|Kennett |Kennett Square Square Life| Life Q & A|
EDIE BURKEY President, Kennett Community Grocer Over the past seven years, there has been a grassroots movement launched by a group of Kennett Square area residents and currently supported by nearly 500 member-owners to begin a food cooperative in the heart of Kennett Square. Despite a recent setback that delayed its start, Kennett Community Grocer and its President Edie Burkey remain committed to bring healthy, sustainable and locally sourced food to the entire community. Recently, Kennett Square Life met with Edie to discuss the role a food co-op plays, the group’s long-term vision and the healthy products she stores in her refrigerator. Kennett Square Life: The first conversations that began Kennett Community Grocer started seven years ago, and you have been with the
organization for the last five years. Talk about the evolution of Kennett Community Grocer over that time. Edie Burkey: I was owner-member #119, and over the last five years, I have been at information tables and giving presentations with my colleagues, and my feeling is that those who have joined are those who really do care about the farmers in the area, and the need to eat healthy – for themselves and their family. The concept of a cooperative – where owner members decide what is sold – is often secondary but it’s top on the list at Kennett Community Grocer. Our member-owners are people who want to eat local food, and who believe that their health is in large part determined by what they eat. Continued on Page 26 Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Edie Burkey, president, Kennett Community Grocer.
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Kennett Square Life | Fall/Winter 2024 | www.chestercounty.com