Homepage

How One Downtown Grocer Plans to Combat Food Inequality In Syracuse How One Downtown Grocer Plans to Combat Food Inequality In Syracuse

By Nicole Cox

Cox: Walking into Salt City Market, you’re instantly greeted with a sea of different aromas… the sweet smell of frosting, freshly brewed coffee, and a mix of spices from all around the world. Home to 11 different vendors, whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll most likely find it here. But on the off chance they don’t have what you’re craving…you now can buy all the ingredients to make what you want at home. The Syracuse Cooperative Market opened its doors inside Salt City today, and general manager Jeremy DeChario says it started with some familiar faces.

DeChario: “Yeah so the day started really strong. We had people in the store waiting outside at 8 a.m. The first customer came in and did a little grocery shop. He was a loyal customer of our current Kensington location.”

Cox: The market serves as a full service grocer, providing everything from produce to cleaning supplies. The co-op sells largely local brands as well, with their number one goal being to provide for the community. And ultimately it makes it easier for people living downtown to have a one stop shop.

Cox: Located at 4-8-4 south Sah-LINE-ah street, the Syracuse Cooperative Market is now open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m, seven days a week. And it hopes to solve a problem many Syracuse residents have faced for decades.

Cox: Less than a block away from the Market lies the Syracuse Transit Hub. Being so close to public transportation allows the market to serve a greater number of people within the Syracuse community. DeChario says building around already established transit lines helps to solve the problem of food deserts.. AND the market has even shifted their products to cater to those with lower incomes.

DeChario: “There are programs that we will be running like double up food bucks, which will allow people’s EBT snap dollars to go further in purchasing fresh foods and we were able to expand our produce to not only the organic line that we are known for, but also bring in affordable conventional options.”

Cox : Workers at the Market hope that by making healthy food more accessible to everyone it will help uplift the entire community. De-Chair-e-o says they’re just trying to be good neighbors. Nicki Cox N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Syracuse Cooperative Market is now open to the public, and hopes to serve the entire Syracuse community.

The new location at 484 South Salina Street is the company’s second location, with its original store remaining in Kensington. Well-known for their organic lines, the new market has shifted some of their products to cater to a larger audience.

“It’s allowed us to carry a full line of the organic groceries that we are known for, and also bring in some conventional and affordable produce fresh food options for the broader community,” general manager Jeremy DeChario said. “So we have greens, we have corn.. we have these options that are available and accessible for the whole community. And that’s something that was really important to us.”

Being less than a block away from the Centro Transit Hub provides easier access to fresh produce for people living downtown and south side residents living in food deserts.

Food deserts have been a long withstanding problem in Syracuse. Just last June protestors marched outside city limits with the group “Last Chance for Change” to bring awareness to the issue. The market is a step in the right direction towards providing food equality to a large portion of the Syracuse community.

“The issues around food apartheid is something we have been very conscious in as we have looked to refine our product mix and programming at this location,” DeChario said. “We are a grocery store for every community here in Syracuse so please come in and check out what we have to offer and let us know what you’d like us to.”

Syracuse’s transit lines follow a “spoke-hub” model, meaning buses all come back to a central location or “hub.” The close proximity to the Centro Transit Hub means patrons will be able to come into the city, get their groceries and head right back home. Designing infrastructure around already developed transit lines provides an efficient and cost-effective solution to a complex problem.

Related Articles