Dyed-In-The-Wool Organic Food Buyers Keep Organic Co-ops Prospering

Devoted organic food buyers are fueling the prosperity of organic grocery coops around the U.S. According to the National Cooperative Grocers Association, whose members include a 40-year-old Duluth, Minn. co-op and 117 others, sales grew seven percent from 2008 to 2009 to reach to reach a total of more than $1.3 billion in annual sales. The growth seems to run counter to conventional wisdom, which says the first thing cut from shopping lists in times of economic downturn would be more expensive organic goods. But sales at the member-owned Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth grew in each year of the recession, thanks to customers looking to avoid harmful pesticides and fertilizers, and committed to buying locally.