Food Shed

What Food Shed does

Food Shed Co-op, legally the McHenry County Food Cooperative, is a member-owned grocery cooperative incorporated under Illinois Cooperative Law in January 2014 and operating a single full-service grocery store at 2390 Lake Shore Drive, Woodstock, Illinois, which opened in May 2024. The cooperative is owned by nearly 3,000 community member-owners who purchased common stock shares ($200-$1,000 per household) and exercise one-member-one-vote democratic governance. The store serves the McHenry County community with fresh and locally sourced produce, organic and natural groceries, grab-and-go deli items, bulk foods, and household goods, with a documented preference for sourcing from farmers and producers within 150 miles (30 miles preferred).

The business operates on a transaction-based retail model selling to both owners and non-owner shoppers — ownership is not required to shop — supplemented by one-time owner share purchases, recurring donations, and ticketed community events and classes. It is a member of the National Co+op Grocers Association, which pools buying power and provides access to national Co+op Deals. Underlying technology is limited to a WordPress-based website, conventional point-of-sale retail systems, and an owner login portal; the company has no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or AI capabilities. Revenue is supported by weekly sales averaging just over $47,000 as of January 2026, against a stated $65,000 weekly break-even threshold, with cash reserves having fallen from a three-year cushion to 60 days and a $50,000 matched emergency fundraising campaign underway as of that date.

Name

Food Shed

Legal name

McHenry County Food Cooperative

Website

https://foodshed.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food Shed Co-op is a member-owned grocery cooperative operating a single full-service store in Woodstock, Illinois, serving McHenry County residents with locally sourced produce, organic groceries, and grab-and-go deli items under one-member-one-vote democratic governance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community-owned grocery retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Co-ops with In-Store Prepared Foods & Deli (CRAHALAF), Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG)

Keywords

• Community-owned grocery
• Natural organic produce
• Local food cooperative
• Specialty grocery store
• Fresh produce retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodstock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling groceries, produce, deli items, and household goods to customers in-store. Sales are transaction-based at point of purchase.
2. Owner Membership Fees: One-time ownership shares purchased by member-owners ($200-$1,000) providing equity capital for store operations. Monthly payment plans also available ($21/month for 10 months).
3. Donations: Direct donations accepted to support the co-op's operations. Tax-deductible options available through fiscal sponsor Cooperative Development Fund of CDS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Food Shed Co-op operates a full-service community-owned grocery store in Woodstock, Illinois, selling fresh locally sourced produce, natural and organic groceries, grab-and-go deli items, bulk foods, wellness products, and household staples. The store is open daily to the general public and is governed by nearly 3,000 member-owners who purchase ownership shares and receive benefits such as monthly discounts, voting rights, and patronage dividends.

