Hamilton’s Mustard Seed Co-op permanently closes its doors

It’s a sad day for Hamilton as the city’s first and only co-operative grocery store has declared bankruptcy and permanently closed its doors.

The Mustard Seed Co-op, located at 460 York Boulevard, has been a fixture grocer in Hamilton for years, almost exclusively offering produce, dairy, breads & baked goods, snacks, and much more provided by local and regional farmers, bakers, and artisans.

So the Mustard Seed has entered bankruptcy protection. Their liabilities exceed their assets by over $300K. I feel so bad for this board and the last who inherited a kobiyashi maru situation. There are no winners here.

— Jason Allen (@Janoallen) August 30, 2021

The small shop was also unique for being a member-owned, not-for-profit grocery store; the only of its kind in the city.

However, The Mustard Seed has expressed its financial troubles a month ago with a public appeal to its members to each donate $400 that would help pay off around $141,000 in debt to the shop’s suppliers.

The co-op expressed a recent decline in sales, pushed further by the COVID-19 pandemic, as one of the key reasons for the desperate need for support.

However, after coming up considerably shorter of its fundraising goals, The Mustard Seed formally announced its permanent closure via social media on Monday afternoon.

“It’s been a pleasure to have served you for the last 7+ years,” wrote The Mustard Seed. “The relationships, the like mindedness, and the amazing local food has all brought us together as a community.”

Read the full post on The Mustard Seed Co-op’s social media.

Lead image courtesy of @mustardseedcoop

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• Mustard Seed Co-Op
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