Duck Soup Coup (DeKalb)

Founded in 1974 by the restaurant staff of Juicy John Pink’s, Duck Soup Coup was a consumer cooperative, member operated whole foods outlet store that sold natural, organic, and specialty foods and other everyday items. Once a members-only organization, its members voted to open up to the public in 1990. By 1986, Duck Soup Coup grew to be the largest food co-op in the state of Illinois. Duck Soup Coup, who prided itself on being a mom-and-pop operation, modeled its business structure on a reformed version of the guidelines of the 1844 Rochdale Plan established by the Rochdale Weavers’ Guild in England, which was recognized as the first co-op organization. These principles advocate for a cooperative business that is democratically managed by its working and voluntary members, makes products available in bulk, provides member benefits and discounts, limits store operation expenses to the bare minimum in order to afford additional goods and services to members and customers, and supports continuing education and the overall cooperative movement. Duck Soup Coup was located at 129 E. Hillcrest Drive for 40 years until the members of the store voted for its closure in the spring of 2015. The Co-op closed due to major fiscal losses occurred in the previous year that led to outstanding debt and the inability to pay for approved loans.

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