) | |
| Type | Consumers' cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Grocery store |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Products | Organic food |
| Revenue | USD 277.6 million (2016)[2] |
| Members | Over 58,000 |
| Website | www |
PCC Community Markets is a food cooperative based in Seattle, Washington. With over 58,000 members, it is the largest consumer-owned food cooperative in the United States.[3] Both members and non-members may shop at the retail locations, but members receive certain discounts. The organization currently operates fifteen retail locations. Eight of the fifteen stores are located in Seattle (in the Fremont, Green Lake, Columbia City, View Ridge, West Seattle, Ballard and Central District neighborhoods). The West Seattle location reopened on October 2, 2019.[4] The other seven are located in Issaquah, Kirkland, Burien, Bothell, Redmond, Edmonds and Bellevue.
PCC was started in 1953 and continues to function member-owned and operated. The members govern through established bylaws and yearly elect a Board of Trustees who represent the interests of the members. Like other grocery cooperatives, the profits from the retail store operations go directly back into the stores or to the community (through classes, education or charitable efforts).
PCC, originally Puget Consumers Co-op, became PCC Natural Markets in 1998 and PCC Community Markets in 2017.[5]
Current PCC programs include:
- PCC Sound Consumer newspaper
- PCC Cooks classes
- PCC Farmland Trust, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to sustainable organic farming
Relationship with Central Co-op
In 1978, Capitol Hill Co-op dissolved for financial reasons and, in keeping with the principle that co-operatives cooperate with other cooperatives, PCC agreed to provide technical and financial assistance to the Central Co-op to replace it.[6]
Pricing
According to Consumers' Checkbook magazine, PCC's prices for the limited number of comparable items available were higher than the big-chain average.[7][8] However, the quality of PCC's fresh produce and meat received very high scores. The prices of organic food at PCC were about the same as the average prices at other stores in the Puget Sound area.[9]
See also
- List of food cooperatives
References
- ^ "PCC Community Markets Names New President & CEO: Grocery Executive Suzanne Monford". pccmarkets.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Annual Report, PCC Natural Markets, 2016.
- ^ "About PCC - PCC Community Markets". pccmarkets.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "West Seattle - PCC Community Markets". pccmarkets.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "PCC rebrands to emphasize its local roots". seattletimes.com. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "About PCC - PCC Community Markets". pccmarkets.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ http://seattletimes.com/html/foodwine/2003102934_supermarkets05.html
- ^ http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/40395622.html
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-04-24.