Our co-ops were started by our communities. People came together with a passion for affordable, nutritious foods with minimal processing and packaging. While those are no longer “radical ideals,” it wasn’t always that way. Co-ops fought their way into the mainstream and we have our community of shoppers, employees, makers, and farmers to thank for our 50 years of service.
To kick off the year we’d like to set the scene of Minneapolis in the 1970’s.
The 1970’s introduced a huge wave of change everywhere, especially in Minnesota. Six women were voted into the Minnesota State Legislature, Minnesota State Senator Alan Speer came out as one of the first openly gay senators in America, environmental activism was gaining attention, the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, a young political science teacher at Carleton College named Paul Wellstone began community organizing with the working poor and other politically disenfranchised communities that would lead him to becoming a State Senator, the IDS Center was finished in 1973, and Minneapolis native Prince release his first album ‘For You’ in 1978. It was a time of growth and foment. One of the most heated movements that grew from the era was the Co-op Movement!
Our co-ops started in the 1970’s as a protest to the commercialized mega food marts that didn’t have the consumer’s or community’s best interests in mind. Co-ops gave power back to the shoppers to decide what the store would sell, they kept profits in the community, they also supported local farmers who were fighting competition from factory farms, ever-changing weather patterns, and bank payments. Since then, in the spirit of the sixth cooperative principle “Cooperation among Cooperatives,” 148 independent food cooperatives have banded together under National Co+op Grocers which is headquartered in St. Paul. While the seven cooperative principles go all the way back to 1844, they still remain the basis of our business structure, and have guided co-ops worldwide to flourish and prosper.
We’ll be celebrating Wedge 50 all year long, with events and celebrations in our stores and in the community. Dates coming soon! We would love our owners to celebrate with us all year long. If you have any historic Wedge or Linden Hills merchandise, photos, or stories please send them to marketing@wedge.coop.