This page includes the text of a brochure on Mariposa’s expansion efforts as well as additional information on how members can get involved. You may also download the brochure as a PDF, which includes graphs and charts providing more information on membership and finances.

Thanks to all that participated in our Fall Fundraising Party on November, 15th!

Mariposa is a West Philadelphia food co-op

For the past 35 years, we have been providing our members access to healthy, locally-grown, and sustainably-produced food.

We have grown from a buying club of a few dozen members to a full-service storefront which is open every day of the week, with more than 700 member households and well over 1,000 shoppers.

Throughout this growth, which has skyrocketed in the last five years, Mariposa has always been a business owned and run by its members, who each contribute 26 hours of work per year and who govern the organization according to the principles of the international cooperative movement.

Mariposa is poised to keep growing

• Our membership is growing so quickly that at times we must institute a waiting list for new membership.
• Organic food sales have quintupled since 1997 (USDA).
• 69% of U.S. consumers purchased organic products in 2008 (Hartman Group).
• The closest full-service grocery store is over a mile away, with no direct public transportation from the Baltimore Avenue corridor.
• The closest full-service grocery store offering a comparable product line is three and a half miles away—an estimated 35 minute trip on public transportation.

We have outgrown our current space

With just 500 square feet of retail space we offer a full line of produce and dairy products, but are extremely limited in the variety of dry, canned, prepared, and specialty diet foods available to shoppers.

We are doing our best to accommodate new members and guests in our current location, yet often new member households are wait-listed or guest shoppers are turned away because of our limited space. The lack of space has created a barrier between us and the community as a whole, stunting potential membership growth.

Our 2008 sales were a 9.6% increase over the previous year and sales through the third quarter of 2009 have increased 16.7% over the same period for 2008, but we have maximized the potential for income, as established in a recent analysis of Mariposa by University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Small Business Development Center.

Growth has presented challenges

Our exponential growth over the past few years has also presented Mariposa with challenges.

As membership has expanded, community pressure to encourage members to be responsible about their work shifts has dropped. Some members are either unable to or not interested in participating at the level current policies require. In addition to running the bustling store, staff manages the training, scheduling and supervision of work shifts for all 700+ member households—spending an estimated 45 minutes of paid time coordinating every hour of unpaid member labor. This means that the cost of managing the larger membership base is outpacing the increase in sales from new members.

How Mariposa plans to keep growing

Move to a new space

In a larger retail space, we will provide access to healthy, locally-grown and sustainably-produced food to every household on our current wait-list, and potentially the entire West Philadelphia community.

We will increase operational efficiency in a facility with room to process and prepare food, a loading dock, and room for overstock. More retail and overstock space will allow us to place larger orders, which will lower prices for shoppers.

In a larger space we will further our mission of providing information about healthy, locally-grown, and sustainably-produced by food holding community meetings, workshops, and seminars.

Welcome guest shoppers

In a new space we could expand our guest shopping policy and provide access to healthy food to everyone in the neighborhood. Guest shoppers will also encourage the membership as a whole to grow—many guest shoppers will join as members to fully gain the benefits Mariposa has to offer.

Re-define membership participation

Mariposa will always operate in accordance with cooperative principles and our commitment to egalitarian and self-sustaining business that builds community as it works. Through organizational changes we will remain true to these valuesómembers will continue to contribute labor and governance. However, our policy changes will incorporate more new members, re-engage current members, and allow staff to focus on more efficiently and effectively managing the store.

How Members Can Get Involved

Pay Your Member Capital In Full

Each member makes a one-time payment to the co-op of $100, usually in five annual installments. This “member capital” represents your equity (ownership share) in the co-op. Most members currently pay this amount in $20 installments over five years, but you can pay it in full now and/or increase it up to 1% of the total member equity (currently about $500). To find out how much equity you have, Financial Manager Dan Ohlemiller can be reached in person, by phone or by email at finance@mariposa.coop or you can login to MESS.

Give Us a Loan

Mariposa is offering five and ten year loans with a simple interest rate of 3% to members. More information is available at the co-op or online.

Donate Dollars

Mariposa members are welcome to mail or deliver donations to the store. You can also donate money using the PayPal button below.

Donate Your Talents and Skills

Join one of the committees supporting the expansion projects, or offer your talents in fundraising, carpentry, architecture, design, finances, policy changes, etc. Send an email to growth@mariposa.coop or talk to a board or staff member.

Organize or Attend a Fundraiser

Members are throwing dance parties, hosting bake sales, and playing shows as fundraisers for the co-op.

Spend More of Your Food Dollars at the Co-op

The store is open Monday through Thursday from 12:00 to 9:00 pm and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. You can always call ahead to see if we have what you want in stock. Remember that as a co-op member, you have the benefit of placing bulk and special orders.