New Vendor Guide
Welcome! This guide provides the information you need to apply to vend at our store. Please read through this guide carefully before applying. Thanks for your interest in becoming a vendor at The Food Co-op!
First a little bit about us —
The Food Co-op, located in Port Townsend, Washington, is a full-service food market providing affordable organic food to everyone, every day. We are a member-owned consumer cooperative, serving our community since 1972. The Food Co-op is committed to creating a viable marketplace for local products. We love our local farmers, producers, and their products! But please note this packet isn’t just for our local vendors but for anyone that wishes to sell their product at The Food Co-op.
The Food Co-op’s mission is “Working together to nourish our community.” We also have a strategic plan, which guides all of our activities. It lays out what we seek to achieve—our ends—and the strategies we believe will best accomplish those ends. As these ends were created, we found ourselves returning again and again to the importance of partnerships to achieve them—partnerships between our members, board, and staff, and between our store and our wider community of shoppers and producers.
The Food Co-op’s ends state that, as a result of all we do:
Our community is well-served by a strong cooperative grocery store, integral to the lives of our customers, our farmers, and our producers.
Our community has a resilient local and regional food economy, supported by our Co-op and our community partners.
Our staff and board have the knowledge, skills, and passion to make our cooperative thrive.
Our members and customers are proud to shop at a local cooperative grocery that is working to reduce its impact on the environment.
Our community is informed, engaged, and empowered to join us in making a difference.
With these goals in mind, we are excited to learn more about you and your products!
QUICK LINKS
HOW TO BECOME A VENDOR
We’re excited that you want to sell your product to us! That’s great news for us. Please be sure to read through all materials before filling out an application as there is lots of important information that you’ll need to know first.
This guide is not meant to be an all-inclusive manual on how to start a business in Jefferson County. It is based on the assumption that you already have a product idea, a viable business plan, and the financial resources to start a business. Additionally, each business has its own specific set of permits, regulations, and circumstances. You are responsible for identifying and upholding those regulations as well as providing The Food Co-op with the information we need to comply with regulations when we retail your product.
There are two ways to sell to The Food Co-op—directly or through a distributor. The easiest way for us is to purchase your products through a distributor. If you are already selling your product through a distributor, you can skip this process. Please see our Vendor FAQ section to see which distributors we currently buy from. However, we have many vendors we buy from directly, which means you deliver your products directly to our receiving door or ship them to us.
If you are selling directly to The Food Co-op, we have provided a retail-ready checklist for you to see if your products are ready for us to sell. You do not need to answer yes to every question, but please review them and be prepared to answer the question if applicable. Please also read our product guidelines and buying practices, which are detailed below. We review all potential products for quality, pricing, and ingredients. Some of the Co-op’s standards have been updated for this packet. New vendors must comply with these standards, and over time, all vendors will be expected to comply.
When you are ready to apply, use the application checklist to verify you have submitted everything. We ask that all applications go through our (online) process. You are welcome to use our computer at the Customer Service Desk in the Co-op to apply.
Please note that completing our New Vendor Packet does not guarantee placement of any or all of your products.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO KNOW
Please click the links below and read before applying. This will make sure that you have all the information needed before you start the application. THANKS for your Cooperation!
NOW YOU’VE READ ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IT’S TIME TO APPLY TO BECOME A VENDOR!
Please check that your products meet our product selection guidelines and do not contain any unacceptable ingredients before applying.
Follow the steps/links below to submit your application
Application Checklist
New Vendor Application Form—Please fill out this form even if you are an existing vendor because we would like to verify or update our files. You do not need to fill out this form if you are selling to us through a distributor. See Vendor FAQ for more info on selling through a distributor. Please include copies of all required license(s) or certificate(s) with your application, including proof of insurance.
Send Samples—We would love to see a retail-ready sample of your product(s). If you are not able to provide us with a sample, please send pictures of the packaging.
Please mail samples to:
Attention: New Product Sample—likely department for your product
(For example: Attention: New Product Sample—Grocery)
The Food Co-op
414 Kearney Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Alternatively, you can deliver the samples to our receiving staff. Look for the garage door on the northwest side of the Co-op. Ring the bell by the smaller door, labeled “receiving.” Please do not drop off samples anywhere else, and do not bring them into the store.
Congratulations on making it through the paperwork stage of applying to sell your product at the Co-op!
Now what?
We thank you for gathering us so much information. We ask for this to ensure that we deliver on our mission and values. Ultimately, getting all this information in a succinct format enables us to streamline the process and ensure that your product is a good fit for our store.
We will respond within 30 days of receiving your application. If your product is accepted, we will send you more information about delivering to the Co-op, invoices, and our payment terms.
We sincerely thank you for your interest in selling your products at The Food Co-op!
Got Questions?
If you have any further questions, check out our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).
You are also welcome to fill out the form below or email Newvendor@foodcoop.coop with additional questions.