According to The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, “360 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually, with 50 percent coming from packaging, and 30 percent from construction, industry, and agriculture plastic waste.” Plastics tax our waste management systems and, when improperly processed and disposed of, release chemicals into our environment. At our store, you will be able to use your own reusable containers or bags. This not only saves our planet the burden of plastic waste and our bodies from increasing toxic chemical exposure, it saves us all money as well.

The work of finding food that is ethically sourced and good for you is overwhelming. It is more than a full-time job to keep up with changing science on food additives, not to mention changing ingredients in processed foods. The Co-op would be committed to doing a lot of that work for you and only stocking products which meet our community standards for their production and packaging.

Each and every one of the community's cultural groups will see themselves reflected in our offerings. We will offer ancient grains, traditional herbs, and a wondrous collection of spices from all over the world. And you can shop with confidence knowing that each item was carefully vetted for your and our planet’s safety.

The preponderance of mono-cropping and the over-reliance on just a few foods in our diet has led to a myriad of modern problems: increasing rates of allergies, soil depletion, loss of biodiversity. The Co-op has a team of people that are knowledgeable about traditional food stuffs from many different cultures around the world.

The Co-op will not just be a business. It will be a community-created “third place” where all people from our diverse community will be welcome. In time, the Co-op will run educational programs and hold events to serve our community in more ways than one. Imagine strolling through the center after enjoying lunch at one of the Center’s restaurants or taking the kids to Cary library. Rather than having to get into a car and drive to a supermarket to be prepared for the rest of your weekend meals, you are able to continue that stroll to your community market. There you meet your friend with the same idea, chat with the store manager who you see every time you stop by, read about upcoming events, and get most of your essentials before you continue your walk home. 

Our Co-op is working on partnerships with organizations such as LexFarm and Farmers to You to provide a stable storefront from which their goods and services can be purchased, picked up, or advertised. As these kinds of establishments gain more and more support, the cost of responsibly produced products will also drop.

Most of our nearby supermaket-style grocery stores are owned by one of the 11 corporations that own nearly all of the food supply stores in the US.

Stop and Shop is owned by Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize, Whole Foods by Amazon, and Trader Joe's by Aldi. 

An over-reliance on a few suppliers who source essential items, for example baby-formula, from far away places, was partially responsible for the critical shortages that people suffered all over the world during COVID-19.

A network of co-ops like ours (and also other small conventionally owned grocers) across New England can be one viable balancing force against monopolization, over-concentration of economic power, and supply chain vulnerability.

Read About Lina Khan and Grocery Monopolies at The Guardian

The MBTA communities law will make living in Lexington more accessible to people of diverse backgrounds. A community grocery store that is easily walkable or bikeable from many of the newly zoned multifamily housing districts in town will bring significant flexibility for a wide array of our community members. For those of our community members who may be going through difficult financial times, our Co-op will accept SNAP benefits and can eventually provide or coordinate food assistance programs. Community initiatives that increase access to essentials, such as the Co-op, increase the likelihood that families of our teachers, emergency and town services workers, retail staff can all live close to where they work and rely on less vehicles per family on average.