Cooperative Character: The Bozo Coop

Text and photos by Lyle Ford

Back in May 2007, the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op board of directors sent me on a co-op trek...a three month mission to seek out new co-ops and to boldly photograph them inside and out and meet with their managers...and to bring back information to assist us in our own start-up food co-op effort here in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

This is the story of one of those co-ops I found along the way, which just happened to be in my home state of Montana.

The Bozeman Community Food Co-op is a highly successful natural food cooperative in southwestern Montana, one of several food co-ops I visited recently on a road trip from Arizona up to Montana and back.

Looking like three enormous barns set side-by-side and thus echoing it's agricultural roots, the "Bozo Coop", as it is affectionately called, is hard to miss as you drive down Main Street of Bozeman. Located directly across from a worse-for-the-wear Safeway, the Bozo Coop is a $10 million thriving business employing over 100 people. Started in 1979, the co-op came a long way from a handful of Montanans coming together to buy bulk food to it's status now as one of the most productive food cooperatives in the country.

Home to Montana State University, Bozeman is the hub for agriculture, recreation, and science in the region, as well as being the area featured in The Horse Whisperer and A River Runs Through It. This makes Bozeman an ideal location in Montana for a food cooperative.

General Manager Kelly Wiseman, sporting his trademark beard and Bozo Coop cap, is particularly proud of the co-op's deli, salad bar, and grab-n-go food selections. Prepared foods are a big seller for the Bozo Coop and as I stood in the center of the store talking with Kelly, I could feel the energy of the people who were coming and going all around us, some zipping in for a quick drink and bite and others leisurely pushing shopping carts filled with all sorts of great natural food. The cashiers were friendly and the people stocking shelves in the various departments all were smiling and offering to assist customers. One could not help but feel good being in the Bozo Coop.

The upper story of the store is a coffee bar and dining area with a stage. I saw several people buying food downstairs and taking it up to the eating area to enjoy the ambiance and relaxing view.

Outside the entrance were two entire walls for information, posters, flyers, and business cards. Nearby were several outdoor tables with people enjoying the summer air.

Ample parking in the back of the store made for an easy time finding a resting place for my road-weary car and an opportunity to see co-op employees breaking down cardboard boxes and cleaning the loading area.

The clientele was mixed, all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, but with one commonality: they were all happy. And that is what co-ops are about.

What Bozeman Community Food Co-op brought to Bozeman, Montana is what we intend to bring to Sierra Vista, Arizona. Sierra Vista will be well served when the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative, Inc. opens the doors to its new store. Please support this effort in Sierra Vista by clicking here.

Lyle Ford
Project Manager
Sierra Vista Market
www.sierravistamarket.com
GO CO-OP!