Read some stories of the Co-op from back in the day, and learn about what makes this place so special!
"I remember the first time I came into the Berkshire Co-op and my eyes opened up with delight!!! It seems like decades ago!
"I had never seen such beautiful organic and local fruits and veggies displayed so colorfully before. I couldn’t wait to have some of these healthy foods housed in my own refrigerator so my family and I could enjoy eating them.
"The feeling back then was like I was in a friend’s home rather than in a big supermarket. It felt more like a family run business since I immediately became an owner that day! Then it became a home away from home for me and my family!
"The sales in bulk made it possible to buy the foods I cherish the most and have them in my home for a longer time. I still love to buy in bulk!
"I continue to get excited whenever I come to the Berkshire Food Co-op! The atmosphere still feels like home. I still love to stock up with my favorites. And it still remains my very favorite place to shop!"
- Bella, Owner for “as long as I can remember”
"Do you know how the co-op began? I remember before there was a co-op on Rosseter St. a truck used to come about twice a month with our orders. There was a group of us. We would take 25 pound bags of brown rice, almonds, or 12 juices to a carton etc. off the truck and divide it all into small amounts that we all shared. We even had a scale to measure. The truck parked in front of the building on Rosseter St. which eventually became the original Co-op. And many of us volunteered back then at the Co-op. That was a long time ago."
- Ellen, Owner “since the very beginning”
"One of the reasons I moved to Great Barrington was because of the Co-op. My first encounter with the Co-op was back in the 80's?!!! I remember buying food in a tiny stone-like cave while on vacation in the Berkshires with my Mom. We got miso soup and rice and maybe a veggie or two. It was raining LOL! Fast forward a decade and I had been touring as a dancer and in each town we'd perform in I'd look for a co-op. It would help me get grounded, and find "my people." And while in residency at Jacob's Pillow I found the Berkshire Food Co-op and became an Owner, I think back in the 90's? Could it be?! Somewhere in all of that, I new that when I moved here I would work at the Co-op. But probably the best story is I met one of my beloveds while at the Co-op!"
- Tom, Owner for 30+ years and current Co-op employee
"I have preferred quality, sustainable, and healthy food most of my adult life - When I first started visiting the Berkshires, I was so excited to find the Co-op on Rosseter Street - I have always felt the Co-op was more than just a healthy market. I later became a Board member so I could actively contribute to the mission. There are many great choices in the Berkshires for healthy options, but none are as holistic and genuine as our Co-op."
- Victor, Owner for “a looooong time”
“I got married in the Co-op café! This is what I tell people and it’s true. When my husband and I got married in 2007, our friends who officiated had flown in from Colorado and forgot to get their license to marry us. After they admitted this (a few days after the ceremony!!) I remembered that a friend of mine had just obtained her ministers license by mail from Nevada which allowed her to marry people. We decided to meet at the Co-op have lunch in the café and sign the paperwork. My husband, unfortunately, had a meeting come up, so I got married (alone!) at one of the little tables in the other Bridge street location eating my favorite Rosseter St. fakin’ bacon BLT. Both the setting and the marriage were perfection…. Still are.”
- Dena, Owner 21 years
“In 2004 I moved from Brattleboro, Vermont, to Sheffield, MA. In Brattleboro I had been employed at the Brattleboro Food Co-op for many years, and one of the first things I did when I arrived in Sheffield was to look up the local food co-op. You had just moved into your [first Bridge Street] building from your original "hole in the wall." I became an active member of the Berkshire Food Co-op and shop here to this day. I miss the former store, but I am dedicated to BFC and what we stand for. I am now almost 85 years old, so someone usually shops for me, but I still manage to get there from time to time, and I wish you all the best.”
- Marian, Owner for 20 years
“I believe that one important way we can make the world a better place is by carefully deciding what to buy and what not to buy, and where to buy it. I want to carefully screen my purchases, according to my values, such as organic, natural, fair trade, local, etc. But who has time to research and vet every brand/company?! This is something I really appreciate about the Co-op: they do the filtering for me, and they do a good job. So I can save time, and feel good about my purchases. That is why I've been a Co-op owner/shopper for 16 years, and will be for another 16! Thank you so much!”
- Shawn, Owner for 16 years
A letter from Chandler’s daughter, written when she was 5, about what the Co-op means to her.
“In 1985 I came to the Berkshires for the first time. I was vegan then and the Co-op was the ONLY store in the Berkshires that sold tofu, tempeh, seaweed, miso, etc. At the old store on Rosseter St, I was very pregnant in April 1996. Reggie was at the cash register and introduced me to an OB/GYN nurse [who worked] at Fairview. I was going to have a home birth, but I had to be rushed to the hospital on April 18, 1996. Luckily, the nurse I met at the Co-op was there on that Thursday night; the only person I knew at Fairview. She has since moved away so I no longer run into her at the Co-op.”
