“There’s no crying in baseball!”

Tom Hanks barked it from the dugout in A League of Their Own, red-faced and fed up. But what happens when the school shuts down, the field goes quiet, and the concession stand becomes a ghost of itself? In Yountville—a little town in Napa Valley with big wine labels and disappearing community spaces—something unexpected took the field.  A farm-fresh sandwich shop with dirt under its nails and its heart in the right place. The Coop– a new chapter in Yountville’s agricultural story in Napa.

In a valley now paved with luxury tastings and glass castles, The Coop is a working-class counterpoint—a return to Napa’s simple beginnings. Built by Lindsay Hoopes—a vintner, regenerative farmer, and Yountville native who once sold vegetables from a bus stop—it’s more than a sandwich shop. It’s a small, loud declaration about who wine country is really for.

“When I was young, I sold vegetables at the corner of Hwy 29 from a bus station instead of a lemonade stand,” Hoopes recalls. “Maybe this was always meant to be.”

Today, The Coop stands on the old Yountville Elementary grounds, a spot reclaimed for locals after the school’s closure. That same year, Hoopes’ son became the last baby born at St. Helena Hospital before its maternity ward shut down. For her, it wasn’t just personal—it was a warning.

“A lot of locals feel displaced by tourist traffic and rising costs,” she says. “It’s not just about food. It’s about belonging.”

What began as a scrappy farmstand is now a permanent fixture. The Coop offers produce from Hoopes’ regenerative farm, The Oasis, and from the community garden maintained by Napa gardening legend Peter Jacobsen. Whatever doesn’t sell gets reborn—into soups, sauces, snacks. And what can’t be saved goes to the animals, or the compost pile.

“The carrot greens turn into pesto, and bruised fruit goes to the animal sanctuary,” she says. “At worst, it’s composted.”

The menu shifts weekly depending on what’s ripe and ready. Hoopes and her chef work like gardeners in the kitchen—cooking what they grow, growing what they love. One week it’s a vegetarian patty made from fava beans or turnips. The next– it’s a fried chicken sandwich infused with curry and crunchy Indian slaw.

“We like to tell our story through food,” Hoopes says. “My husband is a big snacker, and loves bhel puri—a Mumbai street food. We use our produce to replicate that.”

Everything here is built with accessibility in mind. The soups are rooted in her mother-in-law’s vegetarian recipes. Industry workers and locals get deep discounts. And the vibe? Think little league concession stand, reinvented by a farmer with a mission.

Wine may be king in Napa, but here it’s riding shotgun. The spotlight stays on the land—what it grows, and who it feeds. Future events will stretch the format with pop-up chefs, bolder flavors, and cultural twists.

“We want to push boundaries and just have fun,” she says. “In July, a chef is pairing southern food with wine. In August, Kathy Fang will do a tasting menu from her cookbook.”

Even the look of the place pushes back against the polished sameness of wine country. The original schoolhouse green was punched up with mismatched yellows and leafy tones. “I don’t see myself in the wine business. I see myself as a farmer who makes products from our crops,” she says. “Luxury can be found in small things.”

But more than anything, The Coop is about connection. In a region built on exclusivity, this is a place that feeds people in the most literal, loving way.

“If you want to show someone you care, you feed them,” Hoopes says. “It’s the truest form of love.”

In a town where the price of a tasting flight can rival your phone bill, The Coop offers something else.  A sandwich. A story. And a place that finally feels like home—no wristbands, no reservations, just food, family, and a spot of rosé. 

The wines featured in the Wine Recommendations section were provided by the winery for the purpose of review. The selection and tasting of these wines were independently conducted. No compensation or incentives were provided for inclusion in the story. As always, the top priority is to provide readers with informative reporting.

Wine Recommendations

2022 Hoopes Rosé, Napa Valley- reveals a vibrant bouquet of wild strawberries, and citrus zest, underpinned by subtle minerality. On the palate, it is bright and refreshing, with crisp acidity, red berry flavors, and a dry, mouthwatering finish

2021 Hoopes Chardonnay, Napa Valley- on the nose, ripe orchard fruits, creamy lees, and subtle toasted oak. On the palate, it delivers concentrated flavors of apple, pear, and citrus zest, balanced by a lively acidity and a creamy, textured mouthfeel.