Wealth Our Way Grantee CrossTreats
December 11, 2025
CrossTreats will rehabilitate a 12,500 square foot building in Avalon Park, converting the building into the manufacturing headquarters for their worker cooperative. Wealth Our Way funding will be used to complete the buildout of a commercial kitchen, food storage, dedicated manufacturing and packaging areas, and office and meeting rooms for cooperative operations and workforce development. The renovation will also create an event and tasting space where CrossTreats can host product tastings, community meetings, and partner events. These upgrades will allow CrossTreats to scale its signature Mo’Mo Bites line and expand into new products while creating local jobs and revitalizing a long-vacant property.
CrossTreats was founded to address the community’s need for healthier, allergen-conscious snacks and equitable employment opportunities—particularly for individuals facing barriers to work and ownership due to involvement with the justice system. The team is currently made up of four worker-owners, and every worker is eligible to become an owner after one year. The cooperative structure guarantees that control remains fully in the hands of CrossTreats’ worker-members, keeping wealth local and circulating within the communities they serve.
The cooperative has engaged Avalon Park residents through door-to-door outreach, an open house, participation in local association events, and meetings with community institutions. Ongoing engagement—including future open houses and meetings with local Aldermen—ensures residents have a voice in shaping the space, the programming, and the growth of the cooperative.
Interview with CrossTreats
What does community wealth building mean to you?
Community wealth building to us means reconstructing the community with programs and resources centers that help people in need. We want to secure safer neighborhoods by connecting children to youth centers and connecting returning citizens to job opportunities.
Which aspect of this project are you most excited about?
We were excited to get out of the shared kitchen and into our own space. With our own kitchen, CrossTreats will be able to expand our reach in terms of Mo/Mo Bites made, folks fed as well as community members employed.
Why is the shared ownership model so important?
It allows us to break down barriers of employment and turn jobs into pathways of ownership and stability. We want to show people that there can be positive change from people that look like them in our community hub.
What impact do you hope this initiative will have on Avalon Park and beyond?
We know that the ability to hire local residents will be a major benefit to our community. By repurposing the vacant buildings for food production and cooperative enterprise, we are going to transform underutilized spaces into community assets that generate local economic activity.