Nearly 90% of Seward Co-op owners who participated in the 2025 Board of Directors election voted to increase the price of ownership from $75 to $99 for all current and future owners. This change helps ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the cooperative, along with sustaining the local food systems, staff wages, and small-scale businesses we support in the process.

When you become an owner of Seward Co-op, you purchase Class A stock in increments of $3. On Jan. 1, 2026, the stock requirement changed from $75 (twenty-five shares) to $99 (thirty-three shares) for all current and future ownerships. The difference is $24.

Yes. The new ownership requirement—an additional $24 (eight shares)—applies to all owner accounts. 

How you originally paid for your ownership (paid-in-full, installment, or needs-based) affects how you make your additional ownership payment.

If your ownership was fully paid before Jan. 1, 2026, we encourage you to pay the additional $24 on the online owner portal, in-store at checkout, or at a customer service kiosk.

If you are currently paying for your ownership in three installments, we encourage you to pay the additional $24 on the online owner portal, in-store at checkout, or at a customer service kiosk after your three initial installment payments have been made.   

If you have a needs-based ownership, no action is needed, though you always have the option to pay for the remainder of your ownership at checkout or at a customer service kiosk. Future patronage refunds will be applied to your owner account balance until the full $99 equity requirement is reached. 

Questions about the Owner Portal? Check out our Ownership & Owner Portal FAQ.

You can find the link to make this payment by navigating to www.seward.coop and clicking “Owner Login” at the top right of the page (or in the drop-down menu if you are on a mobile device).

If you have not yet paid your remaining balance, you will see a reminder link that says “Click here to make additional owner payment” on your account information page after logging in.

If you do not see this reminder, your remaining owner payment has likely already been paid. If you do not see the reminder and are confident you have not made your payment, please fill out a customer comment via the Contact Us form on our website.

No. All owners will retain their owner benefits.

If a patronage refund* is declared, all previously paid-in-full ownership accounts that have not paid the additional $24 prior to July 1 will have future patronage refunds applied to their ownership. Unpaid balances would be covered by these future patronage refunds as Class A shares in increments of $3 up to $24. Any patronage refund that exceeds the requirement will be distributed as normal. Remaining unpaid balances can still be paid after July 1 in-store at checkout or at a customer service kiosk.

*The co-op’s fiscal year ends on June 30. In profitable years, the board of directors may declare a patronage refund. Patronage refunds are distributed to owners proportionate to their shopping during the year.