Oryana History - A Brief Snapshot
In 1973, a small group of pioneering people established a buying club to obtain fresh, wholesome food at fair prices. What was once a back porch operation run solely by dedicated volunteers has evolved into a $3 million, 4500 square foot cooperative business serving the Traverse City community and beyond. While business operations have certainly changed, for example, we no longer store the daily bank deposits in the bulk beans, nor do we have board meetings in the General Manger's sauna, our mission remains true to our roots: To provide high quality food produced in ecologically sound ways at fair value to member owners and the community.
Though Oryana certainly has had it share of ups and downs over its history, today we are thriving thanks to the initial seeds sown by that small group of founding mothers and fathers who had the vision and perseverance to establish a healthy alternative to the mainstream food market of the early '70s. Thirty years plus is no small feat especially in an era when many cooperatives have fallen by the wayside.