Long Beach Grocery Co-op is teaming up with Long Beach City College for Growing Together, a fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 14. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center at LBCC, with $44 tickets covering a documentary screening, food and drinks.
According to Long Beach City College, Growing Together includes a screening of the documentary Food for Change, bites from Primal Alchemy and beverages. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports on the co-op's efforts to open a store.
Food for Change, produced by Steve Alves, examines the historical role food co-ops have played in American culture, their advocacy for organic food and their efforts to build regional food systems, per the Press-Telegram's reporting. The screening anchors an afternoon that also includes a photo opportunity and vendor tables, the paper reports.
What the Co-op Says It's Building
Long Beach Grocery Cooperative describes itself as a start-up, community-owned and operated grocery store, according to its own website. The group says its eventual store will source from local producers, artisans and fair-trade businesses, and per the Press-Telegram, it plans to carry fresh food, dry and bulk goods, beverages and household products, with offerings as local, seasonal and organic as possible.
The co-op's model emphasizes local sourcing and aims to support jobs and economic benefits. A one-time $250 commitment covers an entire household's ownership stake. Members also stand to receive a dividend on their investment during profitable years.
LBCC's Stake in the Partnership
The Viking Vault, located at the Liberal Arts Campus and the Trades, Tech and Community Learning Campus, lets enrolled students shop in person without an appointment for free groceries, fresh produce, meat, hygiene items and parenting resources, according to Long Beach City College. The Basic Needs Program also partners with the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to run monthly Mobile Food Pantry events open to students and the wider community.
How the Numbers Add Up for Food Co-ops Nationally
Long Beach's effort fits into a broader national pattern. Food co-ops affiliated with the National Co+op Grocers posted 6.2% sales growth in 2025, more than double the 2.9% benchmark for the average U.S. grocery store, according to Progressive Grocer. NCG's 167 member co-ops operate 244 stores across 41 states with combined annual sales near $2.8 billion, and certified organic products make up 38% of those sales, compared with 25% at other natural grocery retailers.
The trade publication also notes the average NCG food co-op buys from 187 local suppliers — more than four times the 41-farm average for conventional grocers — and that local items account for 23% of the average co-op's sales versus just 2% at conventional stores. More than 1.3 million U.S. residents belong to an NCG food co-op, according to the organization's chief public policy officer, Allie Mentzer.
Growing Together tickets are available through the co-op's website, longbeachgrocery.coop. For now, the event is less about a finished grocery store than about the community behind the effort to build one.
