The King Harvest Food Cooperative was a consumer cooperative located in Springfield, Illinois and founded in 1972. Members paid a membership fee and were expected to work a certain number of hours to help support the co-op. King Harvest was managed by a nine member board elected by the co-op’s members, and board members served on the board of directors for two years as well as serving on one of the standing committees. Committees included Management, Finance, Personnel, and Nutrition and Education.

King Harvest was initially located in the basement of members Larry Sombke and Mike Egan. As it expanded, its headquarters were moved to the basement of Steve Hull’s home on West Governor, and later to Ann Hale’s basement on West Illinois. King Harvest’s first public venue was a large garage at the Grace Methodist Church on South 15th Street. Subsequent locations included a fish market at 17th and Carpenter, a basement on East Reynolds, and the basement of the since demolished building at 7th and Capitol. In 1977, the co-op moved to 12th Street and South Grand, where it shared space for a time with the Spoon River Book Cooperative and the Black Thumb Printing Cooperative.

Until acquiring the downtown location at 405 South 7th Street, King Harvest operated primarily as a buying club, ordering and picking up food one day a week. Fertilized eggs, raw milk, Amish cheese, honey, day-old Roman Meal bread, and produce were among the early products available. As the cooperative grew it evolved into a storefront operation, open on a daily basis and stocking a wide variety of items. It joined the Greater Illinois People’s Cooperative of Chicago, a warehouse for products supplied to cooperatives throughout the midwest, and later Corn Country of Champaign.

In 1978, King Harvest joined the newly formed Flatland Federation of Cooperative and Community Organizations. The Federation was dedicated to promoting and expanding Springfield’s cooperative ventures through communication, coordination, and the publication of a newsletter, The Cornland Infrequenter. Other members in the Federation included the Full Circle Resource Exchange, Black Thumb Printing Cooperative, and Cookie Monster Day Care Center.