Nearly 15 years ago, the Montavilla Food Co-op (MFC) was formed when neighbors were looking for an organized way to bring healthy, locally produced food to the community. The group’s first members envisioned a cooperative grocery store that would connect shoppers with local farmers and growers. However, those efforts never resulted in a physical location of their own. But recent progress by the current board has led to the organization partnering with a local restaurant and using its commercial kitchen to repackage bulk items for its members. Members and shoppers can now purchase a selection of appropriately sized foods at the Montavilla Farmers Market that were previously only available in bulk packages.
The current four-member board began looking for space for a commercial kitchen last year and spoke with several businesses in the area. When Sebastiano’s announced it would close its original Montavilla location at 411 SE 81st Avenue and move operations to Sellwood, MCF found a new opportunity in the company that took Sebastiano’s place. Christa Voytilla opened her first brick-and-mortar Quiche Me if You Can location on SE 81st Avenue in February 2024. As a longtime vendor at farmers markets, Voytilla knew the difficulty of finding a commercial kitchen and agreed to make room in the new store for MFC’s board members to expand their operations. Access to the commercial kitchen enabled MFC to obtain a license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to package and store food for sale on-site. This summer, the food co-op began repackaging select bulk containers from the Quiche Me if You Can location so people could purchase smaller quantities. Additionally, using the commercial dishwasher at that location, the group is able to take back, sanitize and refill some reusable glass containers to reduce waste and lower costs.
Currently, only the two local board members, Christian Parker and Alex Warnes, are allowed in the kitchen. Handling food requires special procedures and training, and the work must be done even when the main business is not using the shared space. The board wants more experience with this process before allowing volunteers. Members and interested parties can help run the booth at the farmers market. MFC currently has four volunteers who run the booth in shifts. Board members handle set-up and tear-down to simplify the work of people distributing items already purchased or selling to non-members.
The board is seeking new members with food handling skills, grocery store experience, or other relevant experience to take the organization to the next level. Even with the new community spaces, MFC has limited capacity. They only have a single baker’s rack for storage space at Quiche Me if You Can, and what they purchase depends on items pre-ordered by members. They don’t have enough space to store large quantities of food that would take months to distribute. Their long-term goals are similar to the food co-op’s original intent: a dedicated facility with fresh produce and enough storage space to make economically advantageous purchases. Those interested in finding out what MFC offers can check out the group’s online store or visit their booth at the Montavilla Farmers Market. This leap into the packaging industry could be an exciting new phase for an initiative that began in 2010. Residents who have lost track of this group’s activities can attend a future monthly board meeting and learn more about how they can support this community-driven organization.
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