Full-Time
Cheese Specialist
Posted on 8/18/2026
PCC Community Markets
501-1,000 employees
Community-owned organic grocery cooperative
Compensation Overview
$31.15/hr
Bellevue, WA, USA
In Person
 Retail (1) |
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- At least 3 years of experience working with cheese is required.
- Familiarity with cheese varieties is required.
- The candidate must be available to work a variety of shifts, including weekends.
- The candidate must have excellent communication, organizational, and multitasking skills.
- The candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
- The candidate must meet physical demands including standing, bending, twisting, repetitive motion, and regularly lifting 10 to 40 pounds.
- The candidate must have a current Food Worker Card from the Washington State Department of Health.
- The candidate must be at least 18 years of age.
- Provide excellent, professional customer service.
- Prepare, package, and merchandise cheese products.
- Fulfill designated ordering responsibilities.
- Train and mentor the Cheese Back Up and other staff on cheese products.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cheese varieties and families, specialty foods, and deli prepared foods.
- Follow department cheese wrapping and handling procedures.
- Ensure department sanitation, cleanliness, and safety standards are met.
- Follow department safe food handling procedures.
- Follow department merchandising standards and procedures.
- Provide deli counter service when needed.
- Familiarity with specialty and prepared foods is preferred.
PCC Community Markets is a community-owned organic grocery retailer with 16 stores in the Puget Sound area. It offers organic and locally sourced foods through a member-owned cooperative model where shoppers can become members and participate in governance. It differs from many competitors by being owned by its members and focusing on community benefit, local sourcing, and organic certification rather than pure profit. Its goal is to nourish the communities it serves and cultivate thriving local organic food systems.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
Founded
N/A
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- 2025 net sales reached $487.8 million, and operating income rose to $2.8 million.
- Membership grew nearly 5,000 in 2025, reaching about 123,000 member-owners.
- Madison Valley opens this fall, adding a 17th store and fresh Seattle growth.
What critics are saying
- Krishnan Srinivasan exits January 29, 2027, risking momentum during the leadership handoff.
- PCC still refuses member dividends and cuts classes, signaling brittle economics under pressure.
- If Madison Valley underperforms like downtown 2024, PCC risks another unprofitable expansion spiral.
What makes PCC Community Markets unique
- Seattle-rooted cooperative with 123,000 member-owners and 16 neighborhood stores.
- Huge organic and local sourcing footprint: $212 million certified organic, $178 million local sales in 2025.
- Unionized model and sustainability focus differentiate PCC from conventional grocers and chains.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Commuter Benefits
Flexible Spending Account
Bereavement Leave
Parental Leave
Employee Discounts
Vacat ion Accrual
Company News
PCC Community Markets CEO to step down after leading turnaround. Aug. 19, 2026 at 6:20 pm Seattle Times business reporter Krishnan Srinivasan, the former tech exec who helped steer PCC Community Markets out of financial turmoil, will step down as CEO early next year, the Seattle-based grocery co-op said Wednesday. "This decision comes after a lot of personal reflection and thought," said Srinivasan, 58, in a statement Wednesday. "I am making this decision now because our co-op is very well positioned for its next chapter, and I am personally ready to pass the reins on." The co-op, which operates 16 locations in and around Seattle, said Srinivasan will work through Jan. 29. Hired in 2018 as PCC's chief financial officer, Srinivasan brought years of experience in corporate operations from stints with Remitly, Lyft, Amazon and Microsoft, and has also been a PCC member since the 1990s. Srinivasan took over an organization that was losing money as it struggled with inflation, changing consumer habits, and heavy operating costs from a decadelong expansion that arguably resulted in too many new stores. That included a massive downtown location that opened in 2022 to a half-empty downtown. Advertising Under Srinivasan, PCC began a long, slow turnaround. It negotiated a two-year contract with its 1,500 unionized staff, avoiding a costly strike. It trimmed expenses. The money-losing downtown store was closed in 2024 and replaced with a smaller-format store in 2025. It canceled its cooking classes, moved its headquarters from an office overlooking Elliott Bay to space next to its pared-down downtown store and hasn't paid a member dividend for several years. "There