South County Food Co-op Gets an Update

When a business passes its 40-year mark, it no longer needs to consider itself an “alternative,” even if it’s still a “co-op.” Thus, last winter, members of the Alternative Food Co-op (formed as a membership buying club) changed their name to South County Food Co-op, moved across Wakefield’s Main Street from their decade-plus location and expanded their tiny breakfast and lunch offerings to a full-scale café.

The Co-op combines a storefront market with the café and a membership base with off-the-street customers. The shelves are stocked with natural and organic health, beauty and household items; the bulk bins with everything from soup (assorted dried beans) to nuts, from grains to granolas, from flours to grits. Coolers hold local dairy products, meats and seafood, plus seasonal produce and daily-prepared foods. And the small front room’s bulk herbs, teas and baking products are a winner with everyone.

Perhaps best of all, shoppers can special-order an item they don’t find on a shelf. And café fans can linger over coffee and snacks at an outdoor table or indulge in the Saturday and Sunday morning buffets.

This year the Co-op received a $20,000 grant through DEM and the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act to nurture and support local small farmers and food producers, which will be a mutually beneficial project.

344 Main St., Wakefield. 401.789.2240