Earthfoods Cafe

earthfoods cafe was founded on april 12, 1976 by a group of students concerned with the lack of economical, healthy food on campus. today we continue as a not-for-profit student run business at the university of massachusetts, amherst. our mission is to provide high quality vegetarian food at an inexpensive price to the umass community. co-managers of earthfoods will take part in running an ecologically, economically and socially conscious business based on the principles of cooperative management. the success of earthfoods today is due to its collective structure and the enthusiastic students who take hold of the business’ reigns. twenty years ago earthfoods was serving less than fifty people per day in the suffolk room and had only a few members. now twenty-three co-managers serve about two hundred people per day. our cafe is a prime example of not only how student-run businesses can succeed, but also of how collectively managed businesses can grow and prosper.