For Buyers

You and your friends, family, and neighbors deserve more for your money.

That’s where we come in. For decades, our national food distribution system worked like this:

A farmer grows a bunch of crops, enough to supply a grocery store for a few days or weeks.

Then those crops exchange hands over and over again as they are processed, packaged, and shipped where they’ll end up on your grocery store shelves.

You go to the store and pick out an individually processed and packaged bag of grapes or package of cucumbers to enjoy.

Meanwhile, the farmer who grew those grapes or cucumbers, or the fisherman who caught that tuna receive literal pennies on the dollar (for every dollar spent on food in the US, the farmer responsible for creating it receives about 6 cents). The reason is simple:

Order Size.

If you’ve ever placed a custom t-shirt or apparel order you’ve already seen this in action. The more T-shirts you order, the cheaper the per t-shirt price gets. Now replace T-shirts with tomatoes and you get Co-Op!

Co-Op is an online marketplace that lets buyers:

-Pool their money with other folks in the community to unlock wholesale pricing
-Meet farmers local to you
-Access local, healthy, fresh food
-Help others in your community gain access through our share donation feature
-support your local economy
-strengthen your local community

Buying on co-op looks like this:

-You find a listing you’re interested and pay the current per share price. Farmers can set one standard price for everyone or they can use our dynamic share pricing so that if enough people buy a share of the listing the price drops for everyone and early joiners can receive the difference back.





-You can also post a “Could-Op” where you and others nearby can let farmers (or fisherman or potato chip manufacturers) know what you and other folks nearby will all go in on together!





-Once you join a co-op, you’ll be added to an anonymous group chat with the other co-op members and the farmer where you can receive updates on your co-op.














-When your order is ready to be fulfilled (fulfillment timelines can range from a few days to months depending on the item and it will be clear in the listing when you join!) you’ll either have it delivered or go pick it up (up to the farmer which one).



Buying on co-op probably won’t ever be as convenient as buying from a grocery store but buying at a grocery store will never be as fun, fulfilling, affordable, adventurous, or as good for your community as buying directly from a farmer will!

Everything that Co-op does, you can do yourself with a spreadsheet and a few friends and family but we think it’s more fun on the app so we hope you will check us out!

FAQs

  • Co-Op is a marketplace where you and your neighbors pool your buying power to purchase directly from local farmers, makers, and regional producers. The more people who join a co-op, the lower the price can drop — giving everyday buyers access to bulk pricing that used to be reserved for restaurants and distributors.

  • Co-Op is currently focused on the Northeast US and growing. Search your zip code to see what's available near you.

    We’re adding sellers all the time! If you have a local farm in mind, send them to our sellers page so they can start the first co-op in your town!

  • Browse listings near you, find something you want, and claim your share. You pay at the time you claim. Once the seller's minimum is met, the co-op confirms and you'll receive details about pickup or delivery through the co-op group chat.

  • A share is your portion of a bulk order. Every co-op listing tells you exactly what one share gets you. For example one share might be 5lbs of tomatoes, a dozen eggs, or one jar of honey. You can claim multiple shares if you want more.

  • Every co-op has an anonymous group chat connecting all buyers with the seller. This is where pickup details, timing, and any updates get communicated. The chat is anonymous (everyone is assigned an emoji as their username) unless you’d like to share your first name and follow the same rules as a standard public chat forum.

  • Some sellers offer tiered pricing that drops automatically as more shares are claimed. You'll always see the current price and the next price tier clearly on the listing. If the price drops after you've already purchased, you'll receive a refund or account credit for the difference.

  • You'll receive a notification when your co-op reaches its minimum and the order is confirmed. All pickup or delivery details will be shared in the group chat and/or in the listing by the seller.

  • Each seller sets their own fulfillment method: pickup at a location they choose, delivery, or pick-your-own for farms and orchards. The fulfillment method is always clearly listed before you purchase so there are no surprises.

  • Reach out to the seller directly through the group chat as early as possible. Refund and cancellation policies are set by each individual seller and will be clearly listed on the co-op page. We always encourage sellers to be flexible with their co-op member.

  • You're charged at the time you claim your share. Your payment is held securely until you confirm you've received your order, at which point it's released to the seller.

  • Refund policies are set by each seller and listed on their co-op page. If you have an issue with your order, reach out through the group chat or contact us directly at info@co-op-app.com and we'll help make it right.

  • Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe, one of the most trusted payment platforms in the world. Co-Op never stores your card information.

  • If a co-op doesn't fill, it simply doesn't form and you are automatically refunded in full. You're never charged for an order that doesn't complete.

  • Every seller on Co-Op goes through a vetting process before their first listing goes live. We personally review each seller and their products before they're approved to sell on the platform.

  • Farmers markets are great but they require you to show up at a specific time every week. Co-Op lets you browse and buy on your own schedule, guarantees your share before pickup day, and connects you with sellers beyond your immediate geography. And with dynamic pricing, the more neighbors who join, the better the price gets for everyone.