New Mexico Food Co-op is one of few stores that can claim to be 100% non-GMO

There aren’t many stores in the U.S. that can claim to sell all non-GMO items in their stores, but the Taos Food Co-op in Taos, New Mexico is one of those stores.

Every product is vetted before purchased to ensure it is non-GMO. The co-op also only carries produce and bulk products that are 100% organic.

Demand for those products increased during the COVID pandemic, according to co-op manager Susan Moore.“COVID has made everyone more health conscious—it’s helped to awaken them,” she said. “Most people don’t have a healthy immune system and this pandemic has made people more mindful… We see more and more people making the connections to the food they eat and their health.”

Business has also been strong during the pandemic.

The co-op offers an increasingly large supply of local, organic foods including gluten-free and vegan. For the non-vegans there are wild-caught, flash-frozen seafood, grass-fed meats, and healthy snacks. Egg lovers buy cartons of local eggs that are fresh and each one has the name of the chicken who laid it written on the shell.

The co-op has 800 members including 42 active volunteers. Memberships cost just $20 a year, and members get a 10% discount on almost every item in the store.

Launched in 2012, Taos Food Co-op has grown significantly since then.

“The growth has been phenomenal,” Moore said. “We have doubled our growth almost every year. That means more volunteer staff, more tonnage to move and more varieties of food we can carry.”

Organic and non-GMO foods often sell for a higher price but the co-op tries to make them affordable.

“We do everything we can to keep prices low. Our markup is typically lower than standard,” said Moore. “Our mission is to bring people premium healthy food for less money and when we compare our prices to others, we feel good about maintaining that goal.”

Instead of focusing on earning profits, the co-op’s business model is to earn a small profit and use the rest to invest in growing the co-op.

“We value our members and everyone who shops at the co-op,” Moore said, “but in reality, they aren’t just supporting us. We are supporting the community and local growers as well.”

Source: Taos News

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Organic & Non-GMO Insights December 2021