A unanimous Raleigh City Council rezoning vote cleared a key land-use step for Fertile Ground Food Cooperative’s planned southeast Raleigh grocery store. The Black-led cooperative plans to break ground on Garner Road on October 24 at the JD Lewis Recreational Center, with the store expected to open in 2027.
The project follows the 2013 closure of two Kroger stores in southeast Raleigh, which left residents with fewer nearby grocery options. Southeast Raleigh was later federally classified as a food desert, according to WUNC News. Meisha Gayle, a co-op board member who moved to the neighborhood from Jamaica in 2016, told the station the effort is intended to build economic resilience in the community.
The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina estimates that more than 145,000 Wake County residents face hunger, with about one in three of them Black, according to WUNC’s account. Separately, Black or African American non-Hispanic residents make up about 18.5 percent (218,000) of Wake County’s 1.18 million residents, based on 2024 American Community Survey data presented in Data USA’s Wake County profile. The county population figure and the Food Bank’s hunger estimate measure different things.
From a Cooperative Cafe Idea to a Major Land-Use Approval
Fertile Ground's roots go back further than most readers might expect. The cooperative started in 2011 as an informal dinner conversation among southeast Raleigh residents, then incorporated in 2013 when eight founders pooled just $800 following the local supermarket closures, according to the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network. The idea itself began as a plan for a cooperative cafe in 2012 before evolving into a full community-owned grocery store initiative, the station's report notes.
The project’s municipal approvals followed years of organizing. In July, the Raleigh City Council voted unanimously, 7-0, to rezone roughly 10 acres at 2245 Garner Road from residential to commercial mixed-use, according to ZoneWire. The change allows for up to five stories of development beside the JD Lewis Multipurpose Center. The Wake County Board of Commissioners had earlier backed the project, voting in March 2024 to award Fertile Ground a $1 million Community Capital Program grant for grocery store development, according to the county’s announcement.
More Than 1,000 Members Have Bought In
The cooperative reports more than 1,000 members, who are partial owners and vote on major store decisions, according to WUNC. Communications manager Ben Jones told the station that Fertile Ground hopes to double its membership by opening day. The co-op has raised more than $5 million and is aiming for $11 million.
Alongside grocery retail, Fertile Ground plans a community garden and gathering spaces, according to WUNC’s coverage. The project is also connected to the Black Farmers Market, which grew out of the 2015 “Black August in the Park” initiative, held its first farmers' market in 2018 and later expanded into Raleigh, where it was hosted weekly, according to the Black Farmers Market.
Regional Growers and Distributors Are Already Involved
Erin Martin manages Footprints in the Garden, a Mount Olive farm that has been in her family for eight generations. The farm sells produce to markets and donates food to hubs across North Carolina. Martin has also conducted outreach for Fertile Ground, explaining the cooperative’s mission and the area’s food-access challenges, WUNC reported.
The Produce Box, which delivers fresh produce and works with churches, food banks and other local partners, is also connected to the effort. Gayle works there as produce and procurement manager as well as serving on Fertile Ground’s board; she told WUNC she tries to source from Black-owned farms for the company. Fertile Ground plans to sell food from Black farmers and other regional sources, building on its relationship with the Black Farmers Market.
A National Movement
Fertile Ground isn't operating in isolation. It's part of a growing movement of more than 60 Black-led food cooperatives currently open or in development nationwide, including North Carolina peer projects in Charlotte, Warrenton and Wilmington, according to the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network.
What food-access measures and co-op history show
Fertile Ground will host a Harvest Gala on October 17 at the Greg Poole, Jr. All Faiths Chapel in Raleigh, featuring keynote speaker Malik Yakini, a board member of the Detroit People's Food Co-op.
