Great River Coop (GRC) is a startup cooperative dedicated to enhancing food safety and security by creating a local food ecosystem that directly connects local farmers and producers wtih consumers across the Vermont and New Hamphsire Connecticut River communities.  With a  strong commitment to putting the community first, GRC prioritizes preserving the local way of lie and crating sustainable economic opportunities for  farmers, homesteaders, and residents.  This ecosystm will feature a retail space, commercial kitchen, food processing center, and business services, providing essential infrastructure to support reisilient, community -centered food production.     The efforst began over a decade ago, started by local family farmers that could not find stores that would sell their produce, due to limited production.  Today, many local conrner stores and commercial supermarkets sell local produce regardless of the ability to supply onging consistent product, but the issue of limited growing/selling season, many small farm farmers who work full time jobs in addition, and who have acreage they cannot plant because the amount of produce would be greater than the distribution could effect during the short growing - selling season.   The market area also has an underserved population village where this demographic (2/3 LMI) is in a food desert - hence the importance of the retail food coop.