By Brienne Diebolt-Brown
Whitewater Grocery Co. incorporated in 2017 after our only grocery store closed. Local leaders had numerous talks with corporate and family-owned grocery stores and came from those meetings with the message that Whitewater wasn’t worth the investment. And we knew we could prove them wrong!
We are thrilled that together we have drummed up enough excitement to entice Aldi to take another look at our wonderful city. It’s a win for our entire community! This wouldn’t have happened without all of our hard work and the investment of almost 900 store owners. It won’t stop us from continuing our efforts to create a community-owned grocery store that supports local vendors and farmers as well as the rest of Whitewater’s merchants.
Our local leaders knew that the community could support a grocery store, and the Whitewater Grocery Co.’s board of directors did the research to find out how to do it. The GroCo’s mission has always been to bring fresh, affordable, and local food options to town. We have worked with national experts for six years to research the needs and the buying capacity of Whitewater. We have paid for four market studies as the retail market has changed. And, we recently received a $46,300 feasibility grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to solve the problem of Whitewater’s East Side USDA food desert.
Back in February, the Community Development Authority (CDA) voted to buy land near downtown Whitewater with the intention of locating Whitewater Grocery Co. along with at least one other local business in a new building on that land. The city is still a partner in this endeavor. Developing this piece of land on the east side of downtown will wipe the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Food Desert designation off the map and create an anchor store to help revitalize downtown businesses. We are tentatively looking at June 2024 as the day we break ground.
Whitewater Grocery Co. is continuing to work with the City of Whitewater, the CDA, and our own feasibility firm to bring that vision to life. In the last month, we updated our own market study with the addition of an Aldi, and the market looks good. There is plenty of room for an affordable corporate grocer (that does not specialize in local and organic) on the west side of town, and a locally-owned, affordable grocer that will sell natural and organic food (with a focus on local producers and great customer service) closer to the east side of town.
As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Whitewater is a vibrant community and we know our town will benefit from a centrally located grocer with a focus on local foods.
Be on the lookout for a call of support when the City of Whitewater announces their agenda to vote on TID financing for our future store.
Brienne Diebolt-Brown is a member of the Whitewater Grocery Co. or “GroCo” co-op board of directors, and a member of the Whitewater Common Council.
Brienne Diebolt-Brown, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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