In the Year of the Cooperative, Rural Grocers Find Power in Partnership

The UN’s theme for 2025 recognizes cooperatives as a means to “build a better world.” That message resonates in the U.S., where rural food access depends increasingly on collaboration.

Many of the RGI models, and similar ventures nationwide, embody cooperative principles, whether or not they’re formally structured as co-ops. They emphasize shared ownership, local investment and collective benefit, often bridging the gap between producers, processors and consumers.

“Efficiency matters,” Carver says, “but what really drives resilience are the direct relationships between grocers and producers. Those partnerships allow these models to withstand challenges that would otherwise shut stores down.”

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