History

Community Roots since 1972

Lakewinds began in 1972, when Edie Green, Helen Davis and Edith Stodola founded the Minnetonka Buying Club. In 1975 the club officially became a co-op and moved into the recognizable “Red Shack” behind St. Luke Church. The co-op moved a few times before settling into its current neighborhood and becoming Lakewinds Natural Foods.

Growing Partnerships

Lakewinds moved to the corner location of Highway 101 and Minnetonka Boulevard in 1995. In 2003, Lakewinds merged with the Anoka Co-op Grocery and Café, which was struggling at the time. Once the Anoka co-op was strong enough to stand alone, it was sold and became Grass Roots Co-op.

Current Stores: 2007-Present

With the Minnetonka store a major success, Lakewinds looked for a second location. A 13,000-square-foot store in Chanhassen opened its doors in 2005. At the same time, a long-desired building west of the Minnetonka store became available – an opportunity too good to pass up. The new 14,000-square-foot Minnetonka store opened in 2006. Both stores were designed using environmentally responsible and sustainable products. Chanhassen features solar panels on the roof and an artisan bakery, and Minnetonka features a wood-burning pizza oven.

In 2014, our third store location opened in Richfield, thanks in large part to our generous owners, who loaned us $1.8 million for the project. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to grow the community of co-ops in the Twin Cities and bring fresh, wholesome, local food to the area. In 2014 we also changed our name to Lakewinds Food Co-op, accurately reflecting who we are, what we sell, and how we function as a community owned and operated business. Lakewinds continues to lead in the Twin Cities as a thriving co-op with over 20,000 owners and counting!