New Orleans Food Cooperative

What New Orleans Food Cooperative does

The New Orleans Food Cooperative (NOFC) is a single-location, member-owned grocery cooperative operating inside The New Orleans Healing Center at 2372 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 2002 through a community meeting of 22 people and incorporated in Louisiana in 2005, NOFC opened its physical storefront to the public in October 2011 after regrouping from disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina. The co-op sells local produce, Louisiana grass-fed meat products, bulk foods, dry goods, cheeses, in-house prepared foods, and natural body care products, with a stated local sourcing radius of Louisiana or within 250 miles of New Orleans. It is owned by over 4,000 member-owners (as of 2016), generates over $2 million in annual sales, and employs 11-50 staff under living-wage and healthcare-benefit policies.

The cooperative operates a community-led retail model in which anyone can shop regardless of membership status, but membership is encouraged through equity share purchases at tiers ranging from $25 (limited income) to $500 (Harvest), with the standard individual membership priced at $100. Members receive one share and one vote in democratic governance, and an elected board is accountable to the membership. Revenue is generated primarily through grocery product sales, with one-time equity investments functioning as working capital. Strategic supply relationships include Ozark Cooperative Warehouse (wholesale), Crescent City Farmers Market and Past Time Farms (early produce sourcing), Fair Trade USA (certified product prioritization), and The New Orleans Healing Center (host facility and anchor tenancy). The co-op does not deploy proprietary technology beyond standard retail operations: there is no mobile app, no documented API, no AI/ML capability, and customer acquisition relies on community outreach, in-store experience, the cooperative's website, and word-of-mouth rather than paid marketing channels.

Name

New Orleans Food Cooperative

Legal name

New Orleans Food Cooperative

Website

https://nolafood.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Orleans Food Cooperative is a single-location, member-owned grocery store in New Orleans offering local produce, bulk foods, prepared foods, and natural body care, serving both the general public and over 4,000 member-owners through a cooperative governance model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Grocery Retail

NAICS

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

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB), Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ), Food Co-ops with In-Store Prepared Foods & Deli (CRAHALAF)

Keywords

• Community grocery store
• Consumer cooperative
• Local food retail
• Natural foods market
• Bulk grocery goods

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grocery Product Sales: Full-service grocery store generating revenue through sale of local produce, Louisiana grass-fed meats, bulk foods, dry goods, cheeses, prepared foods, natural body care products, and other retail goods.
2. Member Ownership Investments: One-time equity investments from member-owners at various tiers ($25-$500) that provide capital for operations. These are share purchases in the cooperative, not recurring revenue but vital working capital.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Orleans Food Cooperative operates a full-service, all-natural community-owned grocery store open to the public seven days a week, offering local produce, Louisiana grass-fed meat products, bulk goods, dry goods, cheeses, in-house prepared foods, and natural body care products. The co-op also sells member-owner equity shares at multiple price tiers ($25-$500) that grant voting rights and patronage refund eligibility.

Product overview

New Orleans Food Cooperative is a single-location, full-service grocery store that operates as a member-owned cooperative. The core offering is the grocery store itself, which provides local produce, Louisiana grass-fed meat products, bulk goods, dry goods, cheeses, in-house prepared foods, and natural body care. The cooperative also offers membership programs with tiered equity investment levels ($25-$500) and an online registration system with PayPal integration. Products are characterized by their commitment to local sourcing, organic/sustainable farming, fair trade, and cooperative production principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Orleans Food Cooperative Grocery Store Full-service, all-natural community-owned grocery store open to the public seven days a week, offering local produce, Louisiana grass-fed meats, bulk goods, dry goods, cheeses, in-house prepared foods, and natural body care products.
• Member-Owner Equity Investment Programs Tiered equity share program for individual ($100), limited income ($25), and business ($500) members, plus enhanced equity tiers (Seed $150, Sprout $200, Harvest $500). Members receive one share, one vote in democratic governance, patronage refunds, and may pay in installments.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The New Orleans Healing CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2011Became the anchor tenant of the New Orleans Healing Center, a building dedicated to physical and emotional well-being. Located at 2372 St. Claude Ave within this facility. Two dedicated parking lots with co-op-only parking.
• Ozark Cooperative WarehousecoreOthers · 1 January 2003Partnered with Ozark Cooperative Warehouse in Arkansas for bulk and packaged food ordering. This was the co-op's initial supply chain for their monthly order buying club starting in Summer 2003, before opening the physical store.
• Past Time FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Partnered with this CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on the North Shore to provide co-op members with shares in a local, organic farm. Early partnership supporting regional food production.
• Crescent City Farmers MarketsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Early partnership sourcing produce from the Crescent City Farmers Market as part of the growing buying club operation before the physical store opened.
• Fair Trade USAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrioritizes Fair Trade Certified products when available, especially Fair Trade Certified chocolate and coffee, aligning with cooperative values of fair treatment of producers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Wedge Co-op: Member-owned cooperative grocery in Minneapolis with strong local-producer focus. Comparable cooperative structure, local sourcing philosophy, and natural/organic assortment.
• Crescent City Farmers Market: Long-running New Orleans farmers' market that sources local produce and is a documented early partner/supplier to NOFC. Comparable in local-producer mission and customer base.
• Davis Food Co-op: Single-location consumer-owned food cooperative in Davis, California emphasizing local and organic products. Closely comparable in scale, single-store co-op model, and community-ownership positioning.
• Wheatsville Food Coop: Consumer-owned cooperative grocery store in Austin, Texas offering natural, organic, and local products with democratic governance. Directly comparable in mission, member-owned structure, and full-service natural grocery format.
• Seward Community Co-op: Member-owned cooperative grocery in Minneapolis with multiple locations, selling organic, local, and natural foods. Comparable in cooperative ownership, local sourcing commitments, and prepared-foods offering.

Regional players

• Rouses Markets: Regional grocery chain headquartered in Louisiana with deep local roots and emphasis on regional products. Direct local competitor for everyday grocery dollars in the New Orleans market.
• Dorignac's Fine Foods: Independent, locally owned New Orleans grocer emphasizing quality and regional products. Competes for the same values-driven local grocery shopper in the metropolitan area.

Broad incumbents

• PCC Community Markets: Largest consumer-owned cooperative grocery in the U.S., operating multiple locations in the Seattle area. Same cooperative model but at materially larger scale; demonstrates the format's potential at multi-store scale.
• Whole Foods Market: National natural and organic grocery chain owned by Amazon. Competes for the same health-conscious, natural-food customer but at vastly greater scale and broader assortment.
• Natural Grocers: National specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries with strict product standards. Overlaps directly with the co-op's natural/organic value proposition across a multi-state footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nolafoodcoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/Neworleansfoodcoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-orleans-food-cooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 New Orleans Food Cooperative