VIROQUA, Wis. — Jan Rasikas, the general manager who helped transform the Viroqua Food Co-op from a tiny, 700-square-foot storefront into a $12.2 million community anchor and a national model for rural cooperative success, has announced she will retire in October 2026.
Rasikas is stepping down after a 27-year tenure with the community-owned grocery store.
“This was not an easy decision! Being part of this co-op, growing it alongside staff, the Board, and all of you, has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” Rasikas said in her announcement to owner-members.
The co-op’s humble beginnings trace back to the fall of 1995, when a small group of residents opened a retail shop in a former egg store behind Nelson’s Agri Center. Rasikas joined the staff one year later in 1996, eventually taking over as general manager in 1999. Under her leadership, the cooperative experienced immense growth, prompting a move to a 4,400-square-foot facility on Main Street in 2005.
To finance the 2005 Main Street expansion, the co-op pioneered an innovative financing tool for rural grocery stores by creating a dividend-paying Class C stock. The board utilized the WI State Statutes for Cooperatives, which allows co-ops to sell preferred shares and authorized $900,000 in this new class of stock. The first series offered a fixed 5.5 percent rate of return, but crucially, the co-op did not have to return the equity until an investor requested it, giving the board vital financial flexibility. This class of stock has remained an important investment vehicle for the co-op.
By 2018, the co-op completed another $7 million expansion project that doubled its retail space and modernized its operations.
Rasikas is widely credited with professionalizing the small-town operation and introducing industry innovations. The co-op was one of the first businesses to secure New Market Tax Credit financing from a local bank to help fund the 2018 expansion. At the same time, another round of preferred shares was offered to member-owners to help fund a 132-panel solar photovoltaic array for the building. An advocate of co-op’s nationwide, Rasikas served on the National Co-op Grocers (NCG) Board from 2015 to 2024.
Thirty years from its start, the Viroqua Food Co-op stands as the only independent grocery store in town, boasting more than 5,150 owners and reporting over $12.2 million in total sales in FY 2025. A University of Minnesota Extension study estimated that, at its fully expanded capacity, the co-op generates $20.3 million in economic activity for Vernon County annually.
The co-op’s evolution has been widely acknowledged within the industry, serving as a prominent example to new co-op start-ups across the country. The USDA featured the Viroqua Food Co-op in a national research report as a prime case study of the “start small and grow” approach for successful rural grocery cooperatives. Rasikas herself has become a recognized industry leader, mentoring dozens of startup organizers and presenting her insights at national events, such as the 2026 Food Co-op Initiative Live conference.
As Rasikas prepares for her autumn departure, the Viroqua Food Co-op’s Board of Directors has initiated a thoughtful and thorough process to find her replacement. The board is utilizing experienced guidance to ensure the next general manager maintains the co-op’s long-term health and commitment to its cooperative principles.
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