Nearly 19 million Americans live in what the USDA defines as food deserts — communities with limited access to full-service grocery stores. In Imperial Beach, that reality hit hard when the last grocery store closed in 2016.

Most communities wait for a corporation to step in. This one didn’t.

In this powerful Season 2 premiere, David Alvarez talks with Kim Rivero Frink about how a group of determined neighbors — many of them moms — launched Suncoast Market Co-op, a $3.6 million community-owned grocery store.

Over ten years, they recruited more than 1,300 member-owners, secured city and county funding, attracted philanthropy, and raised millions — all in a working-class coastal community that big chains had written off.

The result? A hybrid grocery store offering fresh produce, organic options, value-priced staples, a hot food bar, and locally sourced products — owned by the very people it serves.

This episode isn’t just about groceries. It’s about cooperative economics, community ownership, and the long game of organizing. It’s proof that when people come together — and refuse to give up — they can build what the market said wasn’t possible.

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