Fruita Consumers Cooperative Scholarship

The Fruita Consumers Cooperative Scholarship was established by the Fruita Coop. The Fruita Coop began March 1, 1937 as a grocery store located on the south east side of Circle Park in the town of Fruita, Colorado. In the late 1940’s the Coop went into the hardware business where the Fruita Fitness Center is now located. T In the early 1950’s Fruita Coop went into the bagged fertilizer business and began bagging fertilizer in the back of the hardware store. In early 1960 they held out enough money from a daily deposit to buy a used pickup for the outside sales person.In 1972 The Coop purchased the property where the Fruita store is now located and because of pressure from the Town of Fruita immediately moved the bulk fuel to this location. The hardware store and offices were then built at this location. In 1974 a second branch location was opened in Nucla, Colorado when they bought out an existing hardware operation. In 1982 the Coop installed Cardtrol and Keytrol pumps in both the Fruita and Nucla locations. In 1984 the Plateau City operation was sold. In 1987 the third branch was opened in Silt. In 1991 the fourth branch was opened in Palisade, Colorado with the purchase of the United Fruit Growers Association. This was both a fruit packing facility and an agriculture supply store selling supply items to the fruit growers. In 1995 the Fruita Coop made a million dollar expansion to the Ace Hardware store in Fruita and added an Ampride Convenience store.In 1999 Fruita Coop purchased the Ace Hardware store in Palisade and moved the hardware items from the packing sheds to this location. In 2000 the Thunder Mountain Bean facility was purchased to bag pinto beans. In 2002 they closed the packing shed in Palisade and discontinued the lease on the Farmland Feed Mill in Fruita.