- Chandler, Owner for 39 years
“The Co-op has been a longtime favorite of my family. My husband and I became members when it was in the old building across the parking lot. The store was small and cozy back then and luckily it kept all of its charm moving into the bigger building. I can always count on the consistency of the high-quality and affordable products sold here. No other store compares! Many times, I’ve researched something online only to happily find that the Co-op has it. To say that the staff are friendly and attentive is an understatement. Whether discussing vitamins, produce, art or UFOs, they are always helpful. I work for The Non-GMO Project and am grateful to have a local Co-op market that does so much for the community. I recommend it to everyone I know!”
- Brogan, Owner for 10 years
“I've been a member of the Co-op since the old days on Rosseter Street. My Co-op story is that 3 years ago a 95-year-old gentleman parked on Bridge Street alongside the Co-op had lost his car keys. He had no cell phone and seemed quite confused as to what to do. I did not have a cell phone either so I went into the Co-op assuming I would run into someone I knew so I could borrow their cell phone to call the GB police. I could not find a friend shopping. I went to Jessica, told her the story, and she helped by offering the store phone to get help. The happy ending is because I knew someone at the Co-op would want to help. That is no small thing to me. Knowing there is a community feeling inside.”
Stella the Co-op kitty
“Out of nowhere I started thinking, "If I had a girl cat, I would name her Stella." I went shopping at the Co-op, when it was still on Rosseter Street. At the cash register there was a photo of a kitten and writing that asked if anyone wanted to adopt this female kitten. I went to see the kitten who was in the Co-op office watching goldfish swim across the computer screen. Her little head swinging back and forth. I took her home and named her Stella. Stella had been found by the dumpster outside the Co-op and was a bit feral. Over time she became an indoor cat but had to be kept at a distance from children, and guests were warned not to approach her. Though Stella had a tendency to lash out, she also learned to love and be loved. Eventually she had two new adopted kitty sisters, Lillie and Nellie from a rescue. Over the years we all became a loving family. Stella lived for 20 years and passed on Valentine's Day 6 years ago. The love lives on.”
- Thea, Owner for “quite a while”
“About 10 years ago I was struggling financially. I was going through the cooler looking for a prepackaged salmon and rice that I could afford. A woman came up next to me and kindly asked what I was doing. Feeling very ashamed and on the verge of tears I explained. She said that no one should have to do that and gave me a $20 dollar bill. I felt so blessed. And I have paid it forward.”
- Nima, Owner for 16 years
“I joined the Berkshire Food Co-op in 1986 soon after moving to the area. I began buying organic produce, but I especially loved the fresh kimchi pickles the Co-op was selling in bulk in the Rosseter Street location. Six months later, at a vegetarian live jazz potluck party in Otis, I sat down next to an interesting fellow who was working on a masters degree in ethnobotany from Harvard. I later learned that he was the “pickle man” responsible for the delicious kimchi being sold at the Co-op. I had been a botanical illustrator for many years, and we hit it off immediately. Little did I know the “pickle man” was someone that I would eventually marry. The rest of the story is history, yet I do believe the Co-op played a small role in the trajectory of our lives.”
- Margot, Owner for 38 years
“My oldest daughter actually took her first steps in the cafe of the old co-op, which mostly goes to show how much time we spent there kvetching with Scott and eating pizza. :)”
- Amy, Owner for 12 years
“When the bulk aisle first opened, I was a mischievous young lad, and I unleashed the entire supply of dark chocolate covered almonds onto the floor. With a toasted multigrain Naan bread, I was able to surf around the store on the almonds, which acted like ball bearings under my feet, swiping groceries off the shelf and into my mother's awaiting cart. Here we are, years later, and she has yet to live down the embarrassment she experienced that day.”
- Johnny, Owner “since the original Co-op opened”
"Ten years ago when I moved from the "boonies" to the "big city" of GB, one of the biggest thrills was to actually walk 10 minutes to the Co-op (instead of drive 25 minutes). I found myself shopping and eating there very often as I felt as though I was now in a real community. It was a joy to get to know the various employees as I was there on a very regular basis. It almost seemed a day was not complete without even just a walk to the Co-op, even when I didn't always buy something, I just had to go check on "my community". Having been a member since the Rosseter St. days, it's been a thrill to see all the stages of growth the Co-op has gone through."
- Rosemary, Owner “since the late '80s”