IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif (KGTV) - After 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Suncoast Co-op is finally ready to serve customers in Imperial Beach. The fresh, locally owned grocery store opens to the public on Saturday, marking a significant milestone for the South Bay community.
Manager Kim Frink gave ABC 10News Anchor Jared Aarons a tour as employees put the final items on shelves. The co-op offers customers the unique opportunity to buy ownership stakes in the business and receive discounts or rebates in return.
"We're super excited. And this is one of the things the community said they really wanted, which was to have better access to healthy, prepared foods," Frink said.
The store features a carefully curated mix of local products, organic foods, and traditional grocery items. It also boasts Imperial Beach's only salad bar, a hot food section, and a dining area, positioning itself as a community hub for residents.
"Opening a co-op is not for the faint of heart. It's not easy to do. But it's something our community really needed. And it's so exciting to see it come together. See the product on the shelves. And we invite everyone to come check it out," Frink said.
The journey to opening has been lengthy. Aarons first reported on the Suncoast Co-op plans in March 2023. At that point, the team had already been working on the project since 2016. Throughout 2023, the group held events with local food businesses to raise money, worried about missing key fundraising deadlines needed to start construction.
In October 2024, Suncoast signed a lease on its Imperial Beach location. At that time, Frink gave Aarons a tour of what was then a big empty space. The group had scaled back their original plans to make goals more achievable and hired their first full-time employee.
By June, the market had taken shape as Suncoast launched its final fundraising push.
The co-op now employs 25 people and is expected to add approximately $6.5 million per year to the Imperial Beach economy, according to Frink.
The grand opening runs from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, and the public is welcome to attend.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- SunCoast Market Co-op enters final fundraising push before opening in Imperial Beach
- SunCoast Market Co-op gets closer to opening fresh, local grocery store in Imperial Beach
- Plan to bring a co-op supermarket to the South Bay hits road block
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