ELFCO
Eastside Lansing Food Cooperative is open! Come on in and see what’s available!
East (side!) Lansing Food Cooperative (ELFCO) has opened in Allen Place on Lansing’s Eastside, a location that provides proximity to a multitude of community agri-food partners, and taps into an ongoing food system that has been building since the 1990s. ELFCO is a natural food grocery organized as a nonprofit cooperative that has served the greater Lansing/East Lansing area since 1976. This opportunity to connect with and complement the ANC food hub will benefit the local community, create employment, increase food access, and provide stimulus to farmers and food producers.
Meeting a New Need
For decades ELFCO was the primary holdout for both natural foods and local small farm products. Natural foods is now a booming business, but local farmers struggle to find grocery retailers that have the capacity to sell their products with regularity. ELFCO is redeveloping to meet this need, by providing a retail space for farmers to sell their products throughout the week, and a convenient place for busy consumers/eaters to find local products outside of farmers market spaces, and all the year round. Hyperlocal farm and food producers will be prioritized, with other regional Michigan products offered where they can’t be sourced as well locally.
ELFCO’s New Consignment Model
A consignment model will be used with farmers and most farm and food products; producers set their own prices, keeping 75% of the revenue and ELFCO sells the products, keeping the remainder for operations costs (paying employees and other bills). ELFCO’s general manager will consult with producers, sharing information back and forth regarding sales, pricing, and seasonal changes in produce. Community outreach and customer feedback will inform product selection and other activities related to serving local residents and Lansing-area eaters.
Join Us!
We’re looking for volunteers and vendors so please reach out Emily if you’d like to play a role in ELFCO’s future!!