Goodness Gracious Grocery Cooperative

10/12/2026

The supermarket stole our culture in the name of convenience.

Across African cultures, people have made red drinks with hibiscus for generations. They’re called bissap, zobo, sobolo, wonjo, karkadé and other names, depending on where you are. The recipes change from place to place, too: ginger, cloves, pineapple, and whatever else belongs in that family’s pot.

And here in the United States, Black people carried the memory of red drink with us. When hibiscus was harder to grow, people made red drinks with berries and other ingredients they could find. Then came the packets, the bottles, the powdered mixes. Kool-Aid became the easy thing to reach for, and a lot of what we already knew how to make was stolen and sold back to us for twice the price.

But the knowledge is still here. This hibiscus is a reminder.

We’re taking the store back: the food, the flavor, the knowledge, the choice…all of it.

📸:  hibiscus dried on Sunday, October 12, 2026. It will be available in time for the holidays at the December 5th community market.

🌺: @Walker Legacy Farm

10/12/2026

Food is never just food. It carries the history of the people who grew it, prepared it, sold it, and built their lives around it.

Whitney Plantation brings that history into focus. Enslaved people were forced to do the agricultural and kitchen labor that created enormous wealth for others. Their knowledge shaped Southern food and farming, while land, profit, and power stayed in other hands.

Question set the tone for our work: Who does the work? Who owns the land and the businesses? Who gets to make decision and who shares in the value?

That’s why we believe in community ownership. We’re working toward a food system where local farmers and neighbors have a real say in how food moves through our community, and where more of the value stays with the people who make that system possible.

We carry this history with us as we work to build a better system for our communities in Georgia and South Carolina. 

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

Next year we will have a table!!!

We had such a good time at the South Carolina Black Farmers Conference! It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and share a little of what Goodness Gracious Grocery is doing to support local farms. We left inspired by all the great work happening across the region. 🌱

10/05/2026

♥️

10/05/2026

At the South Carolina Black Farmers Conference, Dr. Jermain Johnson noted that South Carolina produces only 11 percent of the food we consume. He also described legislation he introduced that would require the state to produce or manufacture at least 25 percent of its critical resources locally by 2036.

Imagine what that commitment could mean for South Carolina’s farmers and small businesses: more local purchasing, increased production, stronger regional supply chains, and money circulating through our communities instead of leaving them immediately.

At Goodness Gracious Grocery, we believe fresh, nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a human right, and that the people who grow our food deserve policies that invest in their land, labor, knowledge, and businesses.

Policy does not move without people. Check your registration. Make a voting plan. Talk with your family, neighbors, congregations, and community. Early voting begins October 19.

Source: Speech by Dr. Jermain Johnson, South Carolina Black Farmers Conference, October 2, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

01/21/2026

We’ve been quiet but busy…

The struggle to stay consistent on social media is real, but thank you for continuing to follow ❤️