4th Street Food Co-op

The 4th Street Food Co-op is a member-run cooperative grocer in the East Village providing organic, bulk, fair-trade, local, seasonal, vegan/vegetarian, high-quality and low-waste food and household products.

We are open to the public (anyone can shop!) and offer discounts to SNAP recipients, seniors, students and members.

What’s a Cooperative?

“A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.”– International Co-operative Alliance

History

In 1995, we replaced the Good Food Coop, which began in 1973 as a buying club and became a storefront food cooperative. We evolved into a mostly-organic health food store, the Good Harvest Cooperative, doing business as “4th Street Food Co-op”. We are presently run by approximately 60 volunteer working members, who work a weekly shift in exchange for a discount. We are also supported by our non-working members, and a core structure of 8 working groups responsible for the operation of the coop.

Our Core Values

Food for people, not for profit.
Our commitment to a member-run cooperative model, with strong ethical principles, supporting local and/or independently owned producers and suppliers and offering products with high environmental and social standards, differentiates us from commercial grocery stores mostly concerned with the cost, turnover, and profit margin of goods. By being a member or shopping at the coop, you support people who contribute to a more equitable and sustainable system of production and trade, which benefits the planet, people and their communities.

Sustainability

All of our products are organic, vegetarian or vegan, and we stock fair trade products when possible. We sell mostly seasonal fruit and vegetables, local when available (for example through Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative), and a large variety of bulk foods (grains, dried fruit, nuts, snacks, etc.). We pay attention to the origin of our products and carefully choose our suppliers, in order to support sustainable producers and distributors. All of the household products we sell follow social and environmental standards (Sustainable Forest certified, etc.), and we offer a wide range of reusable or package-free options.

Community-Oriented

Co-op members and supporters share common values and wish to make it possible for the community to purchase high-quality organic, locally grown, vegetarian or vegan, fair trade, bulk or low-waste products at a reasonable price. The co-op is our co-op.

We work with other community groups that share similar values and support local fundraisers and charitable organizations. We regularly donate extra products to the Loisaida Community Fridge (on 9th St. and Ave. B).

We want to make New York City – and the world – a better place and we offer an organizational model and products that reflect this goal.