Who We Are

The Isla Vista Food Co-op is open to the public. Everyone may shop, anyone can join!

The Isla Vista Food Co-op is Santa Barbara County's only community-owned grocery store. We were founded in 1972 by students and Isla Vistans who wanted to ensure that the community would always have neighborhood access to high quality and affordable food, and that our local farmers and producers would have a dedicated store to sell to. We participate in many community events to help share resources to make grocery shopping fun and affordable. We invest back into Isla Vista so that everyone can benefit from having a grocery store that everyone owns together.

In 2017 your Co-op Board adopted a new set of Strategic Priorities to guide the store’s direction for the next 3 years.

Over 150 information points were gathered from Co-op Owners through meetings and surveys in 2016 in order to develop these important priorities. The role of the Co-op’s Management Team is to generate measurable projects and operational goals that bring these Priorities to life!

The Strategic Priorities guide our co-op towards its goals. They define our direction and aspirations, shaping how resources and effort are allocated to accomplish these priorities. They help share what makes our co-op different from traditional grocery stores and are a road map for the IVFC’s future!

Event Highlights copy copy copy (3).png

As a natural and organic foods consumer cooperative, is to provide the residents of Isla Vista and neighboring communities of Santa Barbara County with reasonably priced foods, products and services that promote a healthier lifestyle and environment. The Isla Vista Food Cooperative is an economic alternative founded on cooperative business principles and values that are practiced in our operating as well as through our governance policies.

Event Highlights copy copy copy (4).png

To support a community engaged in the cooperative principles and values of social, economic, and environmental responsibility. The Isla Vista Food Cooperative will be the hub of this cooperative community, empowering its members by providing them with products, services, and information to sustain it. Our Co-op will network with organizations that are in alignment with our goals and ethics. It will succeed financially allowing is to provide our employees with a fair wage and benefits, as well as providing the means for outreach projects to the community defining our social and economic ideals. We envision a thriving cooperative community that by practicing the values of honesty, openness, and caring for others, will assist other communities in establishing their cooperative identity