• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Write
  • Intern
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact

The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

  • Things To Do
    • Things To Do This Weekend
    • Things To Do This Week
    • Things To Do This Weekend With Kids
  • Discoveries
    • Austinot Loves
    • Activities
    • Day Trips
    • Local Business
  • Food & Drink
    • Food
    • Drink
  • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Theatre
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • History
    • Museums
  • Et Cetera
    • Non-Profits
    • Podcast
    • Archives

Wheatsville Co-op Celebrates 40 Years as Austin’s Friendliest Grocer

September 21, 2016 by Jessica Pino 1 Comment

Wheatsville Co-op on Guadalupe in Austin

Wheatsville Co-op opened in 1976 and moved to its current location on Guadalupe Street in 1981 
(Credit: Wheatsville)

Wheatsville Co-op has been serving the Austin community for 40 years and there’s a lot we can learn from their way of doing business. With a purpose statement that doesn’t once mention food, but instead reads, “to create a self-reliant, self-empowering community of people that will grow and promote a transformation of society toward cooperation, justice, and non-exploitation,” you can tell this isn’t your typical grocery store.

Over the years, Wheatsville Co-op has gone through several transformations to become a trailblazing community in the promotion of local, sustainable foods, and with their new Livable Wage and Benefits Program. I sat down with Chief Executive Grocer, Dan Gillotte, to talk about Wheatsville’s presence in Austin.

What Is a Co-op?

Check out at Wheatsville Co-op

Check-out counter today (Credit: Wheatsville)

Before I can write about all the amazing things Wheatsville is doing in the Austin community, I must address the elephant in the room: what is a co-op? It’s probably the most misunderstood business model, not because it’s particularly difficult to understand, but because there are so many types of co-ops, which is short for cooperative.

Consumer co-ops, such as Wheatsville, are owned, governed and used by the same people. The customers become the owners and vote to make decisions that will affect the entire business. The organization exists to serve the users, who also happen to be the owners. It’s that simple: people working together to build a business that focuses on their wants and needs.

Under this model, Wheatsville can be more flexible when it comes to which products they carry by developing strong relationships with local vendors and farms.

40 Years in Austin

Wheatsville Co-op 1970's Austin

1970’s check-out counter at Wheatsville Co-op (Credit: Wheatsville)

In 1976, a small group of people with the common interest to bring local, sustainable food to Austin worked together to open a grocery store. Within four short years, they outgrew their original location at 29th Street and Lamar Boulevard and moved to their current flagship on Guadalupe Street.

Wheatsville Co-op Grand Opening on Guadalupe Street in 1981

Wheatsville moved to their current location on Guadalupe Street in 1981 (Credit: Wheatsville)

Those initial years weren’t easy, especially since Wheatsville was competing with local stores such as Whole Foods and Central Market. But instead of staying a failing course, Wheatsville did what Austin does best: they changed. In true co-op fashion, they were able to take a look at themselves and transform into a business they could be proud to own, and that others would want to be part of.

In 1998, Dan Gillotte joined the Wheatsville team as Chief Executive Grocer. Across 18 years, he has launched the store to a new level, along with the staff and board which oversees the business. The store on Guadalupe Street was remodeled in 2009 to have its current updated look. And after much research, the team opened a second location on South Lamar Boulevard in 2013.

Today both stores boast a robust produce section with locally-sourced foods, a sustainable seafood section, a delicious deli counter, a growing catering division and more.

Impacting the Austin Community and Staff

(Photo credit Wheatsville)

Wheatsville Co-op’s second location on South Lamar Boulevard (Credit: Wheatsville)

The customer is always right, but when the customer is the owner, does that change the way a business does things? Most customers are price conscious, but Wheatsville owners also tend to be socially conscious. After several owner surveys, it became apparent that Wheatsville had to work on a plan to not only keep food prices down, but also raise wages to keep up with Austin’s cost of living.

Wheatsville Co-op Produce Section

Wheatsville has an extensive produce selection (Credit: Wheatsville)

What most people don’t realize is how difficult that task truly is: to increase wages for hourly staff by $2, without increasing the cost of products (and actually lowering the costs), all while earning enough to pay rent and utilities. Gillotte explained that it took almost two years to solve this complex problem and assure its sustainability. He was determined to make it work. In his eyes, it was no longer a personnel issue; it was an ethical issue. And Wheatsville did it! They launched the Livable Wage and Benefits Plan in January 2016, despite having a net loss in revenue last year. Fortunately, the program has been a huge success and they’ve already seen a decrease in turnover rates.

But the work isn’t over yet. The business is now tackling the issue of wage compression caused by the new program. “It’s not an easy thing to do,” says Gillotte, “but it’s the right thing to do.” Since the launch of the initiative, Wheatsville has also partnered with city council to combat income inequality by helping other Austin businesses who are also trying to find sustainable ways to raise wages.

