The Menomonie Market Food Co-op is celebrating its Golden Jubilee, or 50th anniversary, this year. The community-owned grocery vendor occupies two locations: one in Menomonie and one in Eau Claire.
Through Oct. 8, the Eau Claire store featured a celebratory display commemorating Menomonie Market’s history and where it is today.
“It was a cool celebration and it was nice to bring the community together,” cashier Kylie Morgan said.
Morgan is a Chippewa Valley Tech graduate who has worked at the co-op for just over a month. Morgan said she enjoyed chatting with owners and community members about the anniversary and the history of the co-op.
The Menomonie Market’s two stores were not always intertwined. The Eau Claire location began in the early 2000s as its own entity, Just Local Food. Following the loss of two store leaders in 2020, Just Local Food signed an agreement to officially merge with Menomonie’s co-op.
Founded in 1974 by a group of Menomonie residents, the organization’s total ownership count has risen to 4,500 in the past half a century. Originally started as a food-buying club and fueled by volunteer work, the co-op’s simple overarching goal was “creating access to good food.”
Throughout its history, Menomonie Market’s Eau Claire branch has seen many homes. Until fall of last year, the co-op resided in a small building on South Farwell Street.
Following the 2022 allocation of over $1.6 million in owner investments and loans, the Eau Claire store embarked on a large-scale expansion project. In 2022, the co-op broke ground on its own brand-new building on North Barstow Street.
Stasha Bittner first began shopping at the Eau Claire co-op when it was still Just Local Food.
“I think it’s awesome because it’s still in a similar area and I love the space,” Bittner said of the move. “Just to see the new different people coming in now … more people are aware of it, which is cool.”
Today, the co-op offers a wide selection of produce, deli and other grocery items ranging from everyday products to gourmet commodities.
“We love to come here at least once a week,” Bittner said. “We particularly love their pizza rolls. The brown butter on their baked goods is also on point.”
The Menomonie Market’s structure involves a board of seven directors. These directors serve as a governing body that selects policies and oversee management. Each member serves a three-year term and is elected by co-op members. Several new directors are elected each fall.
The Eau Claire store is still partially funded by ownership investments. Community members can become owners of their local co-op by paying a fee and filling out an application. At Menomonie Market, the cost for a lifetime ownership is $100.
Owners receive an extra 10% off co-op discounts, exclusive coupons, bulk and case discounts and other deals throughout the year. The co-op hosts regular owner appreciation days and an annual owner meeting.
This year, ownership appreciation days are from Oct. 1-31. The annual ownership meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 420 Wilson Ave.
“I think it’s a great thing for our community to have local and fresh produce come in. All the customers are really nice and it’s a wonderful place to meet people,” Morgan said.
Wojahn can be reached at [email protected].
