“Creating it for Ourselves”: Del Valle Residents Unite to Bring Community-Owned Grocery Store to Food Desert

On a recent afternoon in Southeast Austin under the Del Valle neighborhood sun, board members of the Del Valle Food Co-op put on gloves and gathered trash bags to clean up an empty plot of land. Soon, that land will house a community-powered grocery store – finally bringing fresh produce and quality food to a neighborhood that has long been underserved and considered a food desert.

“There are gas stations that have meat markets and produce, but the quality is not the best, and the price isn’t affordable,” said Martha Lujan, board member of the Del Valle Food Co-op and Del Valle resident. “We’re being taken advantage of.”

Lujan moved to Del Valle after finding a welcoming community there. Her job at the University of Texas’ Social Resource Center had connected her to many of the area’s residents. In her largely Latino neighborhood, where more than half of the residents speak Spanish, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, she noticed how long drives to the grocery store affected daily stress levels. Many Del Valle residents must travel more than six miles to find fresh fruits, veggies, and healthy meal options. 

But the Del Valle Food Co-op is hoping to change that. Plans to launch a community-owned and community-supported grocery store are underway and the food co-op expects to open in late 2026.

JOURNEY TO LAUNCHING A GROCERY STORE

The plans have been years in the making. After the Austin City Council allocated $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, the food co-op began serious planning in 2022 and joined forces with organizations such as Go Austin Vamos Austin (GAVA) and Austin Cooperative Business Association (ACBA), as well as District 2 Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes and former Austin City Council Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza. 

ACBA and GAVA partnered to recruit a steering committee of people who represent the Eastern Crescent and experience food insecurity to ensure that needs are adequately met, said Drew De Los Santos, board secretary with ACBA. 

“There is a national movement to use the consumer-owned food co-op model to bring groceries to disinvested neighborhoods like Del Valle,” De Los Santos said.  

According to the National Co-op Grocers 2025 Impact Report, 23% of sales at a food co-op come from local products provided by local vendors compared to 2% at traditional grocery store chains. 

A food co-op, unlike a regular grocery store, is owned by members of the community and remains independent from outside investors. Profits benefit the workers, community members, local farmers and vendors as well as the local economy. 

“I was not too much aware of co-ops until I became a part of this project,” Lujan said. “It’s very empowering for a community that has mistrust in a lot of systems.”

Before opening a full-sized grocery store, the food co-op plans to launch a pilot store first, starting with a renovated portable school building and then expanding later based on community needs.

According to a 2021 report from The Guardian and U.S. nonprofit Food and Water Watch, nearly 80% of items regularly purchased at U.S. grocery stores come from five food firms: Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Conagra, Unilever and Delmonte.

“With this food co-op, we are trying to create something different by providing good jobs, accessible pricing and more,” De Los Santos said. 

MOVING PA’LANTE WITH PILOT GROCERY STORE PLANS

From picnics at neighborhood parks to community meetings at area libraries, the Del Valle Food Co-op has hosted events throughout the past year to get the word out. Membership for the Del Valle Food Co-op costs a one-time $50 fee that secures membership for life. A member will have a say in what goes into the store, discounts and part ownership of the food co-op itself. 

Laura Rodriguez, general manager of the Del Valle Food Co-op, said that anyone can access the food co-op, regardless of membership.

“There’s not a big corporation in charge of the store,” Rodriguez said. “All the money is going to stay in the local economy.”

After the launch of the pilot store, the Del Valle Food Co-op members will assess community needs, what works and what doesn’t and take steps to plan a permanent, larger grocery store.

Future plans include incorporating a small community gathering spot, a kitchen and a community garden where produce from local farmers can be grown and sold. 

“A lot of our profits give us a chance to do something more,” Rodriguez said. “This is for the community and by the community.” 

‘CREATING IT FOR OURSELVES’

One of the main obstacles the Del Valle Food Co-op currently faces is its community outreach. Although the need for food accessibility is high, many residents have felt let down by the failure of some major projects, including the promise of an H-E-B in Del Valle. 

In 2016, H-E-B bought land in the Del Valle area, along Highway 71 and FM 973. The news of the major grocery company setting up shop in the area gave Del Valle residents hope for shorter trips to buy fresh groceries. Some residents must drive 20-30 minutes to reach an H-E-B, according to Councilmember Fuentes’ District 2 office. 

Hope soon turned into confusion and anger as H-E-B did not break ground as planned. Instead, in 2024 the company announced it was selling the land back to the developer, but would build another store at McKinney Falls Parkway and William Cannon, nine miles from Del Valle. That store is expected to open in late 2027.

But hopes are high that the Del Valle Food Co-op will finally bring a grocery store to the heart of the neighborhood.

“I think we’re really open to what can engage people now because this community has been disappointed so many times,” said Carmen Llanes, executive director of GAVA. “This is different than talking to H-E-B. This is creating it for ourselves.” 

MORE INFO

What: Del Valle Food Co-op

When: Expected to launch late 2026

Where: 5807 Ross Road, Del Valle, TX 78617