Our Story: How it all began

From CO-OP to COMMUNITY GROCER

The Kennett Food Co-op – which evolved into Kennett Community Grocer – all began in 2018 when Britton Mendenhall (now our VP of the KCG Board) was having lunch with a fellow food-enthusiast and farmer friend. Over a bowl of rice and veggies, she discussed the food system and how one person could hope to make a difference in a system so large and overwhelming. As Britton began brainstorming all of the changes she would like to see in her local food environment, her friend, who had worked at Weaver's Way Co-op in Philadelphia, mentioned that a food co-op seemed to be the perfect model to connect all the dots.  At the mention of a food co-op, a light bulb went off, and the idea was born.  

A few months later on a cold, rainy night, the first community meeting was  held at the Garage Community and Youth Center. Fearful the weather would affect the turn-out, Britton and the other members of the steering committee were overjoyed and encouraged to see over sixty community members arrive at The Garage.  

Overwhelming community support for a food co-op was felt that night in The Garage, and it solidified the effort to begin making the dream happen.

kennett square grocery store

Our Mission: 

The Kennett Community Grocer will be a welcoming place that provides the whole community with quality, local accessible food.

Our Values:

  1. Provide accessible, affordable, local, natural foods to the entire Kennett Square community and surrounding areas

  2. Use sustainable practices and encourage the promotion of greener lifestyles

  3. Serve as an educational hub and resource center to assist the community in living healthier lifestyles

  4. Improve the food system by recovering produce and repurposing food that would have gone to waste

  5. Provide affordable and/or subsidized grocery options to lower-income individuals and families in our community

  6. Serve as a communal space for all members of the area to come together and strengthen the community

Help Us Grow!

As of April 2024 are 358 Member-Owners strong. As we push forward with the many plans to open the store, we cannot take our attention away from the need to continually add members to the Co-op. A cooperative is the membership, it is all of us who own the store and sustain the operation together. As 2024 proceeds, we hope to surpass 500 in membership and continue to grow. Let’s work together. Talk to friends, relatives, and neighbors and bring more Member-Owners into the fold.