Local grocery collaborative celebrates 40th anniversary

For the past four decades, Wheatsville Food Co-op’s mission has been clear: become the friendliest store in Austin, Chief Executive Grocer Dan Gillotte said.

Along the way, the grocery collaborative has also stocked its shelves with more than 2,000 local items, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to area charities, expanded to a second location and perfected its vegan doughnut recipe. But Gillotte said the company’s greatest legacy is its impact on the community.

“It’s really important we are the friendliest store in town,” he said. “Everybody has to grocery shop, and if they can also take back a positive feeling when they’re done, that would be really good.”

The original Wheatsville opened in 1976, and in 2013 the company expanded to South Lamar Boulevard. The second location houses Wheatsville’s bakery where the company produces a variety of custom-baked goods, including vegan doughnuts. Gillotte said there are plans for a third store in the next few years but could not release a timeline or locations under consideration.

“We built the store with the intention it would grow beyond the physical limitations of our Guadalupe store,” Gillotte said.

Wheatsville is open to all shoppers and is owned by about 18,000 area residents who made a one-time $55 investment, Gillotte said. Owners elect Wheatsville’s board of directors and receive financial benefits, such as periodic discounts and a potential owners’ rebate, he said.

The grocery store stocks local products; humane and sustainable meats; organic, fair trade coffee; made-to-order sandwiches; and caters to specialty diets.

“We’re a homegrown Austin institution,” Gillotte said. “We’re pretty excited we get to compete with the big guys and hold our own.”