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We, as members of the Lehigh Valley Food Co-op, are concerned about the quality of the foods that we eat. We are a member-owned, run, and governed business emphasizing foods that are local, organic and healthy.  The Co-op will provide members the opportunity to know where their food comes from while helping to sustain their community and local farmers. 

Anyone can become a member.  Being a member gives you part ownership of the Co-op.  It also provides access to local and organically-grown food via our Store-Front and on through our non-profit partnership -  The Virtual Farmers' Market.  

How the Virtual Farmers' Market Works:

Ordering is done from Friday through Tuesday.  Payment is done by paying with cash or check, using Paypal, or by establishing a capital account.  On Thursday evenings, members pick up their orders at the store or one of several drop-off sites.  All food is kept at the proper temperature by being in coolers with ice packs, which are provided by the members.  As the need arises, we hope to add more drop-off locations.

Ownership:

The operation is, at present, run entirely by member work hours.  Each member is asked to complete membership work hours of at least four hours a month.  There are multiple ways that members can volunteer, so there is no need to be available at any specific time.

The Co-op is co-owned by buyers of local food and growers of local food.  Each party contributes a portion of sales to cover the costs of the operation, which include rental of the operation center, rental of the delivery vehicle, website development, paypal fees, accounting, and legal costs.  At present, 2 hour per month volunteer members pay a 16% mark-up on all products and producers pay a 10% mark-up on all products.  This is well below market standards.  Some discounts or rewards are available to buyer-members based their method of payment or on contributing extra volunteering time, 4 hours per month gives a 7% discount and 6 hours per month gives a 12% discount.  We now have a non-working equity share membership that requires a 15% fee for ordering.  Full-time College Students can take advantage of a free membership.   As this is a cooperatively-owned and run operation, all practices are capable of being reviewed by all members periodically.  We have no incentive to overcharge ourselves!  

Feel free to explore how this system works.  Anyone can see how products are sorted.  Not only can members shop by category, they can also shop by producer!  One can also sort by which products are new for the week, or which products are certified organic.  We are committed to honest and transparent labeling, thus, all producers have links to extensive information about their farming practices.   Any new changes will be posted on our homepage in the announcements section.