Shareholder Spotlight: Andrew Courtney
Meet shareholder Andrew Courtney
Member since: December of 2022!
Reasons for Joining: Walked in, and it was just a feast for the senses. In short: “I just really love this place”
Favorite Department: Deli/Prepared Foods. He appreciates being able to get something quickly and also being able to control how much he spends.
About the Shareholder: Andrew, his wife Renee, and their two children, Juniper, 7, and Griffin, 3, are brand new to the co-op and the area.
They moved partly to be closer to Renee’s family and partly to pursue another new adventure together.
He says the co-op is one of the things that makes him feel at home here.
“I grew up in grocery stores,” he says. And he’s not exaggerating! His great-uncle immigrated to San Francisco and built “Courtney’s,” an affordable family grocery and neighborhood institution still going strong today.
His parents met as supermarket staff – “My mom was my dad’s boss when they were both 16” – and Andrew grew up running around and working in the bakery they built inside a larger neighborhood market.
After getting his degree from UCSD and working in the finance sector for a while, Andrew returned to his roots and ran his great-uncle’s store for a time.
When he started a family of his own, he and his wife built their own business – a popular grab-and-go market in San Diego – which they eventually sold prior to relocating.
Andrew continues to help feed his neighbors as the director of Foodworks, “the free neighborhood grocery store” just up Canal Street. He has been loving it.
“There’s something about connecting people with food that’s very meaningful.” We couldn’t agree more!
Shareholder Spotlight is created and written by our Shareholder Services Coordinator, Pamela Corkey. If you have questions about becoming a shareholder or how you might like to volunteer in our community as a shareholder, contact Shareholder Services Coordinator Pamela Corkey at [email protected] or call 802-246-2821.
