In 1976, a group of Canberra university students would meet at the Kingston railway station to divide their bulk orders of food ordered from Sydney.

This group would go on to become the ANU Nutrition Society, which has evolved into today’s community owned-and-run bulk grocery store and cafe The Food Co-Op in Civic.

Over the decades, the Food Co-Op has been renamed, moved to new locations and come close to closure, but says product manager Andy de Groot, 48 years on, its core values and goals remain the same – providing organic, affordable and ethically sourced food for the Canberra community.

Andy, who has been a member of the co-operative for more than 10 years, says there are two elements to the ethical-consumption concept they aim to promote. 

“It’s about making affordable and more environmentally friendly options, and, being a co-operative, we have the capacity to have a greater buying power, because we can buy a lot more products to divide […] which makes it more affordable,” he says.

“And then the other side of it is to just try to get [as much] sustainable, organic and biodynamic food as we can.”

Naomi Lacey, operations manager at The Food Co-Op, says people are becoming a lot more conscious about where their food is sourced. 

“We’ve got a huge problem with global warming, and destroying the planet, so people are thinking a lot more carefully about how they purchase, and what they purchase, [and] where it’s from,” she says.

“Food miles have become a big issue for people, being able to purchase locally is a really big thing.”

Naomi says the media surrounding the big supermarket chains has had many Canberrans looking for different places to shop. 

She says, with their separation from the duopoly and ability to make political food decisions, alternatives, such as The Food Co-op, are increasing in popularity.

Naomi says: “It’s not supporting a supermarket, which we all know are in quite a bit of strife with the government at the moment.

“We make decisions, like not purchasing products from Israel at the moment. We’ve also got a real zero-waste mentality here, so being able to purchase food in bulk, that’s reducing waste that people are producing.”

Andy says that in conjunction with this zero-waste mentality, The Food Co-Op offers a lunch and dinner service at the on-site cafe, where they use any products from the store that are coming close to their expiration date. 

The menu changes every day, depending on the chef and availability of ingredients, but is always vegan and gluten free.  

Andy says there is free, fresh bread on offer every day, which otherwise would have gone to landfill, and a community fridge.

Both Andy and Naomi credit the co-operative’s longevity to the passion and dedication of its members.

Naomi says: “It’s about being a part of the community and it’s the membership that drives it. Without the members, without the community, it wouldn’t be here.”

Everyone involved with The Food Co-Op is a volunteer, Andy says, excluding the three managers and cooks, who are paid employees.

Volunteers receive store credit and discounted items, but Andy says it is not necessary to be a member or volunteer to shop or enjoy the cafe.

The Food Co-Op also offers plenty of events for low prices, or by donation, including yoga nights, film screenings, trivia and live music, all designed to bring the community together irrespective of people’s financial situation.

Membership costs $25 ($15 for concession card holders) and offers a five per cent discount in the shop, along with discounts on lunch services and certain co-op events.

The Food Co-Op, 3 Kingsley Street, Civic. Visit cbrfoodcoop.org.au.