Riverwest Co-op Overcomes Challenges to Serve Neighbors

Adena Saigh remembers walking over to the Riverwest Co-op with her siblings and sharing a smoothie from the cafe throughout her childhood.

“My dad would send us to walk over there with a little reusable glass jar,” said Saigh. “We would split one smoothie between the three of us.”

Now a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Saigh remembers the neatly packed shelves flanked by a wall dedicated to granola, and a cooler packed with organic cheeses. Alongside the aromas of baked goods emanating from the cafe into the whole store.

“I felt comfortable going there even if I knew I couldn’t afford some of the stuff,” said Saigh.

The Riverwest Co-op is a collaborative natural food store and cafe that has been open in the heart of Riverwest for over 20 years. The co-op functions as a communal store, with board members serving elected terms and volunteers running much of the day-to-day operations. The co-op is one of few health food stores in Milwaukee, highlighting a broader problem of food deserts in the city.

An urban food desert is measured by the Department of Agriculture as an area where people have to walk more than a mile to reach a grocery store with access to fresh food. The Milwaukee metropolitan area is reported to have 13 food deserts, according to the 2019 Milwaukee fresh food access report.

“We were vegetarian growing up, so it was a nice place to go to always get something that we needed,” said Saigh.

The co-op has an ample supply of fresh fruits and vegetables lining its shelves, alongside more health-based food products such as plant-based meats and organic cheeses.

“When I moved to Milwaukee I ended up in Riverwest; it became pretty clear that this was a place with a lot of little spaces that grew community and the co-op was one of them,” said Amy Donahue, board member of the Riverwest Co-op. “I didn’t have a car when I first lived here so it was a nice walkable space.”

In 2023 the co-op closed the fiscal year with a $69,444 loss, which continued an annual trend of losses since 2016, according to the 2023 Annual Report.These financial hardships forced the co-op to raise prices, which can limit the accessibility of the store to families with tight budgets.

“We can’t bring people into Riverwest by saying we have cheaper things,” said Donahue. “The one thing I’m hoping to do a better job of is offering memberships at no cost to anyone who has an EBT or related card.”

The membership program provides members with in-store discounts, and the ability to vote and run for the board with an annual fee of $20 for six years. After six years, a lifetime membership kicks in with no more annual fees. This program developed a loyal base of over 500 members who are integral to keeping the co-op afloat.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of communicating and staying true to our commitment to the bylaws that have been around since the Co-op was founded,” said Donahue.