Tell us your name and who else shares your fridge.

My name is Daniel Stein (Owner #967) and my partner’s name is Milena Ang. Our fridge serves two – plus any friends or loved ones who visit us.

Why are you a Chicago Market Owner?

Just how big a container would you need to hold all the non-recyclable, non-compostable waste your family accumulates in a year?

Zero waste devotee, blogger and author Bea Johnson can fit the waste from her family of four (count ‘em) from 2017 in...

DO YOU…

…have a green thumb you’d like to get dirty?

…not have a clue how to grow veggies but are eager to learn?

…love getting to know other foodies who share your values?

…want to be able to boast to friends and foes alike that you grew the food on your plate?

Led by our Zero Waste team and our ongoing partnership with Zero Waste Chicago, Chicago Market Owners caught a film screening of the documentary Wasted! The Story of Food Waste this past fall where we learned that a head of lettuce can take 25 years to decompose in the landfill. How can that be?

Lakeview Pantry
Minutes: Emily
Present: Dana, Anthony, Ankit, Grant, Sunny, Jen, Lee, Sara, Greg, Dan, Edward

Guests: Angela, Audrey and Justin

Hey Chicago Market Owners! Sunny here, one of your new Board members elected this past July. This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference with over 300 co-op enthusiasts. I'm pretty new to the start-up and co-op world, and I couldn't be more grateful to the Chicago Market Board for sending me up to Milwaukee for a couple days of awesome learning. My biggest takeaways:

Like a lot of people who become Chicago Market Owners, Leah Lawson and her husband, Ben Nunez, simply want to feed themselves and their kids, Mirabella and Kai, healthy, local, organic and sustainable foods at a competitive price.

And in her professional capacity as Executive Programs Manager at FamilyFarmed, a Chicago-based nonprofit that’s considered a national leader in building the Good Food movement,

Celebrating Owners and Stretching to Our Next Goal
We raced past 1000 Owners in January, threw a celebratory party and are now at 1032 Owners and growing. It’s a clear sign the Chicago community wants a sustainable, cooperatively owned grocery store and is willing to take a stake in the business to make it happen.

But we can’t rest. We simply need more Owners to make the store a reality. Why exactly? Chicago Market’s financial plans call for more than 2000 Owners by the end of the year. Owners are a crucial part of the funding of our store – our bank will lend to us based on our Owner equity and because they see enough Owners who will be shoppers and thus support the store.

So if you’re an Owner, your Co-op thanks you, but to be successful we need you to recruit your like-minded friends and neighbors. And if you’re not an Owner, there’s never been a better time to join.

Progress Updates
* The Engagement Team is working on a food and beer pairing event - stay tuned for that announcement!

* The Board held officer elections recently and the results are: Grant Kessler, president; Lee Herman, vice-president, Edward Collins-Fanner, treasurer, Emily Crespo, secretary.

* Board members Lee and Jen are presenting to other start-up co-ops on our use of digital tools NationBuilder and Basecamp at this week's Up and Coming, Up and Running co-op conference. That's P6 in action! (Read more about P6 and all the 7 Cooperative Principles.)

(But there is so much more going on; click to read more progress updates.)

Chicago Market Owners Support Their Community
Owning a co-op is so much more than groceries; it's caring for others in the community. So we were proud to support Back on My Feet recently - click to learn about their work and why we're for them!

Upcoming Events
We're busy - join us at these events and be an active part of the Chicago Market community:

Good Food EXPO, March 24 - don't miss this family-friendly event that celebrates local, sustainable, humane and fair food with workshops, panel discussions, a Master Class on vinegars (tickets required), an exhibit show floor and chef demos, including our Owner friend chef Ina Pinkney! Be sure to stop by our table to say hi. More info and free registration.

Chicago Market Board Meeting - Owners are always welcome to listen and see your democracy at work! RSVP here for the March 28 meeting.

April Ownership Info Session - we do these monthly for interested folks to meet us in person, learn and ask questions. Interested in becoming an Owner? Join us at our April 4 Ownership Info Session. Already an Owner? Bring a friend and help us get to our 2000 goal.

* Zero Waste - Chicago Market's Zero Waste team is proud to be working with Zero Waste Chicago on a free evening talk from a well-known speaker about how to live a lower-waste life on April 16. Sign up for their email list to learn more about the event.

Who does all the exciting stuff that propels Chicago Market forward? Volunteers! And you can be one.
We're looking to fill specific roles but also have per task and occasional work to lean in on. If you'd like to learn more, email Lee or check our website. 

* Volunteer coordinator - We need someone to interview and place volunteers.

* Social media coordinator - Love social messaging? Help us manage our social accounts.

* Newsletter editor - You're reading this because an interim person made it happen, but if you are a content planner, this could be you.

* Fundraisers - Join our Owner Loan Campaign team; interested or experienced fundraisers welcome.

* Accountants - Channel your inner accountant - the Finance team is looking for accountants or interested folks to help manage the books and finances of the Co-op.

Wondering what the latest updates are? What the Co-op volunteer teams are working on? 

If you had a magic wand that gave you the power to create the values and rules by which businesses operate, what would be most important to you?