The effort to bring a food co-op to the Watertown area reached a major milestone recently, and has gained momentum in its effort to open a retail store.
The Charles River Food Co-op surpassed the 1,000 member mark, which is a “big deal,” said Sam Garwin, president of the Co-op’s Board of Directors.
“Two-thousand represents the number of people where, if we had that many people who were on a regular basis shoppers at our store, that would bode very well for the long-term success of the store,” she said. “So 1,000 means we’re halfway there, which is amazing.”
A co-op is a business that is 100% owned by its co-op shareholders. Decisions are made on a democratic basis, with one vote per equity share owner. The cost of a Charles River Food Co-op share is $200.
The effort to create a local food co-op started in 2022 in response to the closing of Russo & Sons Market that was open for more than a century, most of which on Pleasant Street.
“What we hear from our members first and foremost is that with Russo’s closure, they really miss access to a wide variety of high-quality produce, and so that is something that the Star Markets are not providing,” Garwin said. “I think people are really frustrated with having to spend money at Whole Foods, given the just the entire economic climate and what’s going on with various corporations that are not maybe being the best stewards of the American people’s money.”
The membership growth is in line with the typical tine it takes to start a food co-op, Garwin said.
“On average it takes 10 years from the idea of starting a store to opening it, so we are, you know, four years into that,” Garwin said. “I would say we are on track within that.”
There is a lot of interest in a food co-op, Garwin said, noting that the group’s email newsletter has more than 3,500 subscribers and an open rate of over 50%. The challenge is the price tag.
“There’s a lot of (food co-ops) throughout Massachusetts, Western Mass, and up through the Connecticut River Valley — Vermont and New Hampshire,” Garwin said. “They are really popular in New England. The Boston area is really hard. Real estate is really challenging. The single biggest expenses is rent.”
The Co-op also received some financial support, from local and national groups.
“One was a Watertown Savings Bank grant, and one is actually from one of those co-op support organizations called FCI (Food Co-op initiative), it’s called the Bill Gesner Award,” Garwin said, who said the grant was officially announced in May at Consumer Cooperative Management Association in Seattle.
The group has started a fundraising effort, and the goal in the Co-op’s May newsletter is reaching $1 million by December 2026. The board is also seeking members with marketing experience.
Individuals can also make tax-deductible donations, Garwin said.
“We can take philanthropic donations, for which people would receive tax deductions,” Garwin said.
After initially seeking an existing building for the home of the Charles River Food Co-op, the board has shifted its strategy. The board is looking for a space in Watertown, Newton, or Waltham.
“We’re talking to municipal leaders and developers about getting placed in new developments that are coming in no sooner than two years from now,” Garwin said.
As a volunteer organization, the Board realized they would struggle to move quickly enough to move into a site available in six months to a year, Garwin said. Also, if the Co-op can be part of a development before it is constructed, the Board can use that to attract potential funders.
The space will need to have a few features to be successful, Garwin said. It will need at least 6,000 sq. ft. of space, and up to 10,000 sq. ft. Sufficient parking is also important. Garwin said 40-60 spots are needed, though they don’t need to be just for the Co-op and could be shared by other businesses. It needs a loading dock that can be accessible by semi trucks. Finally, it must be within 15 minutes walk from public transportation so that it can attract and keep employees.
Garwin and other board members recently met with Watertown City Manager George Proakis to discuss the possibility of putting the Co-op in the project being considered on the Municipal Parking Lot behind CVS, known as the Demonstration Project.
“Especially with all the new housing going up, it would be crazy for people to have to get in their cars and to have to drive away from Watertown Square,” Garwin said. “It would be so nice if we could just, you know, walk to a grocery store.”
Another effort by the Food Co-op is to provide some value for members before a store opens.
“Our newsletter has started to shift a little bit, and we’ve started to put in more things about local food and how to access better quality local food,” Garwin said. “I think that’s why people joined a co-op to begin with, so we want to make sure we’re providing that value and providing additional benefits for members, not just for people on the newsletter.”
Recently a members-only event was held at Mighty Squirrel Brewing.
“We had a guest speaker from the Mushroom Shop in Somerville who came out and talked to us about mushroom foraging and how to get started in a way that’s safe,” Garwin said.
See more information about the Charles River Food C0-op at https://charlesriverfood.coop