Welcome

A community food system is designed to support local growers and producers, packagers and distributors, residents of all needs, assist in building a better environment and work towards ending food waste and food insecurity.

Local producers and processors are real people in our community growing and packaging real products that can benefit our community and ensure that our food supply is one that allows enough for everyone.

Our mission is to help make the switch from large and convenient, and cheap to small, local, and fair.  

Local growers and producers are more aware now than ever before of the benefits of producing or growing foods locally.  Local growers and producers understand the needs of their land and animals and can work more effectively thanks to technology to achieve goals that benefit our local environment.  

To achieve the goal of a local food system, we can't have producers without packagers and processors.  By keeping packaging and processing local, we continue to keep costs low for consumers and ensure we are working towards ways to build a resilient food system.

Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meats, Inc. is applying for USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, owns an FDA Inspected facility and is a licensed food manufacturer in the State of Colorado.

Once products are produced and packaged, the next step is getting those products to market.  Our CO-OP Market, Grocery and Deli will offer producers and growers the opportunity to get their products in front of an over 80 year established customer base.   A recent grant we received from the Community First Foundation pays for booth rent for up to 18 months.  We believe this benefit will allow local producers the opportunity to establish their clientele without the worry of paying for booth space.

Our vision is to utilize local products from local producers to create soups, side dishes and meals to offer additional value-added products to consumers and introduce consumers to local products they may not know exist.  By establishing the process, we can create a true community food collaborative where producers, packagers and makers are working together.  

The final step in our market would be to help reduce food waste and fight food insecurity.  As part of our market, we ask producers to donate foods that would otherwise go unsold to our community fridge or one of the many food pantries we work with.

Our kitchen will also operate in this fashion by offering customers the option of paying what they can on certain food items.  Additional items will be created with for the sole purpose of getting food to neighbors in the most need for food.