29 November 2023
HUDSON, Wis. — When Fresh and Natural Foods owner Kerry Larson passed away this summer, residents here mourned the loss of their friend and the way he held court at the town’s close-knit grocery store.
Fresh and Natural customers didn’t look for items, they looked for people. When a customer needed a specific cut in the meat department, they went and found Bill. When they had a question about produce, they looked for Brittany. Kerry even met his wife, Kris, at the store.
Larson’s death at 64 left the future of the store uncertain, but Hudson Grocery Cooperative announced this week that they plan to purchase Fresh and Natural Foods, aiming to carry on that legacy, and also build their own as a community-based, locally sourced grocery store.
The sale is expected to be finalized Thursday.
“I have very fond feelings for the store and how it all happened,” Fresh and Natural Foods President Kris Larson said. “It’s going to be hard, but at the same time, with him gone, it is for the best. And it’s not going to close.”
Hudson Grocery Cooperative has been in the planning stages of creating its own brick and mortar store for more than a decade. Over the next few months, the co-op team plans on making renovations to the store; the name out front will eventually change for the first time since Fresh and Natural Foods opened in 2006.
“I think there are a lot of synergies,” Hudson Grocery Cooperative Vice President Erik Bjoraker said. “They have a great team there, and we are really excited to bring that team into the co-op. We are going to be able to continue on with the store that (Larson) built, and bring it into the future.”
A grand reopening has been tentatively planned for spring 2024. The aim is to keep the store open as the shift toward Hudson Grocery Co-op continues. The co-op will offer employment to Fresh and Natural Food’s workforce.
Co-op model
How is a co-op different from a regular grocery store?
Someone can become an owner in Hudson Grocery Co-op by making a one-time stock investment of $80. For example, Bjoraker is owner No. 49. Owners receive voting rights, can attend annual meetings, elect the board of directors and levy input on the type of products offered at the store.
At Hudson Grocery Co-op, the focus will be on organic, locally sourced, sustainable products. Membership will not be required to shop at the grocery cooperative.
Hudson’s own co-op began in 2012 with conversations among parents watching their children play at the Willow River Elementary School playground. Those like-minded parents incorporated soon after, and started kicking around possibilities. In 2015, the volunteer co-op group completed a feasibility study of Hudson grocery store locations.
By 2020, Bjoraker said, the co-op team came to a “bit of a crossroads,” to see if the store could move from concept to real-life checkouts. The Hudson Grocery Co-op decided to refresh its previous market study, and stepped up efforts to recruit new owners.
In September 2022, the ownership base grew to 800 people, signifying to Bjoraker that there was real support. The co-op reached 1,000 owners in October.
“A lot of us have been working on the co-op for a long time,” Bjoraker said. “It excites me to have a store, owned by the community, and for the community to have a say in what we offer.”
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