What is a collective? Is it the same as a co-op?
A collective is a group of individuals who work together on a common project without relying on internal hierarchies. Collectives might exist temporarily or over long periods, and membership in them is voluntary. This means that every member has equal decision-making power. Some decisions may be delegated to individual members or sub-committees, but no one has the special, un-recallable authority usually granted to a manager. Check out this website for more information and find a co-op near you: https://nobawc.org/map-of-nobawc-coops/
Why should you switch to buying from more co-ops/collectives?
(A few things wrong with our current corporate industrial food system.)
The issue is not that there isn’t enough food being produced. The issue is that this food being produce is wasted, wrongly distributed, overpriced and sourced from thousands of miles away. This is why we should buy locally from the farms and producers themselves!
Meat and animal produces are subsidized so that they sometimes seem like the cheapest options. Our government is subsidizing these animal products that cause immense harm to the environment which encourages people to keep consuming large amounts of these products and negatively effect our environment.
Many communities in this country are “food deserts” meaning that there is very limited access to affordable and healthy food. These communities are a stark contrast to other areas that have an abundance of fresh and affordable grocery stores and markets. This inequality causes different communities to suffer from different health issues and is a social issue we must change.
Zero-Waste?
We understand that a completely zero-waste lifestyle is not possible or realistic for our whole community. Thus we encourage taking small steps like bringing reusable bags when you shop (BSFC canvas bags coming soon ;) ), shopping from our bulk bins with everything from nuts to ginger chews and doing our part as an organization to buy from companies and organizations that use reusable packaging and other less wasteful approaches.
Plant-Based?
BSFC does not sell any meat or fish and is a vegetarian collective. This doesn’t mean that we believe all of our patrons should be vegetarian or vegan, but rather that we encourage surrounding one’s diet around whole, healthy and affordable plants and natural foods.