Own part of a local grocery store when you join Salt Lake City co-op

Wasatch Cooperative Market now has more than 450 owner-members, a milestone that moves the organization one step closer to its goal of opening a community-owned grocery store.

The co-op, which launched in 2009, now hopes to increase its member-owner base through its new "We Own It" campaign. Once the co-op reaches 750 owner-members, it can get financial backing and enter into negotiations for a full-service store site in the Salt Lake valley.

An $300 investment is required to join the co-op. The amount can be paid in a lump sum or through monthly payments. Currently member-owners live in nine Utah counties stretching from Cache to Iron and from Salt Lake to Uintah.

Once open, the store would sell "natural, healthy, sustainable foods, goods and merchandise," with an emphasis on goods from local farmers and artisans, the website states.

During its membership drive, the co-op has remained active, volunteering at local farms to help with critical projects such as winterizing barns, clearing fields or building structures; promote farms through social media; and sponsor the Winter Market at the Rio Grande.

More than 350 cooperative groceries are in operation across the United States; an additional 150 are in development.

To learn more about Wasatch Cooperative Market, visit www.wasatch.coop.