Oneota Community Co-op Expands Services to Phone and Online Ordering

Posted: March 23, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: David Lester, General Manager, Oneota Community Food Co-op
563-382-4666, gm@oneotacoop.com
Oneota Community Co-op Expands Services to Phone and Online Ordering Providing Safe Food
Delivery for Customers and Staff
DECORAH, IOWA 3/20/2020
The Oneota Community Co-op (OCC) in Decorah, Iowa has taken extraordinary measures to keep
customers and staff safe and provide essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. On
Tuesday, March 17, OCC transitioned from its conventional business model to providing storefront
delivered orders only. Customer shopping is currently done by shopping exclusively online and over the
phone.
“This was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life,” said David Lester, General
Manager of the member-owned cooperative grocery store in northeast Iowa. “It was clear to our team
that we needed to enact creative measures to balance the needs of combating this virus and the needs
of our staff and community,” Lester said.
Previously, the store did not have an online presence to sell groceries. Lester and his management team
organized a pandemic response plan in early March as news of the scope of Covid-19 became clearer to
the general public. With OCC’s pandemic response plan in place, and within five days work, the store’s IT
Coordinator, Theresa Kleve, and Marketing & Outreach Manager, Nate Furler, created an online
ordering system through Shopify with over 6,000 available items. Customers in the Decorah area can
place an online or phone order that can be picked up storefront, or delivered through another service.
“The overwhelming response from our community keeps us moving forward. We are refining our
procedures daily in case this is a long-term situation,” said Furler. He added, “the cooperative phrase
‘Stronger Together’ really takes on more meaning these days.
About Oneota Community Food Co-op
Located in downtown Decorah, Oneota Community Food Co-op is a cooperatively-owned grocery store
specializing in local, organic, and sustainably produced products since 1974. For over four decades, the
Co-op has been the leading provider of whole foods at a reasonable cost, with an emphasis on organic,
local and bulk foods. The Oneota Community Food Co-op was named the 2020 Outstanding Single Store
by Progressive Grocer. Located at 312 West Water Street in Decorah, or online at
www.oneotacoop.com.