FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Ozark Natural Foods Co-Op is officially open for business at the new location, 380 N College Ave. in Fayetteville.
The new store offers an expanded kitchen and convenience meal offerings, a taproom featuring Onyx coffee and local beers and a larger Homestead department visible through the store’s open layout.
The Co-Op incorporated several sustainability efforts in its new location, including LED lighting throughout, solar lighting tubes and a hot water reclamation system on the refrigeration rack.
The covered patio is expected to be complete June 9th pending no unexpected delays and will be surrounded by local and native plants.
The taproom and coffee bar should be open within a week. The store plans to sell beer and wine in mid-June.
The Co-Op hopes to have a grand opening celebration with music, local vendors and food but will continue to follow suit with CDC recommendations and plan accordingly. The celebration will ideally be held in conjunction with the Annual Owners Meeting on September 13th where the owners will elect three members for the Board of Directors.
In addition to exclusive local items offered in-store, the Co-Op will soon announce when pickup and delivery options are available through Mercato; an eCommerce platform focused on helping Co-Ops and independent grocers sell groceries online.
The Co-Op’s General Manager, Mike Anzalone, and his leadership team worked closely with local architects, Chris Baribeau and Leanne Baribeau of Modus Studio and local brand experience agency, BLKBOX to create a unique shopping experience and dining atmosphere at the new store.
The Co-Op says it's extremely grateful to Nabholz Construction for getting the organization into the new location by their target date of June 1st, despite unforeseen challenges that arose from the renovation, as well as food distributors UNFI and NCG (a Co-Op support network) for assisting with opening preparations.
The Co-Op has been community owned since 1971 and currently has approximately 11,000 members. The store is committed to sourcing local first and providing the community with a store where everyone is welcome.
