Chico Natural Foods Co-op is a natural foods consumer cooperative, which means we’re owned by our shoppers! Anyone can become an owner, and everyone can shop here regardless of ownership.  We now serve over 3000 active owners with gross annual sales over $4 million. Owners receive a portion of our profits each year.  A Board of Directors (democratically elected by owners) holds responsibility for ensuring the Co-op meets the needs of the owners and that our resources are used wisely.

Our History

In 1973, 15 Chico families banded together as a buying club to bring a new way of choosing food to the local community. They wanted an alternative to food that was over-processed, sugary, or contained pesticides, herbicides, and artificial additives. The buying club grew from a parking lot meeting-spot to a store front and was located at 15th St. and Park Ave, 1st and Orange, and for a short time right across the street from its current location at 8th St. and Main St in 1988.

CNFC functioned as a non-profit until December of 2001 when the members voted to convert to a legal Cooperative and become a member of the National Cooperative Grocers Association. The process was completed in June 2004 when the Co-op sold its first Member-Owner Equity Shares. Today the Co-op has over 3,000 owners and continues to uphold its original purpose as a place to buy products that are healthy for both the consumer and the environment.

Community Involvement

CNFC is involved in the Butte County community in many ways:

• Round Up. The Co-op made a big change to our donation program in February. We retired our Bag Token program and introduced a brand new Round Up at the Register process. Our shoppers now had a chance to round their purchases up to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to a local charity .

• Donations. CNFC provides food and drink sponsorship to numerous local organizations and events. We want to make sure that everyone has access to the most sustainable, healthy, and delicious food possible!