Have you ever wondered why we are named Three Rivers Market?

Most folks are familiar with the Tennessee River which flows through downtown Knoxville southward to Chattanooga and beyond. What you might not know is that the Tennessee is formed by the Holston and French Broad Rivers which flow from the Southern Appalachian Mountains and meet on Knoxville’s eastern edge.

Our name comes from the confluence of these three rivers. Like the rivers for which we are named, Three Rivers Market nourishes not only our immediate community but also our bio-region of the Southern Appalachians and our whole Southeastern Region.

To commemorate this regional heritage, we have a stylish new tote bag featuring a topographic map of our three rivers coming together. Show off your Three Rivers Market pride wherever you go while reducing your environmental footprint with this unforgettable reusable bag!

Remember: rivers … Read More »

Once again, Three Rivers Market is leading the way!

The Board of Directors has recently made two innovative changes to our board policies that we would like to share with you. These revisions reflect an effort to put into policy current practices that we value.

Over the past year, the Board has been considering creating a Governance policy to protect Three Rivers Market’s Product Standards policy. Many of you participated in our discussions through our event Our Values, Our Shelves and at the Annual Meeting. We heard clearly how much you all value and trust Three Rivers Market’s current standards, and we appreciate that these standards reflect your values. At our March meeting, the board concluded that we should state in policy that our cooperative should establish Product Standards to ensure their existence into the future and that they should not change … Read More »

Our customers care deeply about the welfare of animals. During March, you donated $7,309.96 to the Humane Society of East Tennessee, supporting adoption of abandoned animals through operation of a no-kill shelter, vaccinations, and spay/neuter support!

For April, you can donate your change at the register to the Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence, Inc.
Donations will provide healthy food for children cared for by East
Tennessee’s only non-profit, extended hours childcare center. The
Blossom Center offers high quality, 24/7 affordable services for working
parents.

In 1981, some brave folks did the future a favor. They started a food co-op in Knoxville, Tennessee…

Thirty-eight years later Three Rivers Market is still going strong, co-owned by nearly 10,000 Tennesseans.

Thank you all creating and nourishing a healthier environment, healthier people, and a healthier community!

Did you know Legos make great financial
building blocks? I didn’t. I also didn’t know the first food cooperative opened
in 1844. Thanks to the Cooperative Board Leadership Program 101, I am now
equipped to serve you, members of the Three Rivers Market, as a newly elected
director on the board.

Cooperative Board Leadership Development
(CBLD) is an innovative program of the CDS Consulting Co-op and designed
specifically for members of cooperative boards that focuses on four pillars of
cooperative governance: Teaming, Accountable Empowerment, Strategic Leadership,
and Democracy.

Saturday, January 5, 2019, I joined three
of my fellow board members and Jacqueline Arthur, the general manager of Three
Rivers, for a one-day training hosted by the French Broad Co-op in Asheville,
North Carolina. Throughout the day, we learned what it takes to be an engaged
and effective member of a food cooperative.

The day kicked off with an … Read More »