Seward Community Co-op

Specialties

Seward Co-​op is a member-​owned natural foods grocery store and deli located on Franklin Ave. in Minneapolis, MN. Find high-​quality, local and organic products at our LEED gold level-​certified building. Seward Co-​op has received accolades for our fresh produce, featuring organic, locally-​grown and fair trade items; the in-​house meat and seafood department (sourcing 100% of our meat from local farms); and the local and international cheese selections. Our deli offers hot breakfast, lunch & dinner, plus fresh sandwiches, smoothies, coffee & baked goods to go. Sign up for cooking and wellness classes, held in our upstairs classroom, or stop in for films and discussions on consumer issues. We also have a large bulk goods department & wellness items, as well as plenty of gluten-​free and vegan options. A consumer-​owned co-​op celebrating our 40^th anniversary in 2012! Open 8 am — 10 pm daily.

History

Established in 1972.

Seward Co-​op opened in 1972 on the corner of 22^nd & Franklin Avenues in Minneapolis, MN. At that time, we were run by a core group of volunteers and had a small selection of products, with an emphasis on bulk goods. Despite challenges in the early ‘80s, membership and sales began to increase once the board and collective adopted a general management structure. Seward reincorporated as a consumer co-​op, patronage refunds were introduced and volunteering was no longer required of members. By 1987, we expanded and sales soon topped $ 1 million.

In 1998, we opened the doors of a new store on Franklin Ave. One year later, sales, staff and membership had doubled. In 2005, the co-op’s board of directors recognized the community would support an even larger space. Seward Co-​op members invested $ 1.4 million in a new store expansion project, and we opened our current building in 2009. Today, we have 13,000 square feet of retail space, more than 10,000 members, and annual sales of $ 28 million.