what becomes possible when schools come together?
Bringing schools together to create a dependable market for organic food
Imagine what’s possible when school districts purchase organic food together: more organic meals for students, stronger markets for organic farmers and food makers, and a food system that cares for the land we all depend on.
For more than a decade, Conscious Kitchen has worked alongside school nutrition leaders, organic farmers, food makers, chefs, and distributors to make fresh, local, organic food part of everyday school meals. Now we are building on that work with the Conscious Organic School Food Purchasing Cooperative (Conscious Co-op), the first of its kind in the nation.
The Co-op brings together 17 founding school districts serving more than 225,000 California students. By combining their demand, these districts are bringing more organic food into school kitchens and helping organic farmers and food makers, along with processors and distributors, build the capacity to serve schools at scale.
Additionally, the Co-op has completed its first organic grocery bid with UNFI and Sysco, and both distributors are working with us to expand the organic products available. We will keep adding products as the Co-op grows to meet the needs of California school districts.
Importantly, districts do not have to be founding members to benefit. All California school districts can access Co-op contracts through a piggybacking process, expanding participation and demand across the state.
Building the systems behind the meal
The Co-op is part of a larger Conscious Kitchen effort to transform school food. Our Recipe Project collects high-participation recipes from school nutrition teams and identifies opportunities to shift their ingredients to organic. Our open-access Recipe Dashboard makes these recipes available to districts everywhere, complete with organic sourcing options and estimated ingredient prices.
The Recipe Project, Recipe Dashboard, and Co-op work hand in hand, connecting the meals students already love with the organic ingredients and purchasing infrastructure needed to serve them every day.
Together, we can change what school food makes possible
100% organic meals students love
Thriving markets for farmers and food makers
Dollars staying close to home
Land carefully stewarded
Get involved
Want to get your district, farm, or food brand involved in the Conscious Co-op? Contact info@consciouskitchen.org to learn more!