International speaker and author Jon Steinman will present “Who Owns Your Grocery Store?”, a program highlighting what food co-op’s offer in the age of giant grocery stores. His talk will also focus on what food co-op’s need to grow and thrive.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Saturday, April 15 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Wilbur Mansion Event Center, 201 Cherokee St., Bethlehem. It will also be offered online, via Zoom.
Steinman’s presentation is sponsored by the Bethlehem Food Co-Op, which is working to bring a community-owned, ‘everyone welcome’ grocery store to 250 E. Broad St., Bethlehem. The full service market, which currently has over 1300 members, is expected to open later this year.
Steinman has studied and worked with all things food for over two decades. He was an elected director from 2006-2016 of the Kootenay Co-op – Canada’s largest retail food co-op specializing in natural foods, serving as Board President from 2014-2016. Following the publication of his book Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants (New Society Publishers 2019), he completed an extensive book tour that took him to 125 food co-ops and 23 in their development phases, including Bethlehem’s.
In 2021, and in partnership with the Food Co-op Initiative (FCI), Steinman published This Could be Ours – a Photo Album to inspire your food co-op dream. Inspired by his travels, he developed the Food Co-op Finder app, which provides users with information on 325 food co-op’s on the North American continent.
Steinman regularly delivers educational sessions to food co-op boards and staff – which he will also do on his visit to Bethlehem – and is a frequent guest speaker at food co-op annual meetings and book clubs. A popular presenter across Canada and the United States, he lives in Nelson, British Columbia.
Attendees are asked to register by Saturday, April 8, at this link. The first 25 to register will receive a copy of Steinman’s book, Grocery Story, that can be picked up at the in person event; one per household.