Building a Scalable Coop Management Platform for New Mexico Grocers Association

Coop members (grocery store owners) often faced challenges with tracking orders and commitments across multiple distributors, managing inventory and historical data manually through spreadsheets, and receiving delayed or inconsistent updates about deals and deadlines. Distributors struggled with organizing bulk orders from multiple members, generating accurate invoices and tracking payments, and communicating deal announcements efficiently. Admins lacked a centralized system to oversee users, reports, inventory, and communication, integration with modern tools like Google Sheets or Twilio, and automation to reduce repetitive tasks like order confirmation and data syncing.

We designed and developed a three-tiered web application using modern technologies including React.js, Node.js, MongoDB, and integrations like Google Sheets, Twilio, and Stripe.

The platform features three distinct dashboards: 1) A Coop Member Dashboard for grocery store owners to manage product commitments and track order history, with features like dashboard overview, commitment forms, reports, notifications, team access, and Google Sheets integration; 2) A Distributor Dashboard for food and grocery distributors to manage inventory and process commitments, with features like inventory management, real-time commitment tracking, invoicing tools, bulk messaging, and sales analytics; and 3) An Admin Dashboard for platform administrators to control users, settings, data monitoring, and automations, with features like role-based access, inventory & pricing controls, system-wide reporting, integration management, and automated workflows.

Each dashboard was tailored to the specific needs of its user type, with intuitive interfaces and streamlined workflows to maximize efficiency and reduce manual work.

The platform has shown significant potential with measurable improvements in efficiency and accuracy. The system reduced manual order coordination time by over 60%, enabling grocery store owners to focus more on customer service and sales. Distributors were able to process 3x more commitments per week thanks to the streamlined workflows and automated processes.

The Google Sheets integration dramatically reduced data entry errors and time spent on reporting, while the Twilio integration improved communication efficiency with automated notifications for critical events. The platform's analytics capabilities provided valuable insights into purchasing patterns and inventory management, helping both grocery store owners and distributors optimize their operations.

User adoption exceeded expectations, with 95% of coop members actively using the platform within the first month of launch. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with users highlighting the intuitive interface and time-saving features as major benefits.