Almost 15 years ago, the Montavilla Food Co-op (MFC) formed as neighbors sought an organized way to bring healthy and locally sourced food into the community. The group’s early participants envisioned a co-op grocery store connecting shoppers with local farmers and producers. Those efforts never manifested in a dedicated physical location. However, recent advances by the current board have the organization partnered with a local restaurant, using its commercial kitchen to repackage bulk items for its membership. Members and shoppers can now purchase a selection of reasonably sized food items from the Montavilla Farmers Market, which previously were only available in bulk quantities.
The current four-member board began searching for a physical kitchen space last year, talking with several area businesses. When Sebastiano’s announced their intention to close the original Montavilla location at 411 SE 81st Avenue and move operations to Sellwood, MCF found a new opportunity in the business taking Sebastiano’s place. Christa Voytilla opened her first brick-and-mortar location on SE 81st Avenue for Quiche Me if You Can in February 2024. As a long-time farmers market vendor, Voytilla knew the difficulty in finding a commercial kitchen space and agreed to make space at the new shop for MFC board members to expand operations. Access to the commercial kitchen allowed MFC to obtain an Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) license to package food for sale and store items on-site. This summer, the food co-op began repackaging select bulk items from the Quiche Me if You Can location, allowing people to buy smaller quantities. Additionally, the commercial dishwasher at this location allows the group to take back some reusable glass containers, sanitizing and refilling them to reduce waste and cut costs.
Currently, the only two local board members, Christian Parker and Alex Warnes, are permitted in the kitchen space. Food handling requires specific procedures and training. The work must also happen when the primary business is not using the shared space. The board wants more experience running this process before allowing volunteers to assist. Members and interested people can help run the farmers market booth. MFC currently has four volunteers who take shifts running the booth. Board members take care of setup and teardown to simplify the work needed from people handing out pre-purchased items or selling to non-members.
The board is seeking new members with skills in food handling, grocery operations, or other relevant experience to help the organization grow to its next level. Even with the new shared space, MFC has limited capacity in what it can handle. They only have a single baker’s rack of storage space at Quiche Me if You Can, and what they buy is dependent on items pre-ordered by members. They do not have room to keep large quantities of food that would take months to distribute. Their long-term goals look similar to the original intention of the food co-op: a dedicated facility with fresh produce and storage space sufficient to make economically advantageous purchases. People interested in discovering what MFC offers can look at the group’s online store or visit their booth at the Montavilla Farmers Market. This leap into packaging could be an exciting new phase for an initiative that started in 2010. Residents who have lost track of this group’s activities can attend a future monthly board meeting and learn more about what they can do to support this community-run organization.
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