Built by Community: Celebrating 6 Years of the Food and Meat Co-op

In late May of 2020, the Food and Meat Co-op began with a simple mission: help families access quality food at affordable prices.

At the time, we had no idea what the next six years would hold.

What started with a single pickup serving around 150 families across Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah Counties has now grown into more than 50 pickup locations across Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, along with home delivery routes serving 10 Utah counties and thousands of participating families.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last six years, it’s this:

The co-op was never just about food.

It was about community.

Humble Beginnings

Like many stories worth telling, the co-op started small.

There was no giant warehouse. No fleet of trucks. No corporate infrastructure. Just a desire to help families access high-quality food in a more direct and affordable way.

In those early days, we operated a handful of pickups across Northern Utah. We packed orders late into the night, worked through unpredictable weather, and learned as we went. There were long days, freezing pickups, technical headaches, and plenty of moments where we wondered how everything would come together.

And yet, month after month, the community kept showing up.

Within a short year, the co-op had expanded from a few pickup locations to 16 pickup sites across Northern Utah alone.

What surprised us most wasn’t just the growth — it was the people.

More Than a Pickup

One of our proudest moments over the last six years wasn’t tied to numbers or expansion.

It was the first time we looked around during a pickup and realized something bigger was happening.

Members were staying after to talk. Volunteers were helping load cars before being asked. Families were sharing recipes, recognizing familiar faces, and building friendships while waiting in line.

Somewhere along the way, pickups stopped feeling like transactions and started feeling like gatherings.

What started as a way to help people access quality food had quietly become a real community — and that realization changed everything for us.

Supporting Families… and Farmers

Early on, we thought we were solving one problem: helping families.

But shortly after launching, we realized we were solving another important problem too.

Many local ranchers and food producers wanted to focus on what they loved — raising quality food — not managing websites, coordinating marketing, or organizing deliveries. The co-op became a bridge that allowed producers to focus on their craft while connecting directly with families who valued what they produced.

One moment that has stayed with us over the years was sitting in the office with a rancher who became emotional while talking about how much the co-op was helping their family and business. They explained that for the first time in a long time, they could focus on producing quality meat instead of constantly stressing about everything else required to sell it.

That moment reminded us that this co-op wasn’t only helping participants. It was helping strengthen local agriculture and the people behind it.

Growth Across State Lines

As the community grew, so did the co-op.

In early 2022, one of our biggest breakthroughs came when the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food awarded the co-op a grant that allowed us to purchase our first refrigerated delivery vehicle and make critical website upgrades. That support helped us launch home delivery services and continue building the infrastructure needed to serve more families.

That same year, we expanded into Wyoming.

In early 2023, we expanded into Idaho.

And in early 2025, the co-op expanded into Nevada.

With every new state, pickup location, and family served, we were reminded that communities everywhere were looking for something more connected, more personal, and more community-driven.

Challenges Along the Way

Of course, the last six years haven’t been without challenges.

Weather has tested us more than once. There have been freezing pickups, snowstorms, delays, and long days working outside in difficult conditions. There have also been many late nights packing orders and preparing for pickups.

Burnout is real too. Running a growing co-op requires constant problem-solving, flexibility, and sacrifice.

But what has carried us through every challenge has been the people.

The hugs from participants.
The stories from families.
The thank-you messages.
The volunteers who continue showing up month after month.

Those moments remind us why we keep going.

Another major challenge has been technology. Because we work hard to keep costs low for the community, we’ve relied heavily on out-of-the-box systems that were never fully designed for a model like ours. Coordinating pickups, deliveries, inventory, and thousands of orders through a unique co-op structure has pushed our systems to their limits more than once.

And yes — there have definitely been website crashes along the way.

But six years later, thousands of families, countless successful pickups, and an incredible community continue proving that what we’re building is real.

The Family Behind the Co-op

One thing many people may not realize is just how family-centered the co-op has always been.

From the very beginning, our family has been deeply involved. My husband and our six children helped at pickups, packed orders, loaded vehicles, and worked behind the scenes in countless ways.

Now, six years later, three of our children are young adults actively helping drive, organize, and work in nearly every aspect of the co-op alongside our incredible employees and team members.

The co-op has truly grown alongside our family.

And yes, there have been some unforgettable moments over the years.

One of the funniest happened while working inside our refrigerated delivery van during a busy pickup. While rushing around trying to gather products for waiting participants, I accidentally got a little too close to the refrigeration unit in the cargo area — which promptly sucked part of my hair into it and gave me an unexpected haircut in front of an entire line of cars waiting for their orders.

Thankfully, the community found it just as funny as we eventually did.

A Community Effort

One of the things that still amazes us today is watching our pickup teams work together.

At some locations, more than 100 cars can line up, making it seem like the process could take forever. Roads back up, traffic builds, and then somehow — within minutes — experienced volunteers and team members clear the entire line with incredible efficiency.

Watching that teamwork in action never stops feeling inspiring.

The Food and Meat Co-op has never been built by one person.

It has been built by:

• families,
• volunteers,
• farmers,
• producers,
• pickup teams,
• drivers,
• warehouse partners,
• and thousands of participants who believed in what we were building.

Looking Ahead

In 2025, we received a second grant that helped us purchase our first 52,000 GVW box truck, which officially began service in 2026.

To support the growth, both my husband and I earned our CDL Class B licenses ourselves — because in this co-op, everyone pitches in wherever needed.

As we look toward the future, we hope to continue expanding into Arizona and eventually Southern California, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon in the years ahead.

But no matter how much the co-op grows, we hope one thing never changes:

The feeling of community that started it all.

Thank You

To every family who placed an order.
Every volunteer who stood in the cold.
Every rancher and producer who trusted us.
Every child who helped load boxes.
Every participant who shared kind words, stories, and encouragement.

Thank you.

Six years ago, we simply hoped to help families access good food.

We never imagined it would grow into this.

And the truth is — this story is still just beginning.