(Bikes outside Harvest Co-Op in Jamaica Plain)
Local food and community involvement are nothing new for Harvest Co-Op Market. That’s been the primary motivation since their beginnings in the early 70s. So it comes as no surprise that they’ve been involved in the Boston Local Food Festival from inception. I had a chance to chat with Chris Durkin, Director of Membership & Community Relations, over email about this year’s festivities and Harvest’s plans for the future.
In 1971, Harvest Co-Op started as a pre-order bulk food buying club for those who were looking to have more control over what they ate and regular access to “clean” food. Fast forward 40 years: the buzz words are now local and organic, but the sentiment is still the same. Durkin says he feels rewarded “when I see the way food co-ops do business – organic, local, environmental stewardship, community involvement – become what other businesses strive to look like today.”
Local food is a big business these days – Harvest has over 4,000 members and does over $17 million in annual sales – but that hasn’t always been the case. The original Allston location closed in 1998 after 24 years. Recently, their Central Square storefront has been making headlines because the landlord decided not to renew their lease. Luckily, Harvest will just be moving across the street – from 580 Massachusetts Avenue to 581 – and will re-open this September. There are also plans in the works for a new Jamaica Plain location and a possible storefront in Fenway, showing just how much the public consciousness has changed in the past few decades.
“It’s great that one of the reasons we started over 40 years ago is now a movement,” says Durkin. BLFF showcases how people can “vote with your dollars to insure that more of the money you spend stays [in the neighborhood] by shopping at your local, community owned market.”
As Durkin prepares for Harvest’s presence at BLFF this year, where they will be providing information about Harvest Co-Op and sampling local foods that are sold at their stores, he shares what he loves about the event: “Seeing our members and customers enjoying a beautiful day [as they learn] about what is available from local purveyors. With all the demonstrations and classes, you never know what is going to happen.”
Plus, you don’t want to miss “Laury [Hammel, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts] on roller skates.”
Who doesn’t look forward to that?
This post was written by Tara Bellucci of Boston Food Swap, go check her out!