New Pioneer Food Co-op members voted to add "more pi" twice this year, for stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

New Pioneer Food Co-op members voted to add “more pi” twice this year, for stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

IOWA CITY – New Pioneer Food Co-op will be moving forward with plans for a new site in Iowa City, following a decisive vote from its members.

The cooperative, which specializes in local, natural and organic foods, is looking to relocate its Iowa City store. It has already announced a site for a new store in Cedar Rapids.

Here is more from New Pi: The New Pioneer Food Co-op Board of Directors is pleased to announce a decisive ‘Yes’ outcome of the member vote to pursue a new Iowa City Co-op store! Of 2,193 ballots counted, 2,039 (93%) of the voting members voted ‘Yes,’ and 154 voted ‘No’ to the proposal.

Throughout this process, New Pi representatives have been actively talking with local developers and the City of Iowa City regarding relocating or adding a store in Iowa City. The Co-op’s Board of Directors and management team believe that growing in Iowa City will expand the market for local farmers and producers and provide more local and organic products to more people, in line with the Co-op’s mission statement: “… to stimulate the local agricultural production of natural and organic foods by providing a market for such foods.” In 2012, New Pioneer purchased $1.8 million in goods from local producers.

The ‘Yes’ member vote – as the Co-op is 100% member owned and its Articles of Incorporation require approval by the members of any retail relocation – allows the Board to go forward with negotiations (with developers and others) to secure a downtown location as the new and improved home for its flagship store, OR open a second store elsewhere in Iowa City.

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Look for information as it becomes available in both New Pi stores, New Pi’s Catalyst newsletter, New Pi’s website at www.newpi.coop, and on New Pi’s Facebook page at http://s.coop/npfb.

New Pioneer Cooperative Society was founded as a natural foods cooperative grocery in Iowa City in 1971, and opened its Coralville branch in 2001. Today, New Pi is a thriving two-store food co-op with over 29,000 members. The stores provide local, organic, and natural foods to the Iowa City and Coralville area and everyone is welcome to shop. New Pi is located at 22 S. Van Buren St. in Iowa City and at 1101 2nd St. in Coralville. Please visit www.newpi.coop for more information.