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This Thursday February 12th at 4pm, Mu Brewery will be releasing a German ale brewed in collaboration with the Northeast Community Co-op Market. The beer will be titled “Noble Beginnings” in honor of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and community wealth building.

New craft beer?  Awesome.  Representing entrepreneurship, collaboration, and community wealth building?  Even better.  Co-op market?  What’s that?

It’s quite simple actually—a food co-op is a member-owned grocery store that connects a neighborhood directly with healthy foods, local farmers, and their direct communities.  Each member, who is a part owner with one share and one vote receives member benefits that include discounts, cash dividends, and more.

Members specifically see great benefits through shopping regularly—but everyone sees benefits from having one in their neighborhood.

These food co-ops have been popping up all over the country because of the unsustainability of our current food system.  Locally owned co-ops source local foods and goods, provide communities with greater food security, contribute to the local economy, and provide a more sustainable food system.

One of the latest is the Northeast Community Co-op Market (NCCM) under development for Northeast Denver/Northwest Aurora.  Operating on the foundation that it is located within a large metro area without cooperative food options, NCCM aims to be the area’s “one-stop-shop for groceries, natural goods, prepared foods, beer/wine, and other staples, emphasizing high-quality, locally sourced, natural, and organic products.”

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“The Sunday Farmers Market meets the organic, entrepreneurial goodness of the Sweet William Market” the NCCM website claims.

Entrepreneurship?  Check.  Collaboration.  Check.  Community wealth building?  Check.

Thomas Spahr, the Chair of NCCM’s Board of Directors, believes that “entrepreneurship in all forms is very dependent on community. What I’ve learned in this start up process is that businesses complement each other in multiple ways, and it takes a strong community of entrepreneurs to support new start-up concepts.”

And what better way is there to connect entrepreneurs and raise money for a new startup up concept than through beer, right?

“Those of us that are taking the risk in building community in this neck of the woods can bond over what we are doing and celebrate the progress we’re making.”  Spahr says, “Craft beer is not only a great product to kickstart neighborhood revitalization in the Denver metro area, it is a great catalyst for celebration and an excellent tool for community engagement.”

So why the collaboration with Mu Brewery, specifically?

“I love Mu because it is an easy place to have a conversation, meet new people, and experience the energy of creating something new and fantastic,” he states.

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Mu Brewery is located in the heart of the Aurora Cultural Arts District, where Noble Beginnings is brewing as you read this.  At 4pm on Thursday they’ll be tapping the keg of the co-op’s first official beer—of which 20% of proceeds will be headed to support the Northeast Community Co-op Market.

In addition to the obvious perk of getting to enjoy some good craft beer over at Mu, Spahr is hoping to see an event that will kick off “a family of entrepreneurs on the east side of town that can assemble positive change and build a stronger community.”

Great times will be had by all.  Sounds like a noble beginning to me.

by Joseph Afton