South Bend is about to have a new supply of locally grown food available downtown.

The Purple Porch Co-Op plans to open a new location on Hill Street. This morning, the co-op gave a sneak preview of what is to come from their local, sustainably-produced food organization.

Currently, Purple Porch is only open on Wednesday nights, but board members plan to eventually grow into an organic grocery store and café for the downtown community.

The co-op is driven by volunteer efforts, but does ask for membership donations of $200. Their goal is to increase their total membership to 300 by the end of this year.

Tama Crisovan, President of Purple Porch Co-Op says, “with all the new renovations that’s going on here on the East Bank, and the wonderful businesses that are already here, we just saw this as the perfect partnership for our food co-op to be right downtown in the heart of things.”

Their aim is to become a vibrant part of downtown South Bend. They have already reached half of a million dollars in sales since first opening a few years ago. The Hill Street location is set to open by next summer.