The Pitch
The New Orleans Food Cooperative is a consumer-owned cooperative located at 2372 St. Claude. Our mission is to provide access to healthy food at a fair price, offer a center for community activity, promote local and regional food production, and practice environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Lori Burge
The Entrepreneur
Lori Burge is a Freelance Co-op Development Consultant, currently serving as the General Manager for the New Orleans Food Co-op, which opened in October 2011. To support new and developing co-ops, Lori brings specialty knowledge of governance, strategic planning, labor budgeting, and community outreach and organization. She served as the Co-op Development Specialist for the Northwest Cooperative Development and spent 12 years working at People’s Food Co-op in Portland, Oregon.
The Impact
- Partnered with Market Umbrella and the Second Harvest Food Bank to open a mobile market.
- Opened a 4,000 sq. ft. full-service grocery store located in the New Orleans Healing Center
- More than 2,500 members
- Generates over $2.7 million in revenue
- 700,000 pounds of fresh produce provided to the New Orleans community
- $600,000 in healthy foods sold to customers purchasing with SNAP
- Generates nearly $1.9 million in living-wages, benefits (including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and more) and staff development for the local workforce
- Created 20+ full/part-time jobs for New Orleanians
- Supporting 75+ local farmers & producers and providing over $800,000 in gross revenues into the local food economy since opening
- Over $62,000 in food and other donations to local community groups and community members since opening
- LifeCity Certified as a Stage 3 –“Transformation” Green Business
- Recipient of the 2015 Retail Sustainability Excellence Award
- Member of and active participant in the the Domestic Fair Trade Association working to create a more just food economy