Battle Creek's First Food Co-op Opens After Years of Work

Battle Creek, Michigan residents finally have a grocery store they can walk to, thanks to a nonprofit that refused to give up on a six-year dream.

Uproot Market & Eatery opened its doors in November 2025 as the city's first member-owned food cooperative. The full-service grocery store and café now serves downtown neighborhoods that lost their nearest grocery store when Horrocks Farm Market moved away years ago.

The story starts with Sprout BC, a nonprofit that began as a small urban farm in 2009. Over 17 years, the organization evolved from delivering curated grocery boxes to running a certified commercial kitchen that helps local food entrepreneurs launch their products.

When the pandemic hit, Sprout became a lifeline for residents. They partnered with local farmers and businesses to deliver fresh food when few other options existed, keeping both families fed and small businesses alive.

That work revealed something important. Through a federal grant program in 2024 and 2025, Sprout gave away free fresh produce to 6,000 households and tracked the results with Bronson Battle Creek Hospital. People lowered their A1C levels, improved their cholesterol, and managed their diabetes better simply by having barrier-free access to fresh food.

The data confirmed what Sprout already knew: their community needed a permanent grocery solution. Five years ago, they started planning Uproot Market.

Getting the co-op open tested everyone's patience. The team chose to restore an old downtown building instead of tearing it down, which meant navigating complex construction challenges while securing grants and permits. General Manager Stacy Niemann, who joined in March 2025, spent her summer at farmers markets selling memberships and explaining the co-op concept to curious locals.

The Ripple Effect

Uproot Market now serves residents within a one to two-mile radius who have mobility issues, don't drive, or simply want to shop close to home. The co-op balances natural and conventional products to meet diverse community needs while maintaining close ties with Sprout BC.

Local food producers who developed their businesses in Sprout's incubator kitchen now have a direct path to shelves at Uproot. The partnership creates a complete ecosystem where entrepreneurs can grow from kitchen experiment to retail product while supporting the same neighbors who believed in the co-op from the start.

The member owners who waited years for their grocery store now have a place that puts community needs first. When a labor of love takes time, the result is something built to last.