Wheatsville Food Co-op in Austin, Texas

Wheatsville Food Co-op Austin
3101 Guadalupe Street
(512) 478-2667

The Wheatsille Food Co-op is located in Central Austin, just north of the University of Texas campus. It is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Wheatsville is a small, independent health-food grocery store. It is a lot like Whole Foods or Central Market, but on a smaller scale. It primarily offers healthy, natural, and/or organic goods, and has many items geared toward vegetarians and vegans. In 2009, Wheatsville underwent a large renovation and expansion project that gave it a large prepared foods section.

Wheatsville has a co-op system that allows customers can sign up to be members, or what are called "owners." When you pay your annual fee, you actually own a part of the store and contribute refundable investment capital. Members can vote and make decisions to ensure the co-op serves its community well, rather than being a corporation that only wants to profit.

You do not have to be a member to shop here. There used to be a surcharge for non-members, but they have done away with that. Non-members now pay the same prices as members for groceries. However, there are certain store specials that only owners can get.

Besides being small and personal, one of the major perks of Wheatsville is its large prepared foods and deli sections, which was largely expanded after its renovations. It features a self-serve hot foods section, a refrigerated area with pre-made desserts and sandwiches, and prepared dishes behind the deli counter such as fish or pasta that you can order by weight. At the deli counter, you can also order fresh smoothies, salads, and sandwiches -- their chicken salad served on foccacia is to die for.