Michael recaps some tips and strategies from the NCGA Conference.
- What happens when your story hits a wall?
- Why you have to re-examine the bigger story?
- Where to look for that story (hint…focus on what’s missing from the conversation)?
Michael recently delivered a keynote at the National Grocers Cooperative Association conference, a leading association of 119 local grocery coops across the country.
Since the Co-op movement (jointly owned commercial enterprise usually organized by farmers or consumers) began in the late 1950’s, the story of whole, natural, organic foods has taken off! Thanks to Whole Foods Market and others, the movement’s gone mainstream. Which means local neighborhood grocery co-ops are no longer the only game in town. So how can they reclaim distinction around their brand story? The answer lies at the heart of the larger Co-op movement:
Tell the economic story of food.
Not the angry – “capitalism sucks story.” Remember, detractors already misperceived co-ops to be some “pinko commie” nonsense. Instead tell the co-ownership, co-creation, collaboration story of the Co-op movement, which has renewed relevance in today’s techno-driven global culture. People want to be a part of something larger then themselves. People want to know where stuff comes from. People want to feel more connected to their food and community. Therein lies a huge opportunity and redemptive living mythos of the grocery co-op movement.
If you’re interested, you can check out the slides of the presentation here:
Share your comments below:
I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic and continue the discussion below. Where have you hit a wall in your own story (whether that’s food co-op related or not).
