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Organic Food Co-op Feasibility Meeting - Opotiki Coast

Submitted by Kazel on 26 July 2008 - 8:05pm | updated 26 Jul 2008 | Event

There has been a great deal of support for an Organic Food Co-operative to be started here in Opotiki.  We have an option of using some space in the Ngaitai Iwi Authority Trust's 'Blue Shed' on the corner of Church and Richard St.

If you are interested in being part of or supporting the existance of an organic food co-op in Opotiki then please come to the meeting at 7pm Weds 30th July at 60 Wellington St, Opotiki.  Contact Kazel on 3155055 or 0210332428 for more details, or reply here.

We will have available a price-list of organic food from Chantals and a copy of the WOK model to discuss and see if it is feasible to run a similar model here.

This is an important event, as if we are able to plan a supported and sustainable food co-op model then we may be able to generate sufficient income to pay rent on the use of the Blue Shed, which would then cover the use for many of our other initiatives.  ie. it is a proposed building block in a bigger picture, while also being a worthwhile initiative on its own.

 

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Yes I am looking foward to

Submitted by Matt on 29 July 2008 - 10:46am.

Yes I am looking foward to this meeting and getting to know all of you out there who hide away in the network somewhere..

 

 

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Minutes from this meeting

Submitted by Kazel on 3 August 2008 - 4:03pm.

Are now available here

 

 

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Thanks for Coop Info

Submitted by James Samuel on 4 August 2008 - 6:33pm.

Hi Kazel,

Thank you for posting the minutes above. I was very impressed with the simplicity of the Raglan model, so it is good to see another group looking at something similar, and I will follow with interest.

It would be great if you could use this site as much as possible as the tool for your activities. On this score you may want to set up a sub group under Opotiki in order to keep the activity distinct and easy to find. Rimu can set this up for you.

If this was possible (to have this coop activity here), it would serve the wider transition community by being an example they could learn from and emulate.

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I think it's already done

Submitted by Kazel on 4 August 2008 - 9:50pm.

Rimu set Opotiki Coast up with a subgroup called food, and so far all it has in it is food co-op stuff.  Maybe later if we get another food project started we'll divide them up again.  Gearing up for the big launch in two weeks.  This will be a big change from awareness raising to tangible action.

Not every town needs/should have a food co-op.  I got a phone call today from transition people in a town that already has organic food shops and a farmer's market.  I wouldn't want to set up a co-op and bypass an existing (and possibly struggling) small organic retail business.  Here in Opotiki we have no other option for organic food, not even the supermarket.

We struggled with making the food co-op fit with the TT model in some ways.  A lot of the food on offer comes from overseas, so we have 'buy local' and food miles issues.  Eventually i would like the co-op to gradually phase out imported food as our local growers come on stream.  My (secret) secondary purpose for the co-op is to build a kind of lasting infrastructure that can quickly adapt to sources of food changing.

I'm really excited about all this virtual reality stuff turning into a real thing.  It's been 9 months since our first TT meeting here.  Remind you of any other process?

 

 

 

 

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