| Contact: Mary Bennett,
(319) 335-3911
Sarah Oltrogge, (515) 281-4011
IOWA
CITY, Iowa—One
of the oldest and largest organic and natural food cooperatives in the nation
recently donated 30 years of its organizational records to the State Historical
Society of Iowa. Blooming Prairie Warehouse, Inc. also donated $5,000 to foster
the preservation and use of these materials. The donation is being announced in
conjunction with the celebration of October as National Co-op Month.
Although primarily a wholesale
distributor of organic and natural foods, Blooming Prairie has always been committed
to consumer education and advocacy. Founded in 1974 as a cooperative natural food
warehouse, Blooming Prairie is now a division of United Natural Foods, Inc., the
nation's premier organic food distributor. The Midwest division distributes quality
food to over 2,500 active buying clubs, retail co-ops, grocery stores, and other
businesses.
The Blooming Prairie Warehouse
collection offers extensive documentation of an important grassroots movement
in Iowa. Working cooperatively, the members of Blooming Prairie were able to secure
alternative food sources for consumers while helping to promote good nutrition
and long-term health. Moreover, the cooperative has supported production systems
that do not harm the environment or the well-being of our society.
"Future researchers
will learn a great deal from these records and be able to investigate how a successful
cooperative business operates and maintains so many members and customers,"
said Mary Bennett, special collections coordinator. Other topics covered in the
collection include cooperatives, buying clubs, nutrition and organic standards
legislation, and organic foods, farming and marketing. The information is presented
in the newsletters, brochures, and numerous articles of the donated collection.
"It is wonderful to
know that there is interest in preserving this history, and that we have a home
for these records where they will be accessible to more people," said Susan
Futrell, director of Marketing for Blooming Prairie
The Blooming Prairie records
are an important part of the State Historical Society's initiative to gather collections
emphasizing social and economic democracy in action.
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