The Moscow Food Co-op officially opened its new location on the University of Idaho campus Thursday.
The Moscow Food Co-op leases the upstairs space from the Campus Christian Center and provides a coffee bar, premade sandwiches, wraps and a variety of other snacks, along with a lounge area for students and community members to gather.
The grand opening began at 10 a.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon. Students and community members filed in to get out of the rain and snow to watch the ceremony and snag a few free samples.
Alycia Rock, marketing manager for the Moscow Food Co-op said she couldn’t be more delighted about the opening of the campus location.
The idea has been in the works for the last two years, Laurene Sorensen, current board chair of the Moscow Food Co-op said.
The original idea of a branch on the UI campus started about five years ago when the co-op redid its strategic plan for future growth, said Melinda Schab, general manager of the Moscow Food Co-op downtown. The co-op found community members wanted a location on campus, and locations in both Pullman and Lewiston.
A phone call between Schab and a director at the Campus Christian Center about flat roofs lead to two years of weekly meetings and the co-op opening a new location on the UI campus, Schab said.
“(The Campus Christian Center) want this to be a gathering place,” Rock said.
David Scholss, a Moscow resident for a little over five years said he is excited about the new co-op location.
“I think it’s great to bring healthy food choices onto campus,” Scholss said.
Alisa Melior, general manager for the Moscow Food Co-op’s campus location said the space is meant for students to use during their breaks as a place to study. Melior said they are delighted to serve the campus community and if there is something students would like brought in, their ears are open.
Rock said the co-op board hopes to move forward and open a location on the Washington State University campus sometime in the future.
Kali Nelson and Nicole Etchemendy can be reached at [email protected]
Correction: Jan. 12, 2017
The previous version of this article was updated for factual accuracy due to reporter error.