In mid-April, National Co+op Grocers (NCG) released its “2024 Food Co-op Impact Report,” showing strong sales growth and continuing leadership by co-ops in local, organic, and Fair Trade product sales. Click here for a pdf of the full report.

Same-store sales growth among NCG co-ops was a strong 4.7 percent, compared to overall US retail grocery sales growth of under 3 percent. (That was in a volatile and somewhat inflationary market. According to the federal Economic Research Service, 2024 food inflation was 2.3 percent.)

NCG currently has 165 member co-ops operating some 240 stores in 39 states across the US, with a combined sales volume of about $2.3 billion. On average, each co-op employs 100 people.

In these retail food co-ops, 24 percent of products sold are local, compared to 2 percent among conventional grocers. Organics comprise 37 percent of food co-op sales, but only 3 percent among conventional grocers. And co-ops on average work with 175 local producers, while conventional grocers source from 41 local producers on average. Fair Trade certified products are 6 percent of sales at food co-ops, 4 percent at private natural foods stores, and 0.5 percent at conventional stores.

The report also details food co-op advocacy efforts in many areas and lists key organic and social justice allies. Columinate and NCG are partners as well, collaborating closely on providing Columinate Financial Service to a growing number of NCG member co-ops.