Blog

A harvest from our agricultural fields can look different depending on the choices of the farmer, the breeder, the chef, the eater, and us – the grocer. The human decisions we are responsible for in our food system start in the soil and end in our gut. The food connection we share at Open Harvest is the value we can invest in how our food is grown, raised, transported, cared for, and cooked. Our community grocery store is unique, and we’ve transformed throughout the past 46 years; from a bulk buying club, to a 501c3 nonprofit, to a legally defined cooperative that we are today. Not only has our organization evolved, but our location has changed to continue to meet the needs of our member-owners.

 

The upcoming transition to a new store will be another milestone for us. Two important collective decisions are how we invest our capital locally and live out our cooperative Ends Statement. The new location of our store will determine the size, the programming, the products, and the people we serve in Lincoln. As we decide how to best serve our community, it will take all of us to come to the table and embark on the relocation process together.

 

We are 2,300 members strong today and with a bold, inclusive, and forward reaching vision we can become a healthier community that includes a larger welcome mat at our new home. In the next few months, we will launch our member funding campaign. In early 2022, we will secure a location we are excited about and fits our criteria. In late 2023, we’ll put the final construction touches on a new store that we are all proud to call Open Harvest. A business we own together.

 

Let’s create a vibrant, diverse, inclusive space that allows us to challenge each other, learn together, cook together, appreciate different cultures together, and become a healthier community together. Let’s keep our minds and hearts open to the new home we will choose, together.

 

Wally Graeber

Board Chair