1972 – East End Food Buying Club
Point Breeze residents David & Rodah Zarembka were impressed by their experience with “buying clubs” in Philadelphia and decided to start one in the basement
Read more1978 – Open to Everyone
As the East End Food Buying Club grew, it opened both a retail storefront and a supply company in a warehouse at 5474 Penn Avenue
Read more1980 – EEFC Incorporates
On June 12, 1980, the East End Food Co-op officially incorporated as a domestic nonprofit cooperative corporation under the District of Columbia Cooperative Association Act.
Read more1985 – Pittsburgh’s Only Cooperative Grocer
In January of 1985, the Semple Street Food Co-operative Association closed its doors and encouraged its members to join what was now Pittsburgh’s only cooperatively-owned
Read more1986 – Move to The Factory
As the eighties progressed, EEFC outgrew the Garfield warehouse space and became one of the first tenants of “The Factory”, a building which formerly housed
Read more1989 – The Co-operator
Volunteer members, at that time known as “skillsworkers” launch The Co-operator newsletter. Initially a sporadic bulletin, by 1992 the “Voice of the East End Food
Read more1990 – Co-op Café Celebrates Grand Opening
In April of 1990, the Co-op Café celebrated its grand opening, boasting a “most unique, multifaceted vegetarian menu including vegan delights, wheat free alternatives, macrobiotic
Read more1993 – East End Food Co-op Credit Union
EEFC members gained another member benefit when the EEFC Federal Credit Union opened its doors to members residing in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on November
Read more1995 – Profit and Expansion Planning
As early as 1993, the Board of Directors started considering expansion opportunities for a more “user-friendly” space based on member and staff feedback that “shelf
Read more1998 – “Membership Appreciation Day”
July 11 – EEFC held an event called “Membership Appreciation Day”. The store conducted a sampling of many products and gave members 10% discount on
Read more1999 – Capital Campaign
After 18 months of actively searching for a new store location, EEFC Board and Management identified the ground level west end of The Factory as
Read more2000 – Expansion
In January, EEFC signed for a small loan from PNC and signed a new lease for the space immediately adjacent to its current store, essentially
Read more2003 – New Levels of Member Engagement
In order to allow greater member knowledge and participation in donations to community non-profit organizations, the Co-op instituted the One Percent Wednesdays Every fourth Wednesday
Read more2004 – National Cooperative Movement
EEFC and 100 other food co-ops, previously organized into regional Cooperative Grocer Associations, joined together to form the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA). Pooling their
Read more2005 – Local Partners Program
In an effort to support local neighborhood businesses in the face competition from national “big box” stores, and to provide another useful benefit to its
Read more2006 – Major Technological Innovation
In September 2006, a major efficiency upgrade occurred – the installation of a Point-of-Sale (POS) system. This computerized register system enabled staff to price our
Read more2006 – Art Harvest
While the Co-op hosted several summer street events over the years, including a Grand Opening Picnic for the new storefront and the Summer Wellness Festival,
Read more2008 – Cooperative Discussion Course
The EEFC Board published a manual for community self-directed education entitled, “A Discussion Course on Cooperatives.” This self-directed study course entailed short readings and discussion
Read more2008 – No more plastic bags
Ahead of its time, EEFC stopped providing blue plastic bags for shoppers, in an effort to promote reuse, eliminate waste, and to mitigate the environmental
Read more2008 – Co-op Community Fund
The Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation matched earmarked revenue from EEFC for the development of a “Co-op Community Fund.” The purpose was to award grants to
Read more2009 – Sustainable Agriculture Business Leader
EEFC was named the 2009 “Sustainable Agriculture Business Leader” by the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, in recognition of “outstanding contributions of health, well-being and
Read more2009 – CCMA Host
EEFC was selected to host the 53rd Annual Consumer Cooperative Management Association conference, bringing together more than four hundred participants from nearly seventy co-ops, providing
Read more2009 – Seeds of Justice Award
Anti-hunger non-profit Just Harvest honored the Co-op with the “Seeds of Justice Award” for leadership in social and economic justice at the 21st Annual Harvest
Read more2010 – Co-founding Pittsburgh Food Policy Council
The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, a collaborative advisory organization committed to working with City residents and officials to develop food and urban agriculture policy, is
Read more2010 – Jefferson Award for Volunteerism
In recognition for twenty years of dedicated volunteer service, Bill Wekselman was honored with the Jefferson Award, a prize given each year to individuals from
Read more2012 – Bicycle Friendly Business
The League of American Bicyclists acknowledged EEFC with a Bicycle Friendly Business Bronze Award, based on our expansive outdoor bike parking, indoor bike parking and
Read more2012 – 10,000 Members!
EEFC grows to be 10,000 active household memberships strong! In celebration, Martin Scanlan and his family were awarded with a gift certificate and cupcakes at
Read more2013 – Register Round Up
The Register Round Up program debuts, replacing the donation programs formerly known as 1% Wednesdays, and later 5% Wednesdays. Rather than allocating a percentage of
Read more2014 – Volunteer Program Ends
In the process of accessing the feasibility of expanding the volunteer program to include off-site opportunities, it became clear to EEFC board and management that
Read more2015 – 412 Food Rescue Partnership
A partnership is forged with 412 Food Rescue, a local non-profit working to end hunger and eliminate food waste by utilizing a network of volunteers
Read more2016 – Co-op Staff Unionize
On September 21, 2015, the East End Food Co-op staff voted to be represented by the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE).
Read more2016 – Co+op Kids Free Fruit Program Launch
The Co-op introduces a free fruit program called Co+op Explorers (now Co+op Kids). Children who sign up for the free program receive one free piece
Read more2020 – Co-op Cafe Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant Designation
Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants are evaluated based on 149 actions across 6 categories of sustainability standards: waste reduction, water conservation, energy efficiency, people, responsible sourcing, and
Read more2020 – Celebrating 40 Years of Cooperation!
After four decades as a cooperative business, the East End Food Co-op has 14,520 current members, 70 staff members, supports nearly 100 local vendors, and
Read more2022 – 16,000 Member-Owners!
EEFC grows to be 16,000 household memberships strong!
Read more2023 – EEFC Receives Silver Designation as Sustainable Pittsburgh Shop
