Welcome to Prairie Food Co-op, a community-owned grocery store located in Lombard, IL. We aim to provide local, sustainably grown, and organic produce, meat, and dairy products, as well as dry goods, bulk foods, frozen foods, and all other staples you would expect from a grocery store.
Construction on our store is underway at the Eastgate Shopping Center, where we will be located next door to Ace Hardware! You can learn more about our physical store and its location here.
Our Mission
Our Ends
ENDS are succinct, clear statements for how the Prairie Food Co-op desires to function as both a business and a community. They are intended to be a high-level expression of the board’s vision for operations and culture.
ENDS help establish expectations for how the co-op is experienced by our owners, employees and visitors.
At Prairie Food Co-op, we are committed to providing honest and transparent labeling, encouraging sustainable food production, and promoting community building and environmental stewardship. Our ‘ENDS’ expand upon those ideals:
Our Impact
We strive to educate consumers about their food choices and connect them with food producers so that they have a better understanding of how their food was produced. We provide great jobs with fair wages and benefits and are democratically run, meaning that shoppers own the store. This gives the community direct say in the products and services available in their neighborhood’s grocery store.
As a cooperative business, Prairie Food Co-op operates for the benefit of the community it serves. People, not profits, drive the business, which has a significant positive impact on the local community and economy. We encourage you to become a Prairie Food Co-op Owner today, supporting local farmers and providing better year-round access to local and sustainable food, encouraging environmental stewardship, and building a store committed to educating consumers about food and putting shoppers first.
Our Farmers & Producers
We are not looking to be just any “typical” grocery store. Prairie Food Co-op will connect our community to as much local, fresh, organic, and sustainable food and goods as possible, in a grocery store format. Gaps in product selection will need to be filled with more conventional products (we do live in the Midwest where certain products can’t be grown!) thoughtfulness and careful consideration will be behind every decision for what is on our shelves and sold in our store.
Our Commitment
We want to not only provide exceptional products to customers that shop in our store, but to also uplift and empower those who have been historically overlooked by big chain grocery stores. Prairie Food Co-op is committed to making it a priority to include Indigenous-, BIPOC-, and women-owned farms and food businesses.
Vendor Application Form
As we near opening day, we’re searching for our pioneering General Manager. Among the laundry list of other tasks that will be on their plate, the General Manager will review all vendor applications and contact those who are a good fit for the needs of the co-op.
We encourage you to submit your New Vendor Application here. We appreciate your interest in Prairie Food Co-op!
Join us at Prairie Food Co-op and be a part of a cooperative community dedicated to providing healthy choices and caring for our community.