Organic David, Organic Goliath
January 14, 2007
By DAN LEVIN
At the back of the Fourth Street Food Co-op, past the rotting floorboards, cardboard boxes of gold blush apples, and bins of green mung beans and dried mangoes, Dion Workman, a composer from Williamsburg, was pouring bags of goji berries into a new glass display jar.
“They’re from the Himalayas, and they’re organic,” said Mr. Workman, who joined the co-op last summer.
Like many of the co-op’s 98 members, Mr. Workman won’t shop at the Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s at Union Square because he wants to support this small, volunteer-run business. But that does not mean the co-op is not concerned about the competition posed by those two relatively new nearby supermarkets specializing in organic foods — not to mention the Whole Foods set to open in April just four blocks away, at Houston and Chrystie Streets.
“That is going to cause some problems for us,” said Mr. Workman, 34, as he placed the jar of berries above a bin filled with sun-dried tomatoes. The tiny co-op, which members say is the only year-round storefront food co-op in Manhattan, is worried because, unlike some other food co-ops, the one on Fourth Street is open to the public. The co-op gets some income from members’ dues and purchases, but if more nonmembers patronize the brand-name organic markets, fewer will shop at Fourth Street.
As a result, the co-op is distinguishing itself by becoming all vegetarian, stocking the shelves exclusively with independent organic brands and supplying local restaurants with bulk orders of organic produce. Members also posted fliers around the city and even set up a MySpace page.
From a space the size of a studio apartment, between the Bowery and Second Avenue, the
Fourth Street co-op has been selling organic local produce, health foods and vegan fare since 1995. It replaced the 20-year-old Good Food Co-op, so local residents have had a co-op on the street for more than three decades.
“I know a lot of the people who live around here by first name,” said Sheila Grosfeld, 68, as she swept up stray lettuce leaves near the cooler. “We talk and exchange recipes and fliers. It’s a real neighborhood place, and our customers are pretty devoted.”
Moreover, as awareness of organic food has increased in recent years, the co-op’s membership and sales have risen. And although there are a decline in shoppers during the summer and a high attrition rate among the transient N.Y.U. students, members are convinced the co-op can weather the storm of rising rents and name-brand superstores because they are committed to the cause.
One recent comment on the co-op’s MySpace page made the point dramatically. “The nutritional yeast is back!” it read. “Hallelujah!!”