Wedge Community Co-op

Wedge Community Co-op is a consumer cooperative in Minneapolis offering natural and organic foods, a well-known community store.

The Wedge began in 1974 when Minneapolis neighbors organized a cooperative store to obtain whole and natural foods, with bulk purchasing intended to reduce costs. The initial operation was established in a basement apartment on Franklin Avenue. Its neighborhood-based origin shaped the cooperative’s later emphasis on member ownership, local participation, and community-oriented food retail. In 1979, The Wedge moved to Lyndale Avenue in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood, commonly known as The Wedge. The retail site expanded over time. A new store was built on an adjacent lot in 1992, and an addition completed in 1997 doubled the retail space. The cooperative formerly operated a member-labor program, but that arrangement ended in 1992 as the organization developed a larger retail operation. The Wedge became Minnesota’s first certified organic grocery store, establishing an early formal connection between its natural-food identity and certified-organic retailing. The organization subsequently developed activities beyond its grocery store. Co-op Partners Warehouse operated as a wholesale distributor serving food cooperatives, natural-food stores, and restaurants in the Upper Midwest. Beginning as a produce wholesaler, it added organic milk, cheese and yogurt, soy products, fresh juices and smoothies, and dry grocery products. The warehouse became an important part of The Wedge’s regional cooperative infrastructure. Agriculture and education also became significant initiatives. In January 2008, The Wedge leased Gardens of Eagan, described as one of the oldest local certified-organic produce farms in the Twin Cities area. The cooperative began operating the farm during the summer of that year. It also established the Organic Field School at the farm in 2008. The school was intended as an on-farm education and research facility serving farmers, educators, policymakers, and the public. In April 2015, The Wedge placed the farm up for sale, choosing to concentrate organizational resources on retail operations. The Wedge’s community role included WedgeShare, a charitable giving program administered since 1997. Under the program, member-selected community organizations receive donations, with recipients chosen through a membership vote. The cooperative also supported cooperative technology through IS4C, or Integrated Systems for Co-ops. Initially developed for The Wedge, the free web-based point-of-sale software was designed to help retail cooperatives record customer purchase totals and calculate patronage refunds. It used an SQL database, was largely written in PHP, and was released under the GNU General Public License. Other food cooperatives adopted versions of the software. Labor organization became a notable feature of the cooperative’s later history. Co-op Partners Warehouse employees formed a union in April 2012 in response to dissatisfaction concerning wages and management decisions. In November 2015, employees at The Wedge’s Lyndale store voted 76 to 31 to unionize. This was described as the first retail unionization of a consumer cooperative in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In 2016, The Wedge’s members voted to consolidate with Linden Hills Co-op. The resulting Twin Cities Co-op Partnership combined the two cooperative organizations and was reported to include approximately 25,000 members and more than 500 employees. This consolidation marked a major structural transition from a single neighborhood-centered cooperative toward a larger Twin Cities cooperative organization while retaining The Wedge as an important brand and historical retail identity.

1. 2016Consolidation with Linden Hills Co-op

   Members approved consolidation with Linden Hills Co-op, forming the Twin Cities Co-op Partnership.

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2. 2015Retail workforce unionizes

   Lyndale employees voted 76 to 31 to unionize, making The Wedge the first unionized consumer cooperative retail operation in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

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3. 2012Warehouse workforce unionizes

   Employees of Co-op Partners Warehouse formed a union.

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4. 2008Gardens of Eagan lease and Organic Field School

   The Wedge leased Gardens of Eagan and established the Organic Field School at the farm.

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5. 1997Retail expansion

   An addition doubled the cooperative’s retail space.

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6. 1997WedgeShare begins

   The cooperative began administering WedgeShare, a member-directed charitable giving program for community organizations.

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7. 1992New store and end of member-labor program

   The Wedge built a new store on the adjacent lot, replacing the earlier site arrangement and ending its member-labor program.

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8. 1979Move to Lyndale Avenue

   The cooperative moved its retail operation to Lyndale Avenue in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood.

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9. 1974Cooperative founded

   Minneapolis neighbors formed The Wedge in a Franklin Avenue basement apartment to provide whole and natural foods, especially in bulk formats.

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A member-owned neighborhood food cooperative positioned around organic and natural groceries, community governance, cooperative economics, regional food distribution, and support for sustainable agriculture.

• Natural and organic groceriesGrocery retail1974

  The Wedge’s core retail business consists of natural and organic food products. Its assortment developed from the founding goal of obtaining whole foods and bulk products through cooperative purchasing. The range includes organic produce, bulk foods, packaged groceries, fresh foods, and other grocery staples associated with natural-food retailing. The cooperative’s certification history and organic focus distinguish it from a conventional neighborhood supermarket.

• Co-op Partners WarehouseWholesale food distribution

  Co-op Partners Warehouse is the cooperative’s wholesale distribution operation for retail cooperatives, natural-food stores, and restaurants in the Upper Midwest. It began with produce and expanded into organic milk, cheese and yogurt, soy products, fresh juices and smoothies, and selected dry grocery products. The warehouse extends The Wedge’s role from local retail into regional cooperative food distribution.

• IS4CCooperative retail technology

  IS4C, or Integrated Systems for Co-ops, is free web-based point-of-sale software initially developed for The Wedge. It uses an SQL database to track customer purchase totals and support patronage-refund calculations used by cooperatives. The software, largely written in PHP, was released under the GNU General Public License and adopted in various forms by other food cooperatives.

• 2008Organic Field School

  Minnesota · Upper Midwest

  The Wedge created an on-farm education and research facility at Gardens of Eagan for farmers, educators, policymakers, and the public.

  Outcome. The initiative connected the cooperative’s retail activities with organic farming education and research.

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• 1997WedgeShare

  Minneapolis · Twin Cities metropolitan area

  WedgeShare is a charitable giving program through which the cooperative’s membership selects community organizations to receive donations.

  Outcome. The program had distributed nearly $240,000 to nonprofit organizations over its reported history.

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• 2016Consolidation with Linden Hills Co-opM&A

  Members considered combining The Wedge with Linden Hills Co-op to create a larger cooperative organization in the Twin Cities.

  What changed. Members voted to consolidate the two cooperatives under the Twin Cities Co-op Partnership.

  Aftermath. The combined entity was reported to have approximately 25,000 members and more than 500 employees.

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• 2015Concentrate operations on retailStrategy

  After leasing and operating Gardens of Eagan since 2008, The Wedge reassessed its involvement in the farm.

  What changed. The cooperative put Gardens of Eagan up for sale in April 2015.

  Aftermath. The decision shifted organizational emphasis away from direct farm operation and toward the cooperative’s retail business.

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• 2016Members approve consolidation with Linden Hills Co-op

  Members voted to consolidate The Wedge and Linden Hills Co-op, creating the Twin Cities Co-op Partnership. The combined organization was reported to have about 25,000 members and more than 500 employees.

  M&A
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• 2015Wedge retail employees vote to unionize

  Employees at the Lyndale retail location voted 76 to 31 to unionize. The development made The Wedge the first consumer cooperative in the Twin Cities metropolitan area to unionize its retail workforce.

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• 2015The Wedge decides to sell Gardens of Eagan

  After operating the certified-organic farm for several years, The Wedge put Gardens of Eagan up for sale as it shifted its focus toward retail operations.

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• 2012Co-op Partners Warehouse employees form a union

  Employees at The Wedge’s wholesale distribution operation organized a union, citing concerns about wages and management decisions.

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1. Wedge Community Co-op