Become a Member

Join us! 

Be part of a vibrant and diverse community that provides food for people (and the planet), not for profit.

Being a Member of The Food Co-op makes you a co-owner and the reason we exist.

Being owned and run by Members helps us to keep prices as low as possible and able to prioritise our values in our product and operational choices over profit.

New Member Inductions happen on the first Saturday of each month from 11:00am-12pm. These inductions provide an overview of how the Co-op works and the different Working Member tasks currently available or in the pipeline. Come and join us! Find out more via our Events page or the Facebook event here.

Membership Benefits & Responsibilities

Discounts

Membership grants you a 5% discount in the shop, as well as discounts on cafe lunches and certain Co-op events.

Members are also eligible to receive an additional 10% discount for bulk orders (find out more on our ‘How to Shop’ page) and to approach our Products Manager in regards to selling products on consignment (find out more on our ‘Sell to us’ page).

Working Members receive a 20% discount by volunteering your time. 1 hour of volunteering keeps your Working Membership discount active for 2 weeks. See more details below.

Becoming a Working Member

Members can volunteer as Working Members in many exciting and fulfilling roles at the Co-op! Being a Working Member at the Co-op is a great way to get involved in the community and get even more affordable groceries. Our Co-operative model means that Working Members are essential to the functioning of our Co-op. Working Members contribute to every part of the Co-op’s operations. There are fun, interesting, active and challenging roles available. There are roles to suit a wide diversity of capacity, skill, interest, and availability.

Working Members receive a 20% discount in the Co-op (and access to reduced meal and event prices) for a fortnight for every hour that is chipped in. Hours worked are cumulative; for example if you work two hours in succession, you will receive one month of 20% discount.

Additionally, Working Members who work in the Co-op for between 2 and 3 hours during the lunch period, get a free single-serve hot drink OR lunch, and for 3+ hours get ONE free single-serve hot drink AND lunch. These must be recorded by the Cafe Coordinator on duty. Members who work in the Co-op for less than two hours do not receive any food without payment.

This discount may also be purchased by any member who seeks and gains approval in writing from the Board to pay the price set at the most recent AGM each year to ‘buy out’ the required hours. The Board may, but is not bound to, take into consideration family circumstances, equity and capacity in determining whether to grant approval for a member to buy out their hours.

Explore further up-to-date details about our Working Member roles here.

Democratic participation & governance

Members are critical to the governance of The Food Co-op. Members who have been signed up for a minimum of 6 months are eligible to nominate to be on our Board and are responsible for electing Board members at our Annual General Meeting. Members are also consulted by the Board, Working Groups, and staff on matters relevant to the running of many aspects of the organisation.

Reading our e-newsletter ‘Fresh In!’ and any other emails you receive are important ways to stay up-to-date with important news and events relevant to being a Member.

Being a Member of the Co-op also comes with some important behavioural and relational responsibilities that relate to our principles. This includes ways to raise a grievance, concern, or complaint.

Getting to know the Co-op’s structure and the different roles that make up this structure is a good place to start, find out more here. And, important documents related to governance and behavioural and relational responsibilities can be found here (there is also a link from our Member Hub page). Check them out!

Signing up!

When you come to the Co-op, let the Shop Coordinator (the person behind the till) know you’d like to sign up as a Member. Our membership form only takes a minute or two to fill in.

Next, come along to a New Members Induction, learn more about getting involved at The Co-op and receive a free lunch and 20%off your first shop.

If you’re unable to come in, we are setting up a Membership form that can be filled out online. Stay tuned!

Membership applications need to be approved by our Board, however you can still receive your Member’s discount on purchases until then. Once approved, you will receive an email letting you know your membership is official. You’re in!

Membership Categories

Have any questions about membership?

Get in touch with our Working Members Manager below 🙂