Startup Co-op Roundup
There are so many new co-ops in the pipeline in the Philly area! We keep a list in our co-op directory, but we wanted to look closer at a few startups.
Food Co-op Startups
Many neighborhoods and towns in our area are organizing food co-ops! Here’s a survey of the co-ops-to-be:

A rendering of Kensington Community Food Co-op’s new store.
- Kensington Community Food Co-op has a location and is beginning to design their store.
- South Philly Food Co-op is seeking a location.
- Ambler Food Co-op is recruiting members and doing community outreach.
- Bethlehem Food Co-op is recruiting members and doing community outreach.
- West Chester Food Co-op is recruiting members and doing community outreach.
- Manayunk-Roxborough Food Co-op is recruiting members and doing community outreach.
Heritage Shellfish Cooperative

Co-op member Jeff Pritchard harvesting clams.
Founded in 2013 by three shellfish growers on the Jersey Shore, Heritage Shellfish Cooperative is a growing business. In their startup phase, they received technical assistance from Keystone Development Center and The Reinvestment Fund.
According to co-op member George Mathis, the growers decided to form a co-op because of an increase in out of state competition. “We decided to unite and join together,” Mathis says.

Heritage Shellfish Cooperative’s clams.
The co-op and its members “connect seafood lovers with delicious, local, hand-harvested shellfish, raised using sustainable aquaculture practices and adhering to the highest standard for marine stewardship and preservation,” according to the co-op’s website.
Heritage Shellfish Cooperative is hoping to sell their clams soon at Philly area food co-ops. If you’re a member of a food co-op, ask your co-op’s seafood buyer if the co-op can stock their delicious, fresh cooperative clams.
Visit the Heritage Shellfish Co-op website for more information on the co-op, the members, clams, and marine stewardship.
Brewers’ Co-op of Philadelphia
The Brewers’ Co-op of Philadelphia will be a cooperatively owned brewery incubator and tasting room. They wrote in with this update:
Members of the Brewers’ Co-op of Philadelphia Steering Committee.
The peers of beer at the Brewers’ Co-op of Philadelphia are bubbling with activity! Currently the members of the steering committee are putting on their legal hats and scratching away at bylaws and other legal stuff to get this unprecedented (in PA) brewery incubator co-op ready to grace our city. They are meeting with local expertise, including beer and business aficionados, and they have regular, effusive meetings at the Philly Homebrew Outlet, which has been a gracious host over the past year.
LOTS more is to come as the Co-op looks toward bigger announcements and starts hitting the streets to entice brewers, beer appreciators, co-op enthusiasts, and others to join in the shared creation and ownership of great local craft beer.
That doesn’t mean you have to wait to get involved- come put your heads together with us, lend a little elbow grease, and enjoy a beer while doing so. Contact us at: brewerscoop.philly@gmail.com.
Cheers!
Alliance Taxi Co-op
After years of organizing and petitioning, Alliance Taxi Co-op finally received a dispatch license! Generocity covered this exciting news in March. The co-op hopes to have taxis on the streets by June. For updates, follow Taxi Workers Alliance of PA on Facebook.
There are so many more great startups in the works! Add a description of your startup co-op in the comments: