Opinion: Co-op in crisis

By Liv Blair

The Isla Vista Food Co-op, a community staple since 1972, is on the brink of closing down if it cannot increase sales by 10% to 15% or raise $200,000 in the coming weeks.

One of the few spots in Isla Vista where UCSB students can buy fresh produce and healthy food options, the business supports local brands, farms, and community. In a college town notorious for partying, healthy options are generally not the main concern. Even so, the Co-op offers grab-and-go food that caters to students wanting healthier options, which are still fast and easy.

In order to help, UCSB has partnered with the Co-op to provide free memberships to select households in Isla Vista. Ultimately, this is intended to help the Co-op get closer to their profit goal. But, their underlying problem is that college students, the majority of Co-op patrons, are not inclined to purchase memberships.

The Isla Vista Co-op has been a staple in the community since 1972.

Costco, a wholesale warehouse chain known for giving customers their bang for their buck, is less than 3 miles from campus, so many students have memberships there. Costco's key selling point is that members can buy items in bulk at cheap prices.

A barrier the Co-op faces is that it buys its food items directly, as well as intentionally sources its inventory for clean and sustainable brands; so generally, the prices are high. 

I love the Co-op and purchased a membership there during my sophomore year. Though grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s were cheaper, I liked being able to stop there on my way home from school and getting produce that I knew was fresh and locally-sourced. Also, I was gluten-free and dairy-free at the time, so the Co-op was the only store in Isla Vista where I could find dietary restriction-friendly alternatives.

The Co-op has been in business in Isla Vista for over 50 years, so it is worth considering why it is faltering now after years of success. It's probably due to the increase in cars and consistently rising prices. For college students who are not working full time, finding the cheapest groceries possible often means leaving Isla Vista to buy from chain stores in Goleta.

Hopefully, UCSB’s partnership with the Co-op increases both sales and profits. But, the only sustainable way to continue make money is to accommodate prices to meet a college student's budget or see a shift in what students prioritize when they are shopping for food—namely, quality over price. With neither of these seeming like viable options, it will be interesting to see if Isla Vista residents can come together to save an establishment that has been quintessential to the UCSB community for so long.