The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

One of many consumer cooperatives started during the years of the Great Depression, our co-op is one of the oldest and most successful of its kind in the United States.

Serving the Upper Valley Since 1936

In January of 1936, 17 Hanover, New Hampshire, and Norwich, Vermont, residents formed the Hanover Consumer’s Club. Initially, members of the fledgling co-op pooled orders for potatoes, oranges, and maple syrup and arranged for discounts of gasoline and fuel oil with local suppliers. A year later, Co-op members incorporated as the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society and opened a small retail store in a basement on Hanover’s Main Street. Annual sales that year reached $11,404.

Within a few years, the Co-op moved to the site now occupied by the Dartmouth Bookstore and opened Hanover’s first self-service grocery store. Here, the Co-op grew and prospered for 20 years, enjoying steady increases in membership and sales.

Moving On

But as the Co-op grew, its downtown location became cramped, and it was plagued by the perennial Hanover problem: parking. In 1962, the Board of Directors of the 2,000-member Co-op authorized purchase of the Hanover Co-op Food Store’s present site. In 1963, the Co-op moved into its new quarters at 45 South Park Street.

Expansion

Since then the Co-op has continued to flourish. The Hanover Co-op Food Store has been expanded several times to meet the needs of its growing membership. In 1985, the Co-op purchased the adjacent Park Street Mobil station, and in 1995, opened a second Service Center on Lyme Road in Hanover. By 1996, the Co-op had almost 18,000 members, and sales had grown to over $20 million. Members voted to open a second Co-op Food Store in order to relieve crowding at the popular Hanover store. The Lebanon Co-op Food Store opened in October, 1997.

Green Market and Move to Vermont

Membership in the Co-op grew by leaps and bounds with the opening of the Lebanon store, and once again, the Hanover store felt the pressure of increased patronage. In May 1999, the Co-op converted the Lyme Road Service Center into a convenience store, keeping the gas pumps and adding a selection of grocery items to what was renamed the Co-op Community Market. In 2008, the 1,000-square-foot facility was replaced by a new energy-efficient building with 3,500 square feet of retail space. A Commissary Kitchen in Wilder, Vermont, was added in 2000 to meet member demand for prepared foods at all locations. In 2010, the Co-op established a third food store in the community of White River Junction, Vermont.

Today

Today the Co-op employs over 400 people, serving more than 28,000 member households with sales topping $65 million.

This story is vividly told by founding members of the Co-op in the video “Hand in Hand: A History of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society,” available from the Co-op’s lending library.