Our mission

We form this rural food cooperative to fill a gap. A gap between generations. A sidewinding path between reminiscing Victory Gardens and a fast-forwarding next generation eaters feeling duped by ingredient gimmicks and royally confused about overall nutrition and preventative health. We form this rural cooperative to teach, grow and thrive together for many generations to come. More than 200 food cooperative thrive across the country as a means to represent a trusted source to connect eaters with sustainably sourced, nutritious, and locally produced food. By bridging the knowledge of the past with the innovations of the future, we aim to cultivate a community where transparency, education, and health are paramount. Our mission is to empower individuals with the tools and information they need to make informed dietary choices, support local agriculture, and foster a resilient and self-sustaining food system. Together, we will nurture a legacy of wellness, environmental stewardship, and communal prosperity. Ridge Fridge Grocer & Grange is a for-profit partnership formed as a cooperative, a distinct IL corporation that is owned and controlled by the people to meet their common economic, social, and/or cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled business. Think of it as returning to our roots by curating a collection of food, household goods and resourceful education featuring primarily natural, organically produced items and wholly supporting local entrepreneurs transitioning to organic. Using established buying club distributors for pantry items and tapping into a local grower network, Ridge Fridge connects consumers and growers within 150 miles from North Central IL, west to Davenport IA, east to Valparaiso IN and north to Madison, WI, providing consumer education, agricultural resources and a key food hub for farmers to celebrate a viable market to profitably cultivate fruits, vegetables and herbs in our region.