Brooklyn Sandwich Co-op Uses Sliding-Scale Pricing, Worker Ownership
The Story
Sea & Soil Co-op, a worker-owned sandwich shop in Brooklyn, reopened in April 2026 in a new Downtown Brooklyn location with a mission to serve affordable food while fairly compensating its team. The cooperative operates with a sliding-scale pricing model and a non-extractive loan from The Working World, which also became its landlord. Co-founder Noah Wolf explained that the shop started during the pandemic selling $5 sandwiches in Prospect Park before moving to a small space in Carroll Gardens in July 2023. After outgrowing that location, the co-op closed in April 2025 and spent a year building out the new space. Wolf stated the average price customers currently pay for a sandwich is about $16.40, which is the target average the business hopes to maintain.
Key Facts
- Sea & Soil Co-op is a worker-owned cooperative with three worker-owners: Noah Wolf, Gaby Gignoux-Wolfsohn, and Nilda Ortiz.
- The shop initially sold $5 sandwiches in Prospect Park during the pandemic and later moved to a Carroll Gardens/Red Hook space in July 2023 that rented for under $3,000 a month.
- It closed the Carroll Gardens shop in April 2025 and reopened in Downtown Brooklyn in April 2026.
- The cooperative received a “non-extractive loan” from The Working World, which requires repayment only after the business becomes profitable. The loan was arranged after a project manager from The Working World visited the shop.
- The Working World also became the landlord, as it bought a building on Atlantic Avenue where the new shop is located on the first floor.
- Sea & Soil uses a sliding-scale pricing model; customers can circle how much they want to pay on order cards.
- As of the interview, the average price paid per sandwich is about $16.40, which meets the business’s target average.
- Wolf noted that the business is still “barely breaking even, if that” after the successful launch.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Noah Wolf, worker-owner at Sea & Soil Co-op
- Gaby Gignoux-Wolfsohn, co-founder and worker-owner
- Nilda Ortiz, worker-owner
- The Working World (organization, no specific individual named beyond a project manager)
Sources: eater.com
