Get to know Rainbow

We opened our store in San Francisco’s Mission District over 45 years ago. Since then, we have always worked to offer the widest selection of organic and locally sourced products at the most affordable price. Along with being your local, independent grocery store, we are also a resource for our community to exchange information about the health and sustainability of the foods we eat.

As a worker-owned cooperative, those of us who work here are more than simply the people who stock your favorite products, recommend an amazing cheese, or ring up your groceries. We are the owners and decision-makers of the business. While we have come to work here for many different reasons, we all share the common desire to work in a fair, democratic workplace where everyone’s opinion matters. So, not only do we hope to make a difference by providing healthy food and organic products to everyone who shops with us, we believe that our successful business model for cooperative work is also putting the ideals of sustainable living into practice.

Since we moved to our current location at 13th and Folsom in 1996, we have more than doubled our workforce from about 85 people to over 250. While we add new worker/owners every year, some of us are celebrating our 20-, 30-, even 40-year anniversaries as part of the co-op!

Rainbow is more than just a job for us. We hope that for you, our store is more than just a place to find healthy, organic food!

The Rainbow Grocery Cooperative Mission

We have been in San Francisco’s Mission District since 1975. We strive to offer resources, education and a forum for informational exchange for many local communities and organizations.

Our goals include, but are not limited to:

• Providing affordable vegetarian food products which have minimal negative impact ecologically and socially
• Buying goods from local organic farmers, collectives, bakers, dairies and other local businesses whenever possible
• Providing our customers with the best possible service
• Providing Rainbow Grocery Cooperative’s workers with a livable wage
• Creating a nonhierarchical work space based upon respect, mutuality and cooperation
• Offering low-cost health care products and resources
• Supporting other collectives and worker-owned businesses
• Supporting fair labor practices
• Donating to local non-profit organizations and schools
• Encouraging bicycling, mass transit, and alternative transportation
• Composting all in-store green wastes; recycling, reducing and reusing resources whenever possible
• Creating a diverse, non-discriminatory multilingual environment

We maintain an ongoing commitment to make Rainbow Grocery Cooperative an inclusive environment that is welcoming to everyone.