Port Orford Community Co‑opOur Story
A little co-op with big roots
Serving the Port Orford community with local, organic, and natural foods since 2013.
How It Started
In November 2012, a group of community members decided Port Orford needed something: a place to buy good food, grown close to home. They organized the Port Orford Community Co-op as an Oregon Cooperative Corporation, found a location, and got to work.
By summer 2013, the doors were open, right alongside the Farmer's Market in the parking lot. The community showed up in a big way, with donations, memberships, letters to the local papers, and volunteers ready to stock shelves.
Today, over 629 member-households call the co-op their own. We're still volunteer-powered, still community-owned, and still here because our neighbors keep showing up.
What We Believe
We started this co-op because we believe a few things deeply:
When you buy from the co‑op, your dollars go to the farmers and producers who live here. That keeps local farms viable and our food system strong.
Everyone deserves a wider variety of healthy, organic, and natural foods. Not just folks who can drive to the city.
Dollars spent at the co‑op circulate in Port Orford. They pay local people, support local growers, and strengthen our local economy.
We care about education: healthy living, cooking from scratch, understanding where your food comes from and how it was grown.
The co‑op is more than a store. It's a place to run into your neighbor, talk about the garden, and feel connected to your town.
We aim to be a financially healthy business that contributes to the economic vitality of Port Orford for the long haul.
Our Purpose
The presence of a local co-op benefits the Port Orford community by complementing existing businesses rather than competing with them. The co-op allows:
Contributing to the continuing viability of local farms.
Money spent at the co‑op stays in Port Orford, strengthening the local economy.
A wider variety of healthy, organic, and natural foods available right here in town.
An educational service to the community in regard to healthy living and health-supportive cooking and eating habits.
A place for discussions and sharing information about the environment, economic localization, and other topics of concern.
Contributing to the economic vitality of Port Orford for the long haul.
Solar-Powered Growth
In 2020, volunteers built a solar-powered expansion to our building. Most of the work was done by dedicated community members who showed up with tools and enthusiasm. It's a perfect example of what this co-op is about: neighbors building something together.