In 1997, a group of neighbors in North and Northeast Portland joined together to form a buyer’s club that made it easier and more affordable for them to get healthy, organic products by ordering in bulk from distributors. The buyer’s club met monthly, and eventually grew to involve 30 households. Some members had the dream of opening a small grocery store in the Alberta Street district. The buyer’s club decided to become a cooperative, and began raising funds for the start-up costs of a store.

The Cooperative started a DSCF5562Founder’s Fund campaign where 250 households bought 5-year memberships, the Coop’s Founding Owners. A Member Loaner campaign also helped the Coop raise around $70,000 from neighbors who were excited about having a grocery store on Alberta Street. On July 8, 2001, the Alberta Cooperative Grocery opened its doors for the first time.

Since 2001, Alberta Coop has been located in the vibrant North East Portland neighborhood now known as The Alberta Arts District. Our corner location at NE 15th Avenue & NE Alberta Street makes us easy to get to. We are on two major bus lines (#8 and #72) and have off street parking for both bikes and cars.

We offer a gorgeous and bountiful produce department, an expansive bulk foods department, dairy, grab & go foods, beer & wine, wellness products, household items, and basic groceries with an emphasis on local and sustainable. Our buying guidelines keep us focused on providing the best possible products for our shoppers, while our mission reflects our values: affordability, community, education, diversity, and cooperation.