Espanola Community Market

Local Produce! Local Folks! Local Impact!
Want to see a consumer-owned food co-op provide a market for local farmers to sell their produce?

The Espanola Community Market is a local, member-owned grocery cooperative that opened its storefront in June 2012 after several years of effort. The market is located 30 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico in the Espanola Valley, the agricultural heart of the region. HOWEVER--with the exception of the local farmers market open two days a week in the summer--most of the food grown in the valley is not available for purchase here but is trucked to be sold in other communities.

Before the co-op opened, the only option was to drive 35-40 miles, one way, to purchase locally grown, organic or pesticide-free food grown in our backyard.

Purpose of the Cooperative

1. Create a local, year-round outlet for local farmers to sell their produce, grains and beans. Money spent at the local chain stores leaves the valley only to benefit large corporations outside of the state. It makes good common economic sense to keep our money, and our food, local. "¨
2. Offer a place where education about diet, cooking from scratch and making healthy food choices can take place for the local community. Rio Arriba County, in which our co-op is located, has high incidents of diabetes and heart disease.
3. Provide a location to purchase organic, pesticide-free, healthy alternative products without spending the time and gas to make the one hour round-trip drive to Santa Fe. "¨We want to encourage a low carbon footprint in our dry, water-challenged region.
4. Create a sense of community among our richly diverse community. Northern New Mexico is comprised of Native American, Hispanics, Anglos and rich traditions and heritages. "¨The Espanola Co-op is owned by these members who pay an annual or lifetime membership fee, volunteer when they can and support the co-op through shopping. The store is becoming a gathering place for people to meet and visit here in Espanola.

The Espanola Community Market has a loyal, steadily growing clientele (400 plus members) and has shown a small profit that has allowed us to keep the doors open.

We Need You to grow in our offerings and services to the community

Your gift will help:
· Keep the store open more hours
· Hire a part-time manager
· Stock the shelves!

Please check out the REWARDS page to see what you will receive for your generosity.

Thank you!