Welcome to FCCM!

Vision Statement

"The Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market works for health and sustainability by providing natural foods and products, promoting local suppliers, and offering consumer education in an open community center environment."

Imagine shopping at a store in Fairbanks where you can be sure of the origins of your food. You may even know the local producer. Even better, imagine that you are one of the many owners of the Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market (Co-op Market) along with your neighbors, co-workers, and friends.

The Co-op Market will be a place where you can buy organic and local products, a market dedicated to serving the needs of the members and the community … a place where you can feel good about shopping.

Around the world people have found food co-ops to be a valuable alternative to the big corporate grocery stores. They provide a locally controlled outlet where local producers are prioritized whenever possible.

Here in our corner of the world over 1400 people have already become founding members of Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market (Co-op Market) and many are volunteering their time, expertise and resources to make the vision of a food co-op a reality!

With the generous donation of a little time and a small capital investment we can all work together towards the pleasure of shopping in our own grocery store.

Would you like to lend a hand towards creating our natural and local food co-op? Click on the Committees tab to learn how you can join us in creating a food co-op.

Find out how you can become a member or participate in our member loan program by clicking on the Economic Participation tab.

A market study, was conducted by G2G Research Group and released in July, 2008. The study analyzed two proposed sites and projected sales based on a number of factors. A portion of the old Foodland Building was the recommended site. Go here for the full report.

For more information or to contribute your thoughts, desires and ideas email info@fairbankscoop.org.

The Cooperative Principles

Worldwide over 760 million people are members of cooperatives, united by the the Cooperative Principles

  • VOLUNTARY AND OPEN MEMBERSHIP
  • DEMOCRATIC MEMBER CONTROL
  • MEMBER ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION
  • AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE
  • EDUCATION, TRAINING AND INFORMATION
  • COOPERATION AMONG COOPERATIVES
  • CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY

Adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance 1995.

[Link Here] Article about the Coop in the News-Miner

[Link Here] Battle for the Soul of Organic

Food is a Choice

Food is the one consumer choice we have to make every day. We can use that buying power in a transaction that burns excessive fossil fuels, erodes topsoil, supports multinationals that pay their workers just a few bucks a day -- or the same money could strengthen neighborhood food economies, keep green spaces alive around our towns, and compensate farmers for applying humane values. Every purchase weighs in on one side or the other. It just isn't possible to opt out. Otherwise, if you're going to eat food, you belong to some kind of food chain. The goal of this book is to reveal that truth.

It's not necessary to live on a farm to eat mindfully, but it's necessary to know farms exist, and have some appreciation for what they do. It takes a little background to recognize the social, biological and epicurean differences between CAFOs [Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations] and pasture operations, extractive vs. sustainable farming, or even what will be in season each month of the year. Amazingly, the outcome of responsible choices can be good health, money saved and a happy palate. Really, it's good news.

Barbara Kingsolver

"Fun" facts about food

  • Each year, the average American consumes 260 pounds of imported food.
  • 98.7% of foods imported into the U.S. are NOT inspected by the FDA for safety.
  • Of the scant 1.3% of imported foods the FDA tests, over 200 shipments of grains, fish, vegetables, nuts, spice, oils and other imported foods are detained each month for issues ranging from filth to unsafe food coloring to contamination with pesticides to salmonella.
  • The other 98.7% of untested food is immediately green-lighted for the American diet.
  • The U.S. imports almost twice as much food today as it did just ten years ago, yet the FDA's budget for testing imports has been cut nearly in half since 2000.
  • Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/