Yesterday, on May 1st, after fourteen years of organizing, community building, and business planning, the Detroit People’s Food Co-op (DPFC) opened the doors of its store to the Detroit community. We are overjoyed for the 3,000 (and counting!) community owners, their neighbors, board, staff, volunteers, and partners.
The opening of this Black-led, community-owned grocery store is truly historic. As they shared in a recent press release, the DPFC “is more than just a grocery store; it is a beacon of hope and resilience for the people of Detroit.” Detroit residents have long faced the consequences of historic redlining, disinvestment, and structural racism, including a lack of stable access to affordable, high-quality food. The DPFC aims to break this cycle while at the same time building Black food sovereignty within Detroit’s North End and beyond.
The DPFC is a leader in the startup food co-op community, and it has been a true honor to work and learn alongside these brilliant cooperators. They have mentored and inspired other startup food co-ops across the country, and taught us at FCI so much about community organizing and co-op development. We’re grateful to the DPFC leadership for consistently lending their experience and knowledge to the startup movement through our FCI Live series and FCI Peer Learning Groups, as well as at the Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference. The DPFC won Up & Coming’s Best of the Best Award in 2023 and the Bill Gessner Startup Food Co-op of the Year Award in 2022.
Read the rest at Food Co-op Initiative
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