Farleys Food Co-op - A Member-Owned Grocery Store

Aim

Farleys Food Co-op aims to offer a grocery store that is run and owned by its members, selling fresh, and mostly sustainable produce to all.

Farleys Food Co-op is a grocery store run by its members. Our members are also our owners. Our vision is to see a Plymouth that has a food co-op or similar in every local community; providing access to fresh and mostly sustainable produce. Working towards a physically and mentally healthy society is our end goal.

What can I buy from Farleys?

We want to offer fresh, and mostly sustainable produce for our shoppers, supporters, and member-owners, available for bulk purchase, and refill where possible. This will include, but is not limited to:

• Fresh, locally sourced fruit and veg
• Baked goods
• Dairy products and alternatives
• Herbs and spices
• Locally sourced/caught meat and fish, as well as alternatives
• Canned goods
• Sustainable bits for the home, kitchen, and bathroom
• Health and beauty products
• Some cheeky, refreshing beverages sourced from near and far, with tobacco products too.

Our member-owners have a say on how we do business, so what we stock will be very much shaped by this community of co-operators, and our shoppers.

How can I become a member-owner or a supporter?

Our member-ownership model will operate similarly to a time bank - exchanging skills and time to help run the business, with discounted produce given in return! Do you want to help stock our shelves? Do you have accounting experience? Are you a journalist or writer who can help write blog posts for member/subscriber emails? There’s so much possibility in being a member-owner at Farleys! We'll also be sending out your membership starter packs shortly after the (hopefully!) successful 'all or nothing' Crowdfunder campaign with the full Ts&Cs. We hope to develop this pack with Co-ops UK.

You can select from four different membership plans: 

Member Option #1 - Farleys Annual Supporter (£25)

• One year membership to Farleys Food Co-op for access to reduced price produce. 
• Members of Farleys are also owners, and have a say on how we do business. We will do this through regular meetings, and the AGM.
• We'll send your membership starter pack shortly after the (hopefully!) successful 'all or nothing' Crowdfunder campaign.

Member Option #2 - Farleys Annual Worker (£1)

• In addition to the £1 Annual Worker membership fee, you pledge to work 13 shifts of 2hrs45mins. 
• This can be working in the store to help serve customers and fellow members, writing a blog post or a subscriber email, or perhaps you have some gnarly design skills we can put to use.
• Members of Farleys are also owners, and have a say on how we do business. We will do this through regular meetings, and the AGM.
• Your membership sign up form and starter pack will be emailed or posted to you upon the (hopefully!) successful completion of the 'all or nothing' Crowdfunder campaign!

Member Option #3 - Farleys Annual Worker With a Dedicated Brick (£26)

• This is an initial worker exclusive. Your Farleys Annual Worker membership fee of £1 paid for, and a brick that will be placed inside of the co-op with your name on it. 
• All memberships are individual based, but you can ask for your brick to include more than one name if you prefer. 
• In addition to the £1 annual membership fee, you pledge to work 13 shifts of 2hrs45mins.
• Members of Farleys are also owners, and have a say on how we do business. We will do this through regular meetings, and the AGM.
• Membership packs will be sent out upon the (hopefully!) successful 'all or nothing' Crowdfunder campaign. 

Member Option #4 - Farleys Annual Supporter With a Dedicated Brick (£50)

• This is an initial supporter exclusive. Your Farleys Supporter Annual Membership fee paid for, and a brick with your name on. 
• All memberships are individual based, but you can ask for your brick to include more than one name if you prefer. 
• Members of Farleys are also owners, and have a say on how we do business. We will do this through regular meetings, and the AGM.
• Membership packs will be sent out upon the (hopefully!) successful 'all or nothing' Crowdfunder campaign.

So what will my pledge be going toward?

With this £20,000 of funding, this is what we’ll achieve:

• A proper bricks and mortar store for you to shop at, and/or own - buying everything needed to run a grocery store is quite expensive!
• Although Farleys is run and owned by its members, we still need to pay some staff, and there’s the overheads to think about. We want to see ourselves through the first few of months with enough funds to pay our staff as we get started. With your support, we’ll be in a strong position from day one.
• We’re working with the University of Plymouth’s iMayflower project, which gives the opportunity for current students or recent graduates to work with a social enterprise in their chosen field. We get ~£500 as a grant, but we want to be able to match this (with a little bit more on top) to ensure a stellar marketing campaign for our launch. You won’t find us on social media, so our ‘old school’ marketing needs to be top notch! 
• Community is so important to us at Farleys. We are looking to fund a public art project in the form of mural, near to where we open up, that celebrates our fantastic community and its enterprises. 
• To support our community more we’re also looking to work with local businesses to create a community soup kitchen, complementing the existing voluntary network of food suppliers.
• We are exploring the viability of an in-house delivery service, and would need support developing this service that we hope to offer in the future.

We really hope that you share our vision for a healthier, happier, more sustainable way of living. We will be so grateful for any pledge made that helps us open our doors later this year. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at [email protected]. 

Happy pledging!

Love,

Farleys

Crowdfunder Video Transcript

Hello. I’m Josh, and I’m the founder of Farleys Food Co-op, soon to be Plymouth’s newest member-owned grocery store. 

At Farleys, we want to bring you fresh produce and dry goods with sustainability in mind, helping grow Plymouth’s social enterprise and co-operative economy of businesses that do good.

With my experience working with community development organisations such such as Whitleigh Big Local and Four Greens Community Trust, it is clear that there are communities who want and need access to nutritious produce, for both good physical and mental health.

We think every community deserves this, and that we shouldn’t be the odd ones out on the high street or the local shopping district.

Farleys will offer bulk purchasing and refills where possible, with everything from fruit and veg, meat and meat alternatives, and health, beauty, and cleaning products.

As a co-operative, we run a little like a time bank - all the ideas, time, and skills are shared at the grocery store, with our member-owners having a say on how we’re run.

We’re really grateful to everyone who has shown interest so far - the response has been really heart warming, and we can’t thank enough the businesses who have contributed towards this ‘all or nothing’ Crowdfunder. Hopefully you see a reward you like. 

We’re looking to raise £20k to fund our opening, and there’s more on that in the project details below.

Thank you so much to all those who pledge and share our story. 

We hope to see you soon.

This project successfully funded on 28th May 2021