How to Become an Owner at Wheatsville Co-op?

Wheatsville Co-op Produce

Credit: Wheatsville

The mission at Wheatsville is “…to serve a broad range of people by providing them goods and services, using efficient methods that avoid manipulation of the consumers, and minimize exploitation of the producers or damage to the environment. The primary focus for this mission is supplying high-quality food and non-doctrinaire information about food to people in Austin, Texas.” While it is not necessary to be a co-op member to shop at Wheatsville, if that mission statement speaks to you, then you might want to consider becoming an owner.

By becoming a part owner, you become eligible to vote in annual elections, run for a seat on the board of directors, receive sales on specific goods, participate in owner-appreciation sales and receive a patronage rebate in sufficiently profitable years. It’s also not unheard of for an owner to make a suggestion for a particular product and for it to appear on the shelves shortly thereafter. You can become an owner of Wheatsville with a one-time investment of $70 (per person).

Today, Wheatsville is owned by more than 20,000 people and each owner has a different level of involvement. Some owners shop daily; some bring co-workers for lunch; others serve on the board or work on community projects. Gillotte wants everyone to feel welcome. “We don’t treat non-owners any differently when the come into the store, but I just love it when customers are owners.”

Whether you’re new to Austin or have been here your whole life, if you haven’t made it to your local Wheatsville Co-op yet, then check it out for yourself. Here’s to 40 years in Austin. Best wishes for 40 more.

3101 Guadalupe Street and 4001 S. Lamar Blvd. – Website

 

@jpino9 wants to know:

Are you a member of a co-op in Austin?

Filed Under: Discoveries, Food, Food & Drink, Local Business

Best of The Austinot

We always have unique content on The Austinot and we love to give things away. You know, like concert tickets, gift cards, and other cool stuff. We only send out our “Best of the Austinot” newsletter twice a month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of The Austinot here!

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Julie Le
Julie Le
7 years ago

Owners and non-owners alike are welcome to come to Wheatsville’s Fall Owner Gathering on October 8th to learn more! There will be free food, games and activities for the kids, a member-onwer business fair, and raffle prizes!

0
Reply

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Things to do

Things to do in Austin this week of September 25

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of September 25 include Indian Springs Ranch Pumpkin Patch, Fantastic Fest, and more!

Our top choices for things to do in Austin this Week of September 25, 2023, include Indian Springs Ranch Pumpkin Patch, Fantastic Fest, Oktoberfest at Banger’s, Boys Like Girls in Concert, and more! Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily, there’s plenty going on in Austin all […]

10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, and more!

10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, and more!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 22, 2023, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, and more! Editor’s […]

14 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, House of Torment, and More!

14 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, House of Torment, and More!

There are plenty of fun things to do in Austin this Weekend of September 22 which include Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, House of Torment, Nickelback in Concert, Gourdgeous Glass Pumpkin Festival, and more! Whether you’re planning a date or having fun with friends, these events and things to do in Austin this weekend may be right for you. […]

Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events - Top 10 Things to Do

Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events – Top 10 Things to Do Include Fish Fry by ACLC, Cornhole Tournament at Frontyard Brewing, Live Music, Parties & More!

The much-awaited Labor Day 2023 is right around the corner! And as we all know, everybody wants to make the most of this special day and enjoy the last bits of summer. Labor Day pays tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. In addition to that, it also symbolizes the end of […]

Caverns in Texas - 12 Best Austin Caves & Cave Tours Near You

Caverns in Texas – 12 Best Austin Caves & Cave Tours Near You

Looking for caverns in Texas? Want to explore the best caves in Texas? Luckily, there’s a great mix of both in Austin! Before we dive into the different bat caves in Texas or caverns Texas has to offer, what’s the difference between the two? Well, while used interchangeably, a cave is a naturally occurring cavity […]

Recent Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of September 25 include Indian Springs Ranch Pumpkin Patch, Fantastic Fest, and more!
  • 10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, and more!
  • 14 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 22, 2023 include Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival, House of Torment, and More!
  • Rooftop Bar Austin – 20 Best Bars, Dinner Spots, High Rise Restaurants Near You
  • Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events – Top 10 Things to Do Include Fish Fry by ACLC, Cornhole Tournament at Frontyard Brewing, Live Music, Parties & More!

Welcome to The Austinot

We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

Follow along to help support and learn more about local businesses, artists, and events.

-The Austinot Team

Privacy Policy

Trending Posts

  • Austin’s Speakeasy Secrets (Shhh): Floppy Disk Repair Co.
  • Birthday Freebies Austin 2023 – List of Over 45 Best Restaurants, Food Places, & Stores with Birthday Month Deals Near You
  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of September 25 include Indian Springs Ranch Pumpkin Patch, Fantastic Fest, and more!
  • 14 Cedar Park Restaurants Every Local Needs to Try
  • Guide to Austin’s Dirty Sixth Street

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

wpDiscuz
x
x