are some hard choices we have had to make on this ongoing journey," Srinivasan said in a letter to members that accompanied PCC's annual report in July. The turnaround has shown some success. Between 2021 and 2025, sales grew around 22%, to $488 million, while membership rose 21%, to around 123,000. Sales at the new downtown store in 2025 beat initial projections by 21%, the co-op said, and a 17th location, in Madison Valley, opens this fall. In 2025, the co-op reported income of $2.8 million, almost six times what it posted in 2024. Advertising Srinivasan was "exactly the CEO that PCC Community Markets needed," Joe Rogoff, PCC board chair, said in Wednesday's statement. "He stabilized our financial foundation, re-engaged members, and made the difficult decisions necessary for the future of the co-op." Some employees felt Srinivasan's base salary, which was $530,400 in 2025, is too high for a member-owned co-op. PCC has defended that salary, saying it is lower than what was paid to his most recent predecessors and less than what CEOs at comparable companies make. In its statement Wednesday, PCC emphasized that Srinivasan's stepping down was "part of a thoughtfully planned leadership transition," and noted that he would help in the search for his replacement. "We hope PCC's board chooses a CEO who will continue to bargain industry-leading contracts that allow workers to deliver the level of service co-op members deserve and have come to expect," said Rich Smith, spokesperson for United Food & Commercial Workers International Union 3000, which represents around 1,500 hourly workers at PCC. No word yet on Srinivasan's post-PCC plans. He said Wednesday that the co-op "would be my last full-time role" and that he was ready "to spend more time with family and loved ones in my own life's next chapter." Paul Roberts: [email protected]. Paul Roberts covers business and economics for The Seattle Times. See more Seattle Times content on Google
PCC Community Markets to open new Seattle store despite financial issues. July 31, 2026 at 4:06 pm Seattle Times business reporter Seattle-based PCC Community Markets reported an increase in profits and members last year, and is on track to open a new Seattle location this fall, the co-op said Friday. It's the latest sign of a slow but steady recovery by the 73-year-old grocery co-op after the disruptions of the pandemic and an overly ambitious growth strategy. But PCC also said it would again forgo a member dividend and make other cuts, including to its cooking classes, as it seeks a sustainable business model in an industry upended by inflation and intense online competition. "There are some hard choices we have had to make on this ongoing journey," PCC CEO Krish Srinivasan said in a letter to members that accompanied Friday's report. The co-op, which has 16 locations in and around Seattle, reported income of $2.8 million. That's a major improvement from 2024, when it reported less than half a million dollars in profits, and from two years before, when the co-op posted its first losses since the 1990s. Sales in 2025 fell 8%, to $488 million, over 2024, while membership jumped 4%, to nearly 123,000. A new store, in Seattle's Madison Valley, is scheduled to open this fall. Advertising Despite the recovery in profit, PCC's board of trustees decided to forgo its annual member dividend - a program launched in 2020 - and invest that money in staff wages and benefits, Srinivasan said. Srinivasan said PCC's "limited resources required us to choose between investing in staff wages and benefits or issuing a patronage dividend to members (and), we made the deliberate decision to prioritize our staff." The co-op has also axed its culinary education program, which was founded in 1983 and offered kids camps, date night cooking classes and more. The program faced rising costs and falling enrollment. "As a result, it does not break even, and at the current scale of attendance, is not likely to ever do so," Srinivasan said. Advertising The co-op also struggled through a contract dispute in 2023 with its unionized staff before agreeing to a new two-year contract in early 2024 with the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, which represents around 1,500 hourly workers. A new contract was ratified in June, according to PCC. Srinivasan's statement drew a sharp response from UFCW 3000, especially around the decision to fund wages rather than a dividend. "PCC's decision to pit workers against co-op members in its financial report takes a page out of the same corporate playbook that got them into this financial mess in the first place," said UFCW 3000 Secretary-Treasurer Sean Embly in a statement Friday. The union argues that PCC's finances continue to be hurt by mistakes of previous co-op executives and a network of new stores that "expanded too quickly in too small of a market," Embly said. Paul Roberts: [email protected]. Paul Roberts covers business and economics for The Seattle Times.
