A buying club is a group of people who pool their time, resources, and buying power to save money on high quality healthful foods.

Members of a buying club share the work and expenses involved in acquiring and distributing the food to their group. Each member contributes to the buying club by doing at least one job, and the buying club in turn benefits from the talents and skills of many. Members divide the work equally among themselves, trading their time for the lower prices. Members also enjoy the camaraderie of working with other people in their community.

How Do Buying Clubs Operate?

There are 5 basic steps to buying food through a buying club:

1. Members combine their individual orders into a single order. United Natural Foods supplies FoodLink software for Buying Clubs free of charge to our customers. FoodLink makes it quick and simple to combine member orders into a single order. Usually, members pay in advance for their order so that the buying club has the money to pay the driver at the time of delivery.

2. The combined and collated order is sent to the warehouse through the internet ('ftp' or email), by fax or by phone.

3. The truck delivers to your prearranged location. At least three buying club members need to be on hand to unload and receive the order.

4. Members divide up the order among the individual households.

5. Household bills are recomputed after delivery to account for any discrepancies. The buying club keeps track of additional charges or credits which may be carried over to the following month’s order. FoodLink takes care of these functions easily.

Why Join a Buying Club?

In addition to being able to access and purchase high quality natural and organic foods and products and the cost savings available from buying directly from the warehouse, there are many other reasons to start or join a buying club.

• to get to know other people with similar interests from your community
• to support organic farmers
• to be a part of a cooperative food system that is owned and controlled by people who use the products, and to work together to serve your needs
• to learn new skills, such as using a computer or bookkeeping
• to revitalize your neighborhood, small town or rural area by gaining access to high quality natural foods and products which might not otherwise be available
• to learn more about natural food, nutrition and cooking

How Do I Join a Buying Club?

The easiest way to become a buying club member is to join an existing group. We recommend this route if you have not had previous experience with this type of food distribution. Visit Find A Buying Club, which is a quick way to locate groups in your area. Here you can scan the regional listings of our buying club customers and request contact information for the groups nearest you. United Natural Foods delivers to hundreds of buying clubs throughout the eastern and midwestern United States, many of which are looking for additional members.

How Do I Start A Buying Club?

We recommend you have five to eight households to start a buying club, although some groups begin with fewer. Talk up the idea with your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. Hold a meeting and describe how a buying club works; emphasize the cooperative nature of the organization. If you need more information, please consult the Buying Club Help & How-To. If you have additional questions or need a few free price lists for your meeting, please email

Key points to present are:

• Everyone needs to participate and contribute for the group to succeed.
• Ordering and delivery are every 4 weeks.
• By ordering through United Natural Foods you have access to thousands of natural and organic products.
• Buying clubs served from the Chesterfield NH warehouse also have access to a wide range of organic produce.

To get started, set up committees to accomplish the following tasks:

• Print out the New Account Application form or email us for both an application and a complimentary catalog.
• Choose your group name and an alternative, in case your first choice is already in use.
• Find a delivery site to meet the truck. Possible options are churches, town halls, granges and residences near state highways. Essential features include flexible hours of availability, tractor trailer access and plenty of space. Optional but nice, are a phone, refrigerator, freezer and sink.
• Find a person with a personal computer and Internet access so your group can use our free FoodLink Software For Buying Clubs to streamline the ordering and invoicing process.
• Choose a group coordinator, who will also be the key contact between United Natural Foods and your group for mailings and updates.
• Use the tools on the Buying Club Resources page to learn more about how to make your buying club fun, efficient and effective for your members.