Naturally Rooted, Group Seeks to Open Cooperative Grocery Store

The seed of an idea for a cooperative grocery store featuring fresh, locally grown food is taking root in Racine.

A 12-person steering committee is hard at work planning the grocery store, dubbed Wild Root Market. The group hopes that by the end of 2012, Racine will enjoy a new, member-owned, full-service grocery store that sells local produce and dairy products.

“Our vision is to have a full-service, retail grocery store with an in-house bakery, an in-house deli, a lunch counter, and all the other departments that you would find in any other grocery store. We want it to be a very attractive place to shop. Our biggest priority is showcasing local foods,” said Colleen Wilkinson, the committee’s chairwoman, and a Wind Point homemaker and mom.

The group envisions a store employing about 30 people at fair wages that features organic and local produce from Wisconsin’s agricultural bounty: milk, artisan cheese, cranberries, cherries, apples, cabbages, beets, corn, and the many other foods grown in Wisconsin.

A cooperative grocery story is owned by its members, she explained, who pay a yearly fee to belong. However, anyone can shop at a cooperative grocery store: membership means having a voice in how the grocery store is operated.

Wild Root Market began as a conversation among a group of young mothers who wished for a grocery store in downtown Racine. One of the moms, Amanda Paffrath, who owns Funky Hannahs and Hot Glass in downtown Racine, invited a couple who run a cooperative grocery store in Minneapolis to speak to the women. Their talk inspired the women to form a committee and formally begin the work of opening a cooperative grocery store in Racine. The steering committee includes an architect, a human resource specialist, advertising professional, a nutrition counselor, a nurse, and a lawyer.

Heidi Fannin, a committee member and Caledonia resident, owns Body Wellness, a nutrition and health counseling service, said she learned the value of locally grown food because her family had a big garden when she was growing up.

“You naturally eat locally and seasonally when you have a garden,” said Fannin.  “I have learned the value of knowing where your food comes from, decreasing food miles, and having as fresh as possible food.”

The Wild Root group has a website, newsletter, and Facebook page. They have applied for a market study grant, and committee member and architect Jim Chambers has scouted about 20 locations in downtown Racine, West Racine, and other areas.

While a need for a grocery store downtown was the original motivation for developing Wild Root, a lack of plentiful parking makes a downtown location somewhat challenging, said Wilkinson.The Downtown Racine Development Corp. has been advising the committee on real estate and logistical issues, she said, but the group is also looking at sites outside of downtown Racine.

While families with young children, middle-aged professionals, and college students are the demographic groups most likely to be interested in a grocery store featuring fresh, locally produced foods, they hope that everyone in Racine and the surrounding communities will enjoy shopping there.

Fannin noted that the group’s vision is for “it to be convenient for our community to purchase quality food, locally sourced  when possible, with great service! “

The group will present an information session at 1 p.m. on March 24 at First Presbyterian Church and also plans to attend upcoming health fairs and runs to spread the word about Wild Root Market.

“We just encourage everyone to learn about what we are trying to do,” Wilkinson said. “Some people may think ‘this isn’t for me, because I don’t cook that often’, but the reality is that we will also be an employer. We will be a big part of Racine’s future, and the fact that this is happening is really exciting.”

More information on Wild Root Market can be found at www.wildrootmarket.com and www.facebook.com/#!/thewildrootmarket.