Maryland Food Collective
Maryland Food Collective logo
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| Industry | Food service |
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| Founded | College Park, Maryland, U.S. (August 1975) |
| Founder | Matt Mayer |
| Headquarters | College Park, Maryland, United States |
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Number of locations
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1 |
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Area served
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University of Maryland |
| Products | Sandwiches, Vegan food, Vegetarian food, Gluten-free food, Organic food, Local food |
| Services | Catering, Take-out |
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Number of employees
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17 worker-owners[update], many more volunteers |
| Website | www |
Maryland Food Collective, popularly known as The Co-op, is a worker-owned collective at the University of Maryland. The organization was founded in 1975 under a cooperative business structure with the goal of providing nutritious food. It operates under the motto, "Food for people, not for profit".
In the early 1970s, the University of Maryland failed in its attempts to create a food co-op, a book co-op, and a music co-op. However, a group of students did not give up. The began a "guerrilla sandwich line" campaign in which they sold sandwiches made at home at events, gatherings, and out of baskets around the campus. They were met with resistance from the local police but received overwhelming support from the student body. In August 1975, Matt Mayer, a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, submitted a proposal to the Student Government Association (SGA) for the formation of the Maryland Food Collective. The "sandwich line" remains to this day a staple of the food options offered to customers.
Although started as a movement against the university's administration, the food collective is now featured on tours of the university and there exists a running archive of ledgers, advertisements and other documents from the collective in Hornbake Library.
According to a draft of the business plan of the collective:
The Co-op's current management and worker organization is based on an equal-pay, equal-responsibility and equal-role system. Every worker is hired into the same position and immediately given the same amount of responsibility and power. Each worker has equal democratic decision-making power and is expected to contribute equally to The Co-op. All workers are theoretically responsible for every aspect of the store.
The Maryland Food Collective engages in environmentally sustainable business practices. The Co-op uses biodegradable plates and bowls and provides a 10% discount to customers who bring their own cutlery and containers. Additionally, the collective makes use of the Stamp's composting dumpster and composts much of their waste.
Part grocery store, The Co-op features a selection of locally produced and organic fruits and vegetables. These same ingredients are used in the making of the food served in the small cafe and sandwich shop. Although these were available in a much wider variety at the front of the store, the collective decided to remove their storefront vegetable shelves (along with much of their grocery section) around 2012. However, fruits are still available by the registers and customers may ask a worker to retrieve any specific vegetables from their kitchen's walk-in refrigerator.
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Wikipedia