Selling your goods at Oryana

We work with farmers and makers with a wide range of experience selling at farmers markets, CSAs, or pop-ups. Some have been selling direct to consumers for years, and many others are just starting out. We take pride in helping local producers make the leap to a more consistent, reliable wholesale sales channel: selling in our co-op!  

Our category management is invested in helping growing vendors understand the transition to retail, from safety and inspection requirements, labeling standards, and how to scale.  

Why Sell at a Co-op? 

Food co-operatives are member-owned grocery stores that prioritize local, sustainable, and specialty food products. The key differentiators of working with a co-op are: 

• Truly local: We always try to stock food from nearby producers.  
• No fees: We don’t charge slotting fees, which often cost thousands of dollars just to get your product on the shelf.  

• Personal touch: You’ll work with one of our category managers and dedicated buyers; it’s a personal relationship, not just an online portal.  

• Recurring sales: While margins are lower with a co-op, they provide steady orders every week. This provides more consistent revenue than relying on farmers’ markets, which are seasonal and often heavily impacted by weather.  
• Market access: Selling your products in a food co-op offers access to customers you may not see at a farmers market. This helps raise brand and product awareness, which increases sales and may help you get your products into additional retail stores.  

For prospective new vendors:

We ask you to review the following to ensure your product is a good match for our store.

• Please read Our Mission and Ends to be familiar with how we conduct business.
• Please review our Product Purchasing Guidelines to ensure your product/ingredients/production methods match what we carry in-store.
• Take a look at our Expectations for Local Vendors.

Once you have reviewed these documents and determined that your product matches our buying standards,  please fill out the form below. You may contact our Category Management team with any questions.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a vendor at Oryana Community Co-op. This guide outlines everything that is required to be considered as a vendor at Oryana. Please read through this guide carefully before submitting products for review. 

Basic Retail Requirements 

Liability Insurance Requirement

The Co-op requires that vendors have liability insurance, naming Oryana Community Co-op as an Additional Insured. The minimum limit for General Liability should be no less than $1 million per occurrence and include coverage for products and completed operations. A certificate of coverage from the insurance carrier must be sent to the Co-op annually.

Resource: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/get-business-insurance

Licensing, Labeling, and other Requirements

Food License Requirement

A proper license for food preparation must be obtained. Vendors should be familiar with Michigan State law for commercial food preparation. Meat or seafood products will need a specific animal processing license. Some product may require additional licensing; please consult with a Category Manager or Department Manager for questions.

Product must have labeling for inventory tracking.

For packaged goods, we strongly encourage UPCs with scannable barcodes. UPCs protect the brand’s integrity, our inventory tracking, and streamline ordering. See the link below for information about GS1, a UPC service company. If a vendor is unable to obtain UPCs, Oryana can assist by assigning items a numerical code (PLU), which functions similarly. It is still expected that the supplier will generate scannable barcodes using the assigned PLU and apply this appropriately to packaging.

Resource: https://www.gs1us.org/upcs-barcodes-prefixes

Sell Sheet Requirement

A sell sheet should include:

• Order information, including main contact
• Company logo
• Product description
• Photo of retail/food service package
• Universal Product Code (UPC code) (scannable photo recommended)
• Individual unit size
• Individual unit weight
• Unit or case cost
• Units per case
• Company story
• Ingredients
• Nutrition facts table
• Distributor information

Terms

The Co-op pays within the listed terms below. Terms will be discussed with the prospective vendor by the Department or Category Manager. NO CASH ON DELIVERY.

• Fresh (Produce, Bread, Cheese) – Net 14
• Center store (Packaged or Dry Goods) – Net 21
• Wellness – Net 30

Invoices

Oryana Community Co-op must be provided with an invoice upon delivery. Each invoice line should be clearly labeled as to whether it is a product, credit, or delivery fee.

Deliveries must be made in accordance with Oryana’s receiving guidelines.

Invoices must include:

• Date of Delivery
• Terms
• Invoice Number
• Farm/Producer Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• For each product delivered:

o Quantity

o Product Description (if certified organic, please indicate)

o Per unit price

o Item total

o UPC and/or item code

• Invoice Total

We encourage local vendors to keep their own copies of invoices for reference. The Co-op is not responsible for making copies of vendor invoices.

Payment

All vendor payments are processed through a third- party A/P processor Ottimate. All vendor invoices are paid via ACH. The vendor will receive an email from Ottimate once all paperwork has been submitted. Exceptions to ACH payments will be made on a case-by-case basis. Please speak to your Department or Category Manager.

If your product meets the above criteria, the vendor may drop off or mail their products with sell sheets for consideration to:

Category Management
260 East Tenth Street
Traverse City, MI 49684