join) A week or two before the “ORDER BY” date, we call her with what we want to order and pay at least half of our total (before shipping). She then combines our orders and places the order with a company called Genesee Natural Foods located in Northeastern, PA….. There is a flat rate shipping fee divided among those who ordered by weight. How does the pricing work……If I want a 5lb bag of Prairie Gold wheat, it will cost me. $.42/lb, if I order 20lbs it might cost me .38/lb, 50lbs - .32/lb (This is just an example)

Here are a couple of website that can help you start your own or find one near you:

Coop Directory Service This not only lists coops that are already in existence, but also helps by offering information on how to start your own.

Local Harvest Food Coops