Member Investment Program

About the EFC Member Investment Program:

The Eastside Food Cooperative’s Member Investment Program offers a great opportunity for member-owners to invest in our community-owned business. By purchasing a C-share or a D-share, members can help to build EFC’s capital reserves, strengthen its balance sheet, and position the co-op for continued growth and stability over the coming years.

The members of the Eastside Food Cooperative have long invested in the co-op’s success. It took an investment of time, energy, money and faith to open our doors, now more than five years ago! When we needed money to start the business, our members responded with loans of over $200,000. Several years ago, when we needed a new infusion of capital to help weather our financial growing pains, members responded once again by participating in our new stock program, now the C and D-share Program.

Today, the co-op is thriving, having just celebrated its first profitable year. Despite the recession, our sales have consistently outperformed projections and we continue to cement our reputation as both an important Central Avenue business anchor and a community asset to all of Northeast Minneapolis and the surrounding area.

About C-Shares & D-Shares:

C-shares and D-shares are nonvoting, preferred stock in the co-op. C-shares cost $500/share and are eligible for dividends of 4%. D-shares cost $100/share and are eligible dividends of 3%. Dividends are only in years when the Co-op has sufficient profits. (The Board has not yet declared a dividend on C or D-shares.) Dividends do not accumulate from year to year.

C and D-shares must be considered long-term investments because the Co-op is prohibited from “redeeming” shares, i.e., buying them back from investors, until we have achieved financial maturity and a stable balance sheet. You must be a co-op member and a resident of Minnesota to participate.

To Learn More:

You can download the complete EFC Members Investment Program Disclosure Statement below.  If you have additional questions, contact EFC Board Chair Leslie Watson at board@eastsidefood.coop.  Thanks for your interest!