Third Time’s the Charm

BERKSHIRE FOOD CO-OP IS PROPELLED BY A LOT OF GOOD CHANGES

By Laura Mars
Photos By Jimmy ienner, Jr.

From the pages of our August 2022 Issue.

Jessica Bosworth is the first woman to lead the Berkshire Food Co-op as general manager. Bosworth was previously the Co-op’s center store manager. “There is a lot happening right now,” says Bosworth, who leads the 60 or so employees at the Co-op that boasts more than 5,000 owners.

"Whenever I’m in line at the checkout at Berkshire Food Co-op in Great Barrington, owner card at the ready, I think about what it means to have a share. I look around at the beautiful produce, happy shoppers, people in the café, families at the outdoor tables. I look at my purchases—locally sourced sausage, cherry tomatoes, blackberries, an avocado, containers of store-made sesame noodles and beet salad. And it hits me again: The opportunity to support this place is a gift.

That gift was given to the Berkshires in 1981, when Mona Young, Lisa Federico, Barbara Bochbrater, and Menouka Case founded Berkshire Co-op Market in the Granary building on Rosseter Street, want-" "ing good food for their families at good prices through cooperative ownership. Judging from the 160 community members who joined at the start, they were on to something! Around the same time, my husband and I moved from Brooklyn to the Berkshire bordertown of Hillsdale, where I went looking for a supportive community. I found it at the Co-op, where I volunteered, bagging almonds and rice, collected recipes that are still my favorites, and made lifelong friends.

Forty-one years later, Berkshire Co-op provides a supportive community to 5,127 owners. Having survived growing pains of two major moves—first in 2003 to 42 Bridge Street, then in 2019 to the new 34 Bridge Street—the Co-op’s goals are ownership worthy: to be a transformative force in the community; to serve as a model of a sustainable business alternative; and to nurture social and economic well-being in an environmentally sensitive manner.

The Co-op is growing again—this time expanding into space above the store—with more office space on the south side of the building, more retail space facing Bridge Street, and a community space with big windows facing the mountains. According to new General Manager Jessica Bosworth, nonfood items (candles, kitchenware, skincare, wellness, and more locally crafted items) will move to the new retail space that will be open in the fall. The community space will provide for educational programs and events, with a kitchen component to offer healthy cooking demos, and a potential partnership with People’s Pantry and Berkshire Bounty to further the reach of community food access pro- grams. There is even a roomy alcove for a conference area, and a youth group at Railroad Street Youth Project is working on a large mural for this space.

The Co-op has gone through some significant changes in its leadership. In January, the general manager, as well as the board president, resigned. Phyllis Webb, who had been newly elected to the Co-op’s Board of Directors, was asked to take on the seat of president. “As the Board looked at various senior leader- ship options,” says Webb, “it quickly became clear that we had talent within.” Bosworth, the Co-op’s center store man- ager, was promoted to the GM role. “We were long overdue to have a woman back in this important role. Jessica’s promotion to GM paved the way for more internal opportunities.”

“What drives me, and what helped me decide to take this position, is to be able to empower the people that I work with and those in the community, to get more involved in the town and strengthen connections to downtown businesses,” says Bosworth, who joined the Co-op as produce manager four years ago.

The cooperative grocery store is owned by the people who shop there and focuses on the community without answering to corporate investors. The onetime owner- ship fee is $150. For some, investing in their community and supporting quality food in the Berkshires is their reason to buy in. For others, it’s attending monthly Board of Directors meetings and annual owners meeting, where they can vote on board members, discuss products, and help chart the Co-op’s future. And others look forward to the 15 percent discount during the four annual owner apprecia- tion weeks, as well as patronage dividends. Whatever the motivation or level of par- ticipation, owners are part of the Co-op community. You also do not have to be an owner to shop at the Co-op.

“The Co-op is a very special place in our community,” says Webb, who co-owns The Magic Fluke in Sheffield. “Spending more time there volunteering, as well as in meetings, I have come to realize that this is not just a grocery store or just a community place, it is ‘home’ and ‘family’ to many. It is a safe place to come and be who you are and enjoy.”

It’s certainly not hard to enjoy the food. The Co-op’s Café and Hot Bar are delicious reasons to sit down—indoors or out—and socialize with your neighbors. I can personally vouch for the Breakfast BLT, Mediterranean Hummus Wrap, and Bridge Street BLT, washed down with a Ginger Cooler or Cold Buster. The Hot Bar’s changing menu includes Apricot Tamari Chicken and Tacos, and always two kinds of soups. Constantly striving toward 50 percent local products (all within a 100-mile radius), department manag- ers are diligent about sourcing food that is either certified organic or produced using organic practices.

According to Webb, some farmers are not certified organic due to the difficult and expensive path to get cer- tified, but do use organic practices, including cover crops, manures, and crop rotations to fertilize and manage insects and diseases; rotational grazing for livestock and alternative health care for animals; and no synthetic pesticides or fer- tilizers, and no hormones. Produce manager Mark Collins works with many local farmers—those who are certified organic, those who use organic practices, and those who are working to get to that organic practice place.

Joe Diaz, Produce Team Member

“We are proud of what we do in produce,” continues Webb, noting new refrigerated cases to keep produce fresher longer. “We are also considering bringing back signs that indicate the source farm/farmer, a throwback from years back.” In addition to great produce, the Co-op responsibly sources meat, fish, dairy (store-made mozzarella is the bomb), and baked goods with an eye toward local, healthy, and natural. Alongside the great food, you’ll find eco-friendly soaps, paper goods, and wellness products.

“There is a lot happening right now,” says Bosworth. “The expansion, my learning this posi- tion, getting back to our mission on education and outreach. I see the Co-op as the hub of Great Barrington. People call us to ask where they can charge their electric vehicles, or where the farmers markets are. They know that we have the answers.”

Bethany Preusser, Wellness Buyer

The 60 or so employees, 5,000-plus owners, and non-member customers are a diverse group. Bosworth notes that moving to the new building in 2019 widened their customer base. “We see all ages, locals and tourists, EMTs, and police officers,” she says. “We’ve seen a huge spike in ownership.”

When asked about her plan for the future of the Co-op, her answer is immediate: “I would love to have a mobile unit to bring food to underserved areas, and to see the Co-op purchase land for an educational center—teaching people about grow- ing their own food, about soil and environmental health, about building greenhouses. If the land were large enough to provide food for the underserved, a community garden, that would be wonderful.”