CO-OP ‘TIL YOU DROP

Photo by Maddie Kim

When visiting Salt City Market for a SinBun or a taco from Ellerae’s, you might overlook the shop tucked away in the back corner. But trust us, you don’t want to. The Syracuse Cooperative Market is one of the city’s best hidden gems and a local alternative to other major grocery stores in the area. It’s stocked with fresh produce and organic snacks, and decorated with their floral logo and brightly-colored neon signs.

A group of passionate activists founded the co- op in 1972 to support local farmers and producers. But the concept of co-ops dates back to the Industrial Revolution, general manager Jeremy DeChario said. Villages were urbanizing: people lived in row houses owned by the corporate class, worked in factories operated by the corporate class and shopped at stores run by the corporate class. There were no guarantees of food purity, so they took matters into their own hands, creating the “seven cooperative principles.”

The principles cover independence, cooperation and concern for community. DeChario said the co-op’s everyday work incorporates these principles, for example, they carry cooperative brands like Organic Valley dairy.

“We're paying interest to our members instead of some JPMorgan or Chase big bank. All of the interest money for this project goes back to our members.” DeChario said.

Shopping at the co-op has inspired Syracuse University senior Carter Braxton to look for membership at a co-op in his hometown. He recommends that students check out the co-op for its sustainability, and to make sure to get Van Leeuwen’s ice cream and Ithaca hummus when they do.

“As a consumer, oftentimes it feels like you have no choice in where your dollars are truly going, especially with the amount of exploitative multinational corporations that we’re oversaturated with in our stores,” said Braxton. “What keeps me coming back to the co-op as opposed to other grocery stores is basically in its name: supporting a community as opposed to a single corporation.”

A membership at the co-op allows shoppers to invest equity, get special member discounts and receive money back occasionally.

DeChario started as a cashier at the co-op, and has now been the GM for 13 years. When he started, there were 12 employees—now there are 40.

“We have a number of people that work at the co-op that would have left Syracuse otherwise,” DeChario said. “We are a safe place for people.”