“I like talking to farmers about their work and seeing the seasons change through our produce selection,” says Bull Gervasi, facilities and produce department coordinator for Mariposa Foods, a cooperative grocery store in West Philadelphia. Gervasi has been a Mariposa Co-op member for 18 years because he believes co-ops are the least exploitative business model within capitalism. “I work for Mariposa because it encompasses several of my strongly held personal beliefs around community investment, environmental stewardship, food justice, social justice and animal welfare,” he explains.
Gervasi believes that co-ops are important in general because they serve the communities they are in. “Food co-ops provide good jobs, support the local economy by buying locally, give people the chance to take an active part in how their neighborhood grocery store is run … and often offer educational opportunities for shoppers,” he says.
Mariposa Food Co-op
mariposa.coop
4824 Baltimore Ave. 215-729-2121
