By Ann Ferguson Fall 2023 (with updates in 2026)

The Leverett Village Co-op is a consumer food co-operative owned by members, designed to be a food grocery, general store and eating establishment open to the general public. According to its mission statement, developed when it was incorporated in 1986 as a co-operative, the Co-op “exists as an alternative economic structure” which “offers an opportunity for more democratic, participatory relationships in the marketplace among workers, consumers, and producers.  The Leverett Village Co-op is owned by its members, and serves their interests, as well as the interest of surrounding communities. Healthy foods, education, and a community center are among the special contributions the co-op can provide to the community.”  Its values include open membership, democratic control, autonomy and independence, education of members and the community, co-operation among co-ops, and concern for community and sustainable development, including nurturing regional, organic, and sustainable agriculture (From Co-operative Voices: News about the Leverett Village Co-op, Issue 1, Jan. 17, 2020.)

Beginnings

The Leverett Village Co-op’s historical roots go back to 1974 when a buying club to obtain fresh local food was established for the Amherst-Leverett-Wendell-Shutesbury-Montague region. It involved weekly distributions of member-ordered dairy items, grains, and fruit and vegetables. These were purchased wholesale in Boston and from surrounding farms and trucked to places such as the United Church of Christ community room in Amherst and the barn at the Montague Farm commune, where they were organized co-operatively and picked up by members. In the late 1970s the distribution moved to the Town Hall in Shutesbury.

Later, an arrangement was made for the Co-op to share the space of LaClaire’s grocery store in Moore’s Corner, a situation which continued for a few years.  In the early 1980s, Dan Bennett, first General Manager Julie Shively’s husband and a founding Co-op Member, donated a piece of land across the street from LaClaire’s store to the Co-operative. Under the first Board President Sam Lovejoy’s lawyerly guidance, an initial limited partnership of Co-op members was formed to raise loans totaling $40,000 as a downpayment on a mortgage from the Amherst Savings Bank to build a new building on this land.  With help from local carpenters and members the present building was built, which includes a kitchen and bakery space as well as the general store. 

The business was incorporated in 1986 as the Village Cooperative Inc. It initially shared the building and kitchen space with a business that ran a bakery and restaurant serving fresh daily bread and pastries and weekly pizzas. In the late 1990s the building was expanded to include a “schmooze space” café. In 1999, a large addition on the co-op building was completed, including two bathrooms, an office, larger kitchen with walk-in cooler, expanded vegetable display area and a peaked roof entrance. In 2000, the bakery-restaurant business was amalgamated into the Co-op when Paul Rosenberg was hired as General Manager. His accomplishments included expanding the business to include a beer and wine license, and daily bakery and restaurant takeout offerings.

Rosenberg was also among the co-operative leaders who established the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) in 2011, with Leverett Food Co-op joining 16 other food co-ops across our region as founding members. With a mission of supporting growth, innovation, and shared success among member food co-ops through collaboration, education, and partnerships, the NFCA has been a key partner of our Co-op ever since.

The Pandemic Comes to the Co-op

During the pandemic the store was also able to continue its grocery services to the community and other food distribution. An arrangement with a group of neighborhood farms allowed for online ordering and pickup of produce at the store, and curbside pickup service was provided to those desiring special pandemic protection. While other small stores and food services were forced to close because of the pandemic, the Co-op was able to survive due to the work of its Board and support from the community. Board President Sam Black procured several loans available to small businesses for Covid relief, including the Payroll Protection Plan forgivable loan and a 30-year EIDL federal small business loan (available thanks to the advocacy of the NFCA and national co-operative partners such as NCBA CLUSA).  A Co-op magazine was started in 2020 which provided information to members and the community about financial matters, events, food offerings, profiles of vendors, staff and board members and other relevant community news, and a weekly email newsletter goes out to Co-op members and is posted on social media. 

In spite of the Covid shutdown, the Co-op showed its values in promoting democratic community networks during this period. The business joined the nationwide Solidarity Economy Network of co-operatives and other alternative community organizations and also signed a Memo of Understanding of joint support with the Leverett-Shutesbury-Wendell-New Salem Village Neighbors association, a nonprofit group supporting elders to age in place. The Co-op continues to be a member of the NFCA, which provides technical support for the staff and Board of Directors as well as opportunities for collaboration with area food co-ops. 

In the fall of 2020, the Board organized a successful seven-hour online fall harvest festival and auction, as well as Spring Fling community events in 2022 and 2023, and for both of those years has hosted monthly summer Saturday craft vendor fairs. The Board also obtained a pouring license, which allows for wine and beer service at the store café.  

Current Operations

Our current General Manager, Ken Washburn, is also a professional sommelier, and the wine and beer selection at the store is outstanding! In addition to weekly veterans get togethers, the Co-op hosts regular events with food and music at the store.

The Leverett Village Co-op, which also serves the communities of Shutesbury, Wendell and Montague, has shown time and again that its Members and customers want it to survive!  It has risen like a phoenix from the ashes in spite of its out-of-the-way rural location.  It continues to have a dedicated, creative, hard-working Board, loyal member-owners and community members.

For more than 50 years, the Leverett Village Co-op has been a story of the resilience of the co-operative business model and its importance to rural communities like ours. Looking forward, we invite you to get involved in the next stage of our history.

For more information, please visit our “Volunteer” page.