The Westend Food Co-op (WEFC) is a community food cooperative based in the West End of Toronto, Ontario. The WEFC mandate is to foster food culture through lucrative local business markets for farmers, healthy food and fair prices for consumers, and a livable wage for co-op employees.
WEFC is hiring a consultant to research, develop and write a business plan for our future retail food store. We are looking for an individual or group who has experience writing business plans for small-scale co-operatives, is innovative and efficient, and can work within tight deadlines.
Key Responsibilities and Deliverables:
• Conduct organizational research into multi-stakeholder co-operative structures that balance the needs of producer, supplier, employee and consumer members
• Conduct market research to understand the community and business context for the development of a retail store in the West End (including Parkdale and Roncesvalles neighborhoods)
• Develop a business plan for the establishment of a WEFC retail grocery store that incorporates the above research findings
• Suggest membership policies and payment tiers to the Co-op Board that incorporates the above research findings
• Travel to Toronto is a necessity
Qualifications:
• A professional who is able to work efficiently and independently, with little guidance
• A good communicator who is able to learn quickly and ask the right questions
• Strong experience in co-op business plan development, with several successful business plans completed
• An understanding of multi-stakeholder co-operative models (with producer, consumer and employee members)
• Knowledge of the demands of a food retail store development
• Familiarity with or interest in the local food movement in Toronto, food systems, and food retail markets
• Preference given to candidates who can balance research with the creation of a detailed business plan
Contract begins immediately (beginning of December), with completion of a business plan by the end of February.
