In no small way, 3 Bear Oats owes its start to the incredibly supportive and thriving food cooperative community in the Twin Cities area. We’re thrilled to share that two more of our beloved local co-ops recently added 3 Bear Oats to their freezer sections: The Wedge Lyndale in Minneapolis, and Whole Earth Market in River Falls, WI. The Wedge was a very early supporter through their Linden Hills location, and we can now thank Whole Earth for our first retail presence outside of Minnesota!
As the Star Tribune reported in this October 2019 article, “for all kinds of reasons, the Twin Cities has been, and continues to be, an epicenter of the food co-op movement.” It’s no wonder – many people don’t realize how deeply committed the co-ops are to local farmers and makers. We’ve experienced the benefits of such a strong community first-hand. Thanks to the “Maker to Market” startup program jointly sponsored by Lakewinds Coops and The Good Acre – a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen supporting local makers – we had the support needed to move beyond farmers markets and into the frozen products that make it easy to expand to new stores. Many others such as Eastside coop have made it a rewarding journey each step of the way.
Please share your love for our amazing coops with your feedback and loyalty!