ABOUT US

Born from a Spark in South LA

SoLA Food Co-op began with a simple, shared frustration: accessing clean, organic, and nutritious food in South Los Angeles shouldn't require a cross-town trek. In 2010, local resident Bahni Turpin moved to the neighborhood and experienced firsthand the realities of living in a designated food desert. Refusing to accept food apartheid as an unchangeable state, she began grassroots research into the cooperative grocery model, drawing inspiration from pioneering co-ops across the country. By late 2011, a small steering committee of six dedicated neighbors convened around a kitchen table with a clear mission: to create a community-owned alternative that puts healthy food, economic sovereignty, and local wellness directly into the hands of the neighborhood.

Built by the Community, for the Community

What started as a small kitchen table conversation quickly grew into a powerful, decade-long movement built on radical hospitality and neighbor-to-neighbor organizing. Formally incorporating in 2014, SoLA took to the streets—tabling weekly at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Farmers Market, hosting vibrant "Locally Sourced" arts and wellness festivals, running educational workshops on urban agriculture and holistic health, and launching pop-up markets. Through pandemic supply shocks, SoLA adapted, delivering contactless produce bag subscriptions and bulk staples straight out of neighborhood staging hubs. Through every street team canvass, community screening, and mutual-aid food distribution, SoLA proved that a grocery store could serve as an engine for community wealth, local jobs, and food justice.

One the Horizon: A Community-Owned Storefront on Crenshaw

Today, backed by a founding base of over 700 member-owners and landmark infrastructure support from America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), SoLA is executing its most ambitious phase yet. As we work toward opening our permanent brick-and-mortar home at 3060 Crenshaw Boulevard, we are transforming our space into a vibrant, bilingual community marketplace that directly reflects the diversity and culture of South LA. We are currently in the homestretch of our membership sprint, building toward the 1,200 member-owner threshold needed to unlock the financing for a full storefront construction. Every new owner brings us one step closer to opening our doors, securing local food sovereignty, and building a healthier, more resilient South Los Angeles for generations to come.