PCC Community Markets to open new Seattle location after 10-year wait. Madison Valley store will finally make its debut this fall Similar to other locations, the new Madison Valley PCC store will offer locally grown organic produce. PCC Community Markets will open a new grocery co-op in Seattle's Madison Valley neighborhood this fall. Located at 2925 E. Madison Street, the store will be the retailer's 17th location in Washington state. "We signed this lease 10 years ago, and it's been a long road to get here as the project worked through the local process, with input from the neighborhood along the way. That makes it especially meaningful to finally open our doors and put down roots here," said Amy Chow, acting CEO of PCC Community Markets. "This neighborhood has such a strong sense of community, and we look forward to being a part of people's everyday routines." The new community-owned co-op store will offer locally grown organic produce, ethically raised meat and seafood, and a wide selection of seasonal products sourced from across the Pacific Northwest. It will also feature everyday value through PCC branded products, Field Day products and a bulk section curated to provide staples at accessible prices. For time-saving options, the store's deli will include freshly prepared meals, seasonal salads, artisanal sandwiches, hot soups, and grab-and-go options crafted daily. All offerings at the Madison Valley store will uphold PCC's quality standards spanning sustainable agriculture, fair labor, animal welfare and more. The store is expected to employ approximately 75 staff members. "I'm so excited to welcome PCC Community Markets' newest neighborhood store to Madison Valley," said Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth. "As a multi-generational Seattleite, I'm proud to support a local, homegrown business that reflects the values of our community. As a farmer who runs a family-owned farm, I deeply appreciate PCC's commitment to supporting local agriculture. And as a city official, I recognize PCC not only as a valued employer and economic driver, but as a true community partner, leading on issues from hunger relief advocacy to environmental sustainability." Construction is currently underway, with the new store on track to open this fall. Additional details will be revealed in the coming months. Last year, PCC reported it made a "modest profit," with net sales rising 3.1% year over year to hit $449.9 million. Transactions and units were also up, by a 6% rate, while membership grew to 117,000 people. "Looking ahead into 2026, I feel optimism for what we can achieve together. The coming year is rich with opportunities to nurture our local organic food system, deepen our connections with the farmers and partners who sustain it, and celebrate our bountiful region," wrote CEO and President Krishnan Srinivasanin, who is currently on leave, in his latest quarterly update to PCC member-owners. He continued: "At the same time, we remain on a multi-year journey toward sustained triple bottom-line health, in an economic environment that still offers more questions than answers. This is a journey that will require focus, patience and collective effort, and will not always be easy - and we are committed to transparency in what we do and why." Founded in Seattle in 1953, the cooperative grocer operates 16 stores in the Pacific Northwest. PCC was named one of Progressive Grocer's Outstanding Independents for 2025.
Fall opening for PCC in Madison Valley. Photo via Studio Meng Strazzara [enlarge] Work is nearly finished at the Arbory, where PCC will open on the ground floor this fall. PCC Community Markets' newest store, in Madison Valley, will open this fall, the local food cooperative announced yesterday.
Design deep dive: PCC Community Markets' hybrid small-format store and corporate office. Renovation project at Seattle's Rainier Tower undertaken by Cushing Terrell Cushing Terrell's creation of PCC's small-format Corner Market in downtown Seattle included the construction of new partition walls and soffits, the installation of equipment and fixtures, refreshed signage, custom millwork, and high-quality finishes. PCC Community Markets tapped multidisciplinary design firm Cushing Terrell to repurpose its existing store space at Seattle's Rainier Tower as both a PCC Corner Market - the co-op grocer's small-format store concept - and a commercial office space for its employees. As previously reported by Progressive Grocer, the Corner Market opened this past July. The work encompassed comprehensive tenant improvements to create a unique shopping experience tailored to the needs of residents and workers in downtown Seattle. Interior renovations included the construction of new partition walls and soffits, the installation of equipment and fixtures, refreshed signage, custom millwork, and high-quality finishes. As well as the store space, Cushing Terrell created a workplace and employee break room alongside the Corner Market as part of the 5,000-square-foot project. Formerly housed at the north end of downtown, PCC corporate employees are now located next door to the Corner Market, with the office space and employee break room filling space that once was part of the larger store. That location closed in early 2024 after only two years, following business challenges that caused it to be "unprofitable," in the words of CEO Krish Srinivasan. The current store takes up about a third of the space originally occupied by PCC's original downtown store. As well as the store space, Cushing Terrell created a corporate workplace alongside the PCC Corner Market. The Corner Market format was developed using insights from PCC's earlier downtown store, focusing on prepared foods and better-for-you snacks for time-pressed urban customers. The new, smaller store provides convenient options for every day part, including fresh sushi, deli selections, snacks, ice cream, beer and wine. "This project was about more than just reconfiguring a space - it was about honoring PCC's deep roots in the community while creating a welcoming, efficient environment for everyone who walks through the door," explained Kara Eberle-Lott, architectural design lead for the project at Cushing Terrell, which has an office in Seattle. "By preserving key elements of the original store and thoughtfully integrating new features, we were able to support PCC's mission and foster a sense of connection that truly puts community at the core." PCC is well known for its adoption of sustainable building practices: Several of its stores have achieved LEED Gold and Platinum certifications, as well as Living Building Challenge Petal certifications. The Rainier Tower project advanced this legacy by making use of sustainable materials, energy-efficient equipment and low-impact refrigeration. Founded in Seattle in 1953, the cooperative grocer operates 16 stores in the Pacific Northwest. More Grocery business news. * PCC Community Markets CEO to Take Leave CFO Amy Chow will step in as acting CEO during Krishnan Srinivasan's planned leave * PCC Community Markets Transitions to Self-Service Deli Cases Department change among quarterly accomplishments highlighted by co-op's CEO * Coborn's Flagship 'Grocerant' Concept to Open in Minnesota Market & Table store will debut March 12 in Plymouth * How Hospitality-Inspired Design Boosts Grocery Loyalty Retailers are evolving into "third places" and competing on experience