Why the Manly Food Co-op Crowd Fund was so Important

Manly Food Co-op raised $52,605 on Pozible & crowd funded more than money

With just under two days to go and 286 paying supporters, in pure local style, the Manly Food Co-op sailed past it's Pozible Crowd Funding target by $2,605 into what we all hope will now be a long term safe harbour.

With apologies for all the suspect metaphors and setting aside the fact that my heart lives in Manly, it is so important that food co-ops like the amazing Manly Food Co-op survive. The irony of money being the thing that nearly tips you out of business is instructive because money is very much a tool for a co-op rather than its central objective. The central objective is simple survival. And its survival is very important. 

Co-ops stand for so many fundamentally important community and social values and structures. For starters they can only exist because of community membership, through which is created a default meeting place, volunteering opportunity, trading platform and of course, good cheap food, grown locally. 

Being part of a co-op means the chance to get involved or not, meet the growers or not, have a say in what is on the shelves or not. There is a real power in the kind of control a co-op has over what, how, when, with who and where it chooses to do business.

Now all this might sound a bit over the top for a little local shop that has been quietly serving its 600 members for over 21 years, but we live in a society where most people actually have no control over these things. Think about it.



Co-ops are a kind of beacon for taking back control in a decent, nice to meet you, oh you grew my capsicum kind of way.

As it continues to become cooler to find fresh, local, I know who grew it organic food, these kind of institutions will become more mainstream. Fresh local food, no packaging, low waster and low prices that support people you see in the street are increasingly important to every community.  Not just the hippy dippy ones who started it all.

And you only have to look at the fruit & vegetable section now at the front of Coles and Woolworths to know they are well on to that. As supermarkets try and look as down home, friendly and meet the farmer as they possibly can. (Not to mention the millions spent on presenting Exhibit A: Everyday Shopper, Exhibit B: Honest Farmer, who we really aren't fleecing Exhibit C: Celebrity Chef to sell all this to you.)

In the end however, it's caveat emptor if you by your produce at a supermarket. They simply don't have the means to provide the level of fresh and local that a co-op, greengrocer, farm gate or farmers market does.

We are hopeful that one of the by products of the Manly Food Co-op's shave with insolvency and subsequent crowd fund will give them  some broader profile and support.

Manly Food Co-op were open about their financial position and intend to use most of the funds to pay debts and to bring in a new Board of Directors. They raised the majority of their funds selling experiences, memberships and some products. 

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