Freshlo, a new nonprofit grocery chain, is getting ready to roll out three neighborhood stores across Denver, starting with a flagship inside Montbello’s community-built FreshLo Hub. Organizers say the concept will blend discounted prices, living-wage jobs, and resident-led oversight to serve areas that big-name grocers have largely skipped. The pitch is simple but ambitious: tackle food access and economic development for low-income parts of the city at the same time.
Freshlo's leaders detailed the expansion plan and early site list in reporting this week, pointing to Montbello, La Alma-Lincoln Park, and Sun Valley as the first target neighborhoods. They are exploring a possible location at the Clayton Early Learning Campus on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The plan calls for the Montbello FreshLo Hub to host the first store, alongside proposals to convert Osage Café & Mercado and transition the Denver Housing Authority’s Decatur Fresh into the FreshLo model, according to reporting from Denverite.
Montbello Hub and Community Control
The Montbello FreshLo Hub is a mixed-use, community-driven development that bundles affordable housing, retail space, and plans for a roughly 5,200-square-foot grocery store. According to the Montbello Organizing Committee, the project grew out of years of neighborhood input and is explicitly designed to keep ownership and jobs in local hands. Local outlets have tracked the hub’s funding and timeline, including coverage from Denver7.
How Freshlo Plans to Operate
Organizers say each Freshlo store will be guided by a community benefits agreement and a resident-led advisory committee, with staff hired from surrounding neighborhoods. They add that employees will receive living wages and benefits, while groceries will be sold at discounts of roughly 15 to 30 percent. The chain expects to cover about 60 percent of its operations through product sales and the remaining 40 percent through philanthropic support. “Large grocery chains are not willing or interested in coming into low-income communities,” Donna Garnett said, in comments reported by Denverite.
The Model Faces Funding Pressure
Nonprofit grocers have shown both promise and fragility. Boston’s Daily Table, the model Freshlo cites, closed all its stores in May 2025 amid rising food costs and shrinking federal support. The shutdown has become a cautionary tale that Freshlo organizers say they want to learn from as they work to build partnerships and a more diversified funding strategy, as documented by GBH.
What Comes Next
The Montbello store is slated for the hub’s retail space, but organizers say formal community-benefit agreements, a resident advisory process, and additional fundraising need to happen before any ribbon-cuttings. Osage Café & Mercado already operates as a Denver Housing Authority-linked social enterprise and training site, a role detailed by the Youth Employment Academy. Decatur Fresh at 995 N. Decatur Street currently serves Sun Valley residents as a DHA-supported market, a background that has been highlighted by Denver7. Those existing community roots are what Freshlo would build on in any conversion.
Organizers say Freshlo's mix of community control, below-market pricing, and living-wage jobs is meant to keep more dollars circulating in the neighborhood while expanding access to fresh food. For updates and ways to follow the project, see the Montbello Organizing Committee and FreshLo Denver.
