This tiny N.S. community was frustrated with big

This tiny N.S. community was frustrated with big-box grocers. So they opened their own store

Fiddlehead Market Co-op opened in Bear River — population 1,000 — in July

High prices. Long travel times. Poor-quality produce. Food insecurity.

There were so many reasons that some people in the tiny, rural community of Bear River, N.S., in the Annapolis Valley were growing frustrated with their grocery options at large, mainstream grocers.

“The prices are, you know, inhumane,” said Bear River resident Drew Tozer. “You're getting produce that has been rotting on the trucks for 48 hours … It's like half-spoiled because Nova Scotia is at the end of the food supply chain.”

Another resident, Amy Rubin said, “You see your bill, like, oh, is that how much money I'm really giving this giant grocery store that doesn't seem to be holding our best interests in mind?”

Over the past few years, there has been a backlash against some big-box grocery stores due to rising prices, questions about labelling, weighing practices, price discrimination, anti-competitive conduct and security at some of the country's biggest chains.

In Bear River, some residents decided to take matters into their own hands.

After holding meetings, writing a business plan and grant proposal, connecting with local suppliers and wielding paintbrushes to spruce up a storefront, a new community-run grocery store opened its doors in July.

So far, Fiddlehead Market Co-op has 130 members — not too shabby, considering Bear River is home to only about 1,000 people.

The co-op offers fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products, dried goods, pantry staples, bulk products and cleaning supplies as well as a few takeout options.

Anyone can shop at the co-op, but people can also choose to buy a $100 share to become a member, which allows them to vote on how the co-op is run and decide what to do with any surplus profits. People can also volunteer instead of buying a share to become a member.

Rather than being an impediment to the co-op's long-term success, Tozer feels Bear River's small size will be a boon because people feel connected to it and responsible for it.

“The response has been just totally overwhelming,” said Tozer, who is the chair of the co-op’s board. “People have a really strong sense of pride and ownership over the endeavour. It's not just a place where they're getting groceries. People come in here and it makes them really emotional.”

Bear River does have a few other grocery options besides the co-op, including a convenience store that also sells hot meals, a gas station and a seasonal, biweekly farmers' market.

Tozer said the co-op worked with the local businesses to ensure they were filling the gaps in food availability rather than competing with existing enterprises.

Why this small community opened its own grocery store

The closest large grocery stores are a 15-minute drive to Digby or a 25-minute drive to Annapolis Royal — a barrier in a community without public transportation and for those who don’t have access to a vehicle.

Fiddlehead sources its items from local suppliers as much as possible, Tozer said, allowing food to stay fresher longer and money to stay closer to home rather than being funnelled to corporate offices in other provinces or countries.

Sourcing local also helps keep the price of some items lower than big-box grocers, even leading to reverse sticker shock for some shoppers.

“There are lots of things that are much, much cheaper — to the point that sometimes I do a double take,” said Rubin, who recently bought a head of lettuce for $1.75.

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Rubin said the co-op is helping Bear River create a reliable food supply during tumultuous times.

“We're living in times when things are pretty uncertain in terms of tariffs and in terms of trade," she said. "To be already building a sustainable source of things that we need is very comforting and it feels really good ethically.”

Members say shopping at the co-op helps them meet new people and feel connected with the community.

"My favourite thing is just seeing the people that you know and that you can just check in on and have good talks and build that resilient community," said Aly Coy.

Fiddlehead is also concerned about minimizing food waste, so some items that are no longer fit to sell are donated to farmers as animal feed. Food that has imperfections is cooked and sold as grab-and-go meals in the store, and some items are donated to the community kitchen or left in the community cupboard.

Tozer said since the co-op formed, she's heard from someone on the South Shore who's interested in opening one, too. She encourages other communities to give it a try.

"I feel like we spent a long time trying to fight the grocery system, trying to fight pricing," she said.

"You don't need to fix the grocery store systems.… You can just create your own. And having the power as a community to govern your own grocery store and choose your prices and choose the suppliers and having that control over your food system is so inspiring and powerful."

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Frances Willick is a journalist with CBC Nova Scotia. Please contact her with feedback, story ideas or tips at frances.willick@cbc.ca