Small-town grocery stores are the heart of rural communities, yet many struggle with competition from larger chain stores, a shrinking customer base, and changing customer demands for fresh produce and greater variety.
The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) support rural grocery stores affected by these issues through a number of resources and projects throughout Minnesota.
Resources and strategies for rural grocery stores
Shelf Life is a monthly webinar series addressing critical issues and opportunities facing Minnesota’s rural grocers. Each session includes guest speakers and time for questions and networking. Rural grocer owners, managers and staff are encouraged to attend to connect with University resources, expertise and each other.
Upcoming webinars
This webinar series will return in 2026.
2025 Webinars
Financial management is key in today's competitive retail environment. Learn how to read your own numbers to make key management decisions for a more profitable operation with Extension Educator Ryan Pesch.
More resources
In this session, we look at different loan options from lenders and their perspectives on how they see your loan application, and go over a loan application together.
More resources
Grant Writing is an important skill for any business. We go over important grants to be aware of for Minnesota grocery stores, and some key grant-writing tips and tricks.
More resources
In this session, Rial Carver from the Rural Grocery Initiative based out of K-State Research and Extension provides resources available for stores at various stages of operation. Resources exist for new and beginning grocers as well as those near transition.
Watch webinar
In this session, we speak about opportunities to purchase from local farms and sell to local entities, including schools and nursing homes. We also speak about food safety and produce handling.
In this session, Jon speaks about the history and feasibility of community-owned grocery stores (food co-ops) in rural areas. We discuss what role co-ops play in the grocery landscape and, if interested in a co-op model, where to begin.
In this session, Ruthanne Atkinson and Sara Fulton-Koerbling talk about the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) and how it works with members to strengthen their businesses. They also share effective marketing strategies for independent food retailers, including promotional marketing, social media, and community engagement tactics.
More resources
- Independent Natural Food Retailers Association
- For a copy of the INFRA presentation shared in this webinar, contact Ruthanne Atkinson at [email protected].
In this webinar, we describe resources to help improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. Attendees will learn about energy usage audits, grants, financing resources and technical assistance specifically designed for small business owners and managers. Speakers include Colby Abazs, CERTs business renewable energy consultant, and Peter Lindstrom, CERTs manager of public sector and community engagement.
Host and partners
This webinar is facilitated by Zachary Paige, Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership food systems program coordinator and Manna Food Cooperative Detroit Lakes board chair
The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP), with support from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, provides technical assistance to rural grocery stores in Greater Minnesota through the Good Food Access Program (GFAP).