If customers are the heart of the co-op, fresh departments are the backbone. While food co-ops are celebrated for an abundance of reasons, it’s our vibrant local produce, responsibly sourced meat and seafood, and delicious house-made prepared foods that make us a destination for many. Fresh departments don’t just fill baskets. They connect co-op customers to the local agriculture scene, provide a full-on sensory experience, are responsible for most of that famous “co-op smell” — and they make or break the overall customer experience.
When fresh departments shine, customers leave not just highly satisfied, but inspired. And that inspiration has a ripple effect. As illustrated in Figure 1 below, there is a remarkably strong link between fresh department satisfaction and a customer’s likelihood to recommend the co-op to others: friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. These people are your co-op’s member-owners of the future.
Likelihood to recommend the co-op
When Highly Satisfied with their experience in the produce department, customers are a whopping 33 percentage points more likely to recommend the co-op to others. Prepared foods customers who are Highly Satisfied are 29 percentage points more likely, and meat and seafood customers trail closely at 27 points more likely. That’s an enormous impact!
In honor of the glorious time of year when spring turns into summer, and fresh is at its best — and of course, aligned with NCG’s Focus on Fresh conference — we’re spotlighting the top-performing fresh departments across the country. These teams consistently delight customers, earning Highly Satisfied satisfaction scores far above and beyond the average co-op. In turn, their hard work earns their co-op invaluable organic word-of-mouth recommendations.
According to 81,614 real co-op customers shopping at the 137 unique co-op locations participating in NCG’s CX Program for the twelve months ending May 30, 2025, these co-ops set the bar for fresh department excellence.
Percent highly satisfied: Produce
Percent highly satisfied: Meat and Seafood
Percent highly satisfied: Prepared Foods.
The leaders listed above prove that excellence in fresh is achieved at co-ops of vastly different shapes, sizes, sales volumes and population densities. They succeed in areas with local produce abundance year-round and areas with harsh winters. These top-performing fresh departments may have more differences than commonalities, but all share one critical focus: they understand their customers’ wants and needs, and they ensure those wants and needs are consistently met or exceeded. If you’re in the same region as one of these top performers, we encourage you to visit, connect and take inspiration from their excellence firsthand.
From operations to promotions, NCG offers programs to ensure co-op fresh departments remain relevant to evolving customer wants and needs. Visit NCG’s Fresh Programs pages for resources and connect with our team for support in refreshing the fresh experience at your co-op!
Contact: Joshua Crone, Retail Programming Senior Manager: Produce
Contact: Greg Johnson, Retail Programming Senior Manager: Meat, Seafood, and Food Safety
Contact: Linda McCann, Retail Programming Senior Manager: Prepared Foods
If your co-op is not yet part of the group of 137 unique co-op locations (84 co-ops) participating in NCG’s CX Program, contact Alex Mytelka to get involved.
