Rochester co-op helps shoppers fight inflation with bulk goods, $5 dinners

Co-ops are a mainstay in the grocery industry : Places where everyone can shop, memberships are available and the shopping experience veers toward intimate, local, organic and healthy. Abundance Co-op on South Avenue is Rochester's only such business in the city.

The staff there are surfing renewed interest post-COVID pandemic era and focusing on community outreach, including ways for people dealing with inflation to eat more affordably and better.

This year, Abundance has found traction with an interesting pitch to neighbors in a period of inflation: You can make a tasty, healthy, plant-based dinner for $5 a person.

"All bulk ingredients and spices were pre-measured, and the cost for each kit was between $22 and $25 (for a dinner that serves five)," said marketing coordinator Charlene Phillips. The only ingredients not included were kitchen staples like salt, pepper and olive oil.

The recipes are easy and often rely on being able to get a pinch of something good from the bulk section. Some are even more heat-and-eat than cooking.

"We sell a red curry tofu here, which is amazing," she said. "And over in the rice aisle, we have really very natural and healthy rice packets from a really good brand. And so I just one day did a video showing how, heat up this rice, add the tofu, sprinkle on some micro greens, and you're good to go. And you have dinner for less than $5 a person, and a complete meal, right?

"So that's a big part of what we're doing too, is just trying to teach people."

The store ran the class twice a week in the evenings for two months. Response was strong. The effort is part of a mission to diversify people involved in co-ops.

“I think with inflation right now, people don't realize that there are alternatives to shopping at expensive grocery stores," Phillips said.

"We enjoy being a focal point of the neighborhood and giving people a place to come in and feel comfortable. We have fresh food ... and a huge opportunity for people to come get prepared food and lunch items again so much less expensive than any other corporate grocery store you'll find in the city.”

What to find at Rochester's community owned grocery

Abundance staff tries several routes beyond marketing to reach city residents:

• Hosting community events in their meeting space in the store.
• Touting the easy, plentiful parking (unusual for the South Wedge neighborhood) that makes it simple to stop on the way home.
• Explaining how people save money by using their bulk items.
• Running classes, even yoga, in the store.

More: Concerned about climate change? These local businesses are helping residents reduce their carbon footprint

What do they have if you have a lower income?

Lots.

Most importantly, Abundance is only the second grocery store in New York state to join the Double Up Food Bucks incentive program. It gives users of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program up to $20 a day, in matching funds to dollars spent, on qualifying purchases.

They partnered with Field & Fork Network for the SNAP program. "Eligible purchases include fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, like apples, lettuce, carrots and avocados," says the co-op site.

How does Abundance compare to other co-ops?

• The space is open and roomy. It shops like a standard small grocery store . Many co-ops on the East Coast are in tight spaces. This isn’t.
• The produce section is strong, with local vegetables and fruit and a good selection.
• Bulk food and spices are just as they should be.
• There are more than standard choices for bulk cleaners and laundry soap, etc. That gives this area of Rochester more choices for landfill-conscious refilling practices.
• Drinks are bountiful, with a good mix of teas, energy drinks, coffees and beer and wine.
• A Rochester baker, Black Cat Baking, features fantastic fresh baked cinnamon rolls and vegan doughnuts (these are worth trying) every Saturday morning. Those items sell out by Monday often. They also have wrapped items like specialty pound cake slices delivered regularly from other vendors.

Also, the co-op has a store promotion that is discounted for basic items, kind of like Wal-Mart's "Everyday Low Prices" brand. Additionally, Abundance has a focus on wellness and carries all those associated products.

— William Ramsey is an editor with the Democrat and Chronicle.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester co-op helps shoppers fight inflation with bulk goods, $5 dinners