Additional Co-op Investment Opportunities

The Friendly City Food Cooperative, Inc. offers additional investment opportunities to co-op owner-members who want to become financial leaders in making this venture a success. These additional investment opportunities are for those who have grasped the Co-op’s vision of a healthier community, an integrated food system in which local farmers bring fresh foods to each household’s dinner table, and ongoing community education for family cooks and institutional planners alike. Please see below for ways you can further invest in the Friendly City Food Cooperative.

Owner-Member Loan Campaign

The Co-op is developing a MEMBER LOAN campaign. We plan to kick off this campaign shortly. The goal is to raise additional equity with which to capitalize the venture and leverage further vendor credit and primary lending capital. These investment options will only be available to co-op owner-members.

Campaign packets will be available soon. To learn more about the status of this campaign, or to schedule an appointment with us, please contact our Board President Ben Sandel (540-433-8554) or Co-Chair of the Founding Team Jonathan Lantz-Trissel (540-438-8621).

Common Stock Investment (Owner Equity Share)

All owner-members of the Friendly City Food Cooperative have bought an equity share, currently priced at $200 for one share, which entitles the owner household to one vote at annual member meetings. Multiple shares can be bought, up to 20 shares per owner household, although regardless of the number of shares the household only maintains one vote. Stock certificates must be read by the investor and signed by one of our securities agents.

In this way, an owner household can invest up to $4000 in the coop. However, there is no interest or dividend return on this investment, other than a patronage refund, which is set and approved (or not approved) by vote of members at the annual meeting. For this reason, we encourage those interested in investing larger amounts to participate in the Loan Campaign or Preferred Stock Campaign as those develop.

Tax Deductible Donations

Donations to the Co-op are welcome. However, the Friendly City Food Cooperative, Inc. is not a 501c3 non-profit organization, and cannot directly take tax deductible donations. For those wishing to make a donation which requires tax deductibility, the Center for Health and Human Development (a 501c3 tax deductible non-profit) has agreed to manage such donations for the Co-op, to be used for educational, charitable, and/or scientific activities carried out by the Co-op.

 

MEMBERSHIP AND INVESTMENT IN THE CO-OP IS LIMITED TO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS. NOTHING CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE DEEMED AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY SECURITIES IN ANY STATE OTHER THAN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA OR ANY PERSON WHO IS NOT A RESIDENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.