Product overview

Food Shed Co-op operates as a single full-service grocery store cooperative, not a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the community-owned grocery store at 2390 Lake Shore Drive, Woodstock, IL, which opened in May 2024. Supporting offerings include a Grab & Go deli with prepared foods, multiple savings programs (Fresh Deals, Co+op Deals, Co-op Basics), an owner membership program with voting rights and monthly discounts, a Wooden Nickel charitable giving program, an Art Wall community display program, and recurring events and workshops. The store emphasizes locally sourced produce, organic options, and support for local farmers and producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Grocery Store Community-owned full-service grocery store offering fresh locally sourced produce, natural and organic groceries, wellness items, bulk foods, and household staples. Open daily 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM in Woodstock, Illinois.
• Grab & Go Deli Ready-to-eat meals prepared daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring fresh baked goods, hot coffee, cold salads, sandwiches, wraps, heat-and-serve items, and vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.
• Fresh Deals / Co+op Deals Weekly Sales Weekly rotating discounts on fresh locally sourced produce and wellness items, including Fresh Deals flyers and Co+op Deals made available through membership in the National Cooperative Grocers Association.
• Co+op Basics Everyday low prices on popular grocery and household staples including beans, broth, pasta, and paper towels, with many organic products, identified by the purple Co-op Basics label.
• Owner Membership Program One-time ownership share purchase ($200–$1,000) providing equity capital, voting rights, a welcome coupon, 10% off one monthly shopping trip, early access to events, and owner-only sale flyers. Available in Basic ($200), 14 Carrot ($300), 18 Carrot ($400), 24 Carrot ($500), and Cornucopia ($1,000) tiers, with a monthly installment plan of $21/month for 10 months.
• Events and Workshops Community classes and workshops including health seminars, art workshops (Zentangle, fused glass), cooking classes, bird-feeding workshops, and poetry readings, with individual event ticket pricing (e.g., Zentangle $15, Fused Glass Workshop $25, Bird Feeding $5, Cardiometabolic Health class free).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,700 McHenry County owner-members as of 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Co+op Grocers (NCG/NCGA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood Shed Co-op is a member of the National Co+op Grocers Association (NCGA). Through this membership, the co-op pools buying power with other cooperative groceries nationwide to obtain better sale prices from distributors than it could achieve alone. NCG publishes national Co-op Deals that provide sale items to member co-ops.
• Gallant Building SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrystal Lake, Illinois-based construction firm selected to build the Food Shed Co-op grocery store. Worked with architect DDCA (also from Crystal Lake) to design and construct the building.
• Middlebury FarmscoreOthersCertified organic vegetable farm in Harvard, IL owned by Peter Grubbe, a first-generation farmer and McHenry County native with over 10 years experience. Provides CSA Farm Box program, farmers markets produce, and restaurant supply. Grows wide variety including garlic, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and more.
• Just Coffee CooperativecoreOthersWorker-owned, fair-trade, and organic coffee roasting cooperative in Madison, Wisconsin. Works with more than 15 grower cooperatives around the world, importing beans through Cooperative Coffees. Known for transparency in pricing to farmers.
• Ethereal Craft ChocolateminorOthersLocal craft chocolate maker. Philosophy of bringing people together through food, using slow traditional methods. Started with small savings, built into business without corporate sponsors.
• From Spore to MoreminorOthersFox River Grove's premier gourmet mushroom shop, established April 2022. Dedicated to cultivating diverse gourmet mushrooms including King Blue Oyster and Lion's Mane. Focused on quality and sustainability in farm-to-table movement.
• Duke's Alehouse & KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Crystal Lake restaurant collaborated with Food Shed Co-op on 'Duke's Line' product collaboration during construction phase. Co-sponsored community events including Green Drinks discussion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New Pioneer Co-op: Iowa City, Iowa-based community-owned food cooperative operating multiple locations; member-owned under one-member-one-vote model similar to Food Shed, with NCGA affiliation and a comparable focus on local producers, organic, and natural products.
• Seward Co-op: Minneapolis-based community-owned grocery cooperative with NCGA membership; serves a similar member-owner base through grab-and-go deli, local sourcing, and community programming - closely matching Food Shed's operating model.
• Willy Street Co-op: Madison, Wisconsin-based community food cooperative with multiple locations and NCGA affiliation; comparable cooperative governance, local-producer focus, and prepared foods/deli offerings in a similar Midwestern market context.
• Wheatsfield Co-op: Ames, Iowa-based single-store community food cooperative; operates with member ownership model, focuses on local and organic products, and competes with conventional grocers in a small college-town market similar to Food Shed's McHenry County footprint.
• Common Ground Food Co-op: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois-based community-owned grocery cooperative; closest geographic peer to Food Shed within Illinois, with member ownership, local sourcing, and prepared foods programs operating in a similar college-town/rural-suburban market.
• Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative: Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based natural foods cooperative with multiple stores; comparable member-owned model with strong local-producer emphasis and similar grab-and-go prepared foods line.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: National specialty/natural grocery retailer owned by Amazon; overlaps with Food Shed's organic, natural, and locally-sourced assortment positioning but serves a far broader market and operates at much larger scale.
• Natural Grocers: National specialty natural and organic grocery chain; competes for similar health-conscious shoppers in broader geographies with conventional pricing and a wider footprint than a single community co-op.
• Hy-Vee: Employee-owned Midwestern supermarket chain with strong Illinois presence; competes head-to-head with Food Shed on everyday grocery staples and prepared foods at significantly larger scale and price competitiveness.

Others

• National Co+op Grocers (NCG): Service organization aggregating buying power and operational support for retail food co-ops including Food Shed; comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but central to Food Shed's pricing, branding, and Co+op Deals program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FoodShedCoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6iJeYodtO41IaEshca0ImA
• Facebookfacebook.com/foodshedcoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-shed-co-op
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodshedcoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food Shed