Guillermo Martin, president of the Cooperative La Surena, led Hy-Vee store director Dan Goshorn and produce manager Bob Weisert through the rows of the one-acre piece of land Saturday, showing off the peppers, tomatoes, melons and a host of other produce being grown.

As they walked they talked about what produce is thriving, how much can be expected and how it will get to the store.

“We can get the product,” Weisert said. “I’m also looking for a reason to get out of the store.”

While joking, Weisert’s comments indicate how much both Hy-Vee and Cooperative La Surena value the still new partnership.

The cooperative, in just it’s second year, has seen a bounty of success not only on the plot of land and the crops they are growing, but the partnerships they are growing.

“No matter if it’s this or other local relationships, this is what we do,” Goshorn said. “Getting in on the ground floor of such a neat venture, it’s a neat thing to be a part of.”

The partnerships, however, have gone beyond simple land to store arrangements. The co-op allows an opening of doors so the public can see directly where their food comes from.

“It’s great,” said Julieta Cervantes, Martin’s step-daughter and secretary for La Surena. “[People] go to the store and buy food but don’t really have a connection with who grows it. It’s really good to have that connection in this community.”

And the quality of produce goes a long ways to assuring Austin and the area is getting the best for their kitchens.

“Everything is organic,” Martin said. “People are eating healthier and we want that same thing for the community.”

Saturday, the cooperative held an open house just off of Woodson Kindergarten. The land the cooperative is set up on is owned but the school district by managed by Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

Though still new, Martin is happy with how far the project has come.

“It’s going pretty good,” he said. “Sales are going up and pretty much every week we’re getting new orders from St. Paul and Hy-Vee.”

The cooperative gets a boost from the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) which has been a driving force in setting up co-ops like La Surena, which goes a long ways toward creating economic opportunities for Latinos.

“Farm workers can be farm owners,” said John Flurry, a member of the LEDC.

Things are going so well in fact that Martin is hoping to expand the co-op even more.

Saturday he said that the group was looking for a larger plot of land to either rent or purchase.

“At the end we’re hoping to grow a little more than five acres,” Martin said.

The strides La Surena has made go beyond the partnership. The entire setup has seen a major step forward in how they operate and harvest. It’s a much better situation in terms of efficiency.

“It’s much better than last year,” Martin said. “We were able to get a tractor this year where last year everything was done by hand.”

Those connections became even stronger this year. From the beginning La Surena and Hy-Vee have worked closely with each other to better get product to the store.

Hy-Vee managers have always communicated with La Surena on what their specific needs were and what would sell better.

“We’ve had several meetings before planting of what we would like to see them grow,” Weisert said. “We have them grow what we don’t already have.”

And much like Hy-Vee’s sweet corn supply which comes from Brownsdale’s Honey Tree Farm, the idea that Hy-Vee staff knows where the food is coming from adds a stability.

“It gives you confidence in the product and that’s 100 percent of it,” Weisert said.

The pluses of La Surena keep growing and getting stronger, but local business expert George Brophy puts the advantages even more simply.

“It’s really indicative of another new business in Austin that has grown into something sustainable and capable of continued growth,” he said.