Construction is nearly complete on our expanded Eau Claire location, so we are excited to announce that our staff is aiming to open its doors exactly one year to the day from their groundbreaking ceremony last fall.

When we merged with the former Just Local Food Co-op in 2021 after both ownerships voted overwhelmingly in favor, plans to build an expanded Eau Claire location on the property known as “Block 7” were immediately announced. Over the next six months, our co-op worked with the Redevelopment Authority and City of Eau Claire to get its building plans approved and secure a purchase agreement, and it began raising funds through the sale of investments to co-op owners in June 2022. Four months later, we reached our goal for owner investments, secured financing, and broke ground. Now, local contractor Market & Johnson is currently on track to complete the new 14,000 sq. ft. standalone grocery store by September, putting the project on schedule for an October 11th opening date. 

“It’s very exciting to be at a transition point in our construction timeline,” explains MMFC General Manager Crystal Halvorson. “It seems rare in this day and age to finish a project on time and on budget, but that’s where we find ourselves thanks to excellent design and construction work! Now we turn toward what must happen inside the building and on our team to be ready for opening day. We’ll be spending the next several weeks unpacking equipment, hiring lots of new people, and placing our biggest orders ever from local partners, all so we can build a family around good food to be ready for our owners and customers in October.” 

A short ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11:00am on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. It will be held outside the front door of the new building located at the intersection of North Barstow and Galloway Streets, and attendees can expect brief speeches by co-op staff and board members to commemorate this momentous occasion for the Eau Claire community. Leading up to the ribbon cutting, we are also planning to invite board members, community members, and co-op owners who invested in the project for tours of the building. And we have scheduled the official grand opening celebration for Saturday, November 4, 2023, at which all co-op owners will be invited to attend the 2023 Annual Owner Meeting, see both floors of the building, and hear a presentation about the previous year. More information to follow. 

To prepare for the opening of the expanded location, we are accepting applications for positions at the new store as of this week. Job openings will be available at all levels of employment in all departments, including customer service, deli and bakery, grocery and wellness, meat and produce, and facility maintenance. Anyone interested is encouraged to apply either in person or online at mmfc.coop/careers as soon as possible even if their preferred position has not yet been posted as applications are kept on file for six months; our staff will contact applicants who may be a good fit for roles as they become available.