Celebrate Co-op Month

author : Andrew McLeod topic : Olympia Food Coop

by Andrew McLeod

October is International Co-op Month, which is a great chance to support the movement to build a more just and democratic economy. You can do this in a variety of ways; by doing business with existing cooperatives, and by helping to start new ones.

Shop Co-op!

The simplest way to support co-ops is with your business. In Olympia, the food co-op is an obvious place to do this. But there are also other cooperative businesses in and around our community.

Co-ops take many forms, and many have a very different look, feel and philosophy than OFC. But they all share the principle of "one member, one vote." This democratic control contrasts with most businesses, which give more power to larger investors, or give total control to a single owner or small group of partners.

Local worker cooperatives include Last Word Books, Career Horizons and Beluga Software. TULIP Credit Union is one of dozens of financial cooperatives in the area. Olympia Supply is a member of True Value, which -- like ACE Hardware -- is a marketing cooperative through which independent businesses gain marketing clout and purchasing power. Some local residents raise their children with the help of organizations like the Lacey Parent Cooperative Preschool.

Elsewhere in our region, REI and Group Health are both cooperatives. Seattle has two food co-ops, Madison Market and the eight-store cooperative PCC Markets. They may not have the same feel as the food co-op in Olympia, but they are still governed by the same internationally recognized cooperative principles. And it is worth noting that one of these principles is cooperatives helping other cooperatives, which is something that all of these co-ops do.

Buying directly from cooperatives is only part of the picture. It is also important to consider who made the products that you buy.

What is Co-op made?

Most cooperatively-made products in the US are from agricultural cooperatives; which are made up of farmers joining forces to improve their economic situations. One such co-op is Organic Valley, which produces dairy products, citrus juice and meats. While the food co-op's members -- for example -- are all individuals, the members of agricultural co-ops are farms; these are each generally family-owned and have their own employees.

Members of agricultural co-ops benefit by entering into marketing agreements and sometimes even creating their own production facilities. This gives them a larger share of the final retail price, better leverage for bargaining, and other benefits. Their co-ops allow them to collectively create a brand that will give them distribution and name recognition not available to the individual producer. Agricultural cooperatives have been essential tools to help farmers stay in business and stay independent, and sustain rural economies in the face of corporate globalization.

Ironically, the natural food industry is now dominated by large companies (hiding behind many of the groovy brand names of the small companies they absorbed). And meanwhile, many of the brands that you may think of as "corporate" are actually made by cooperatives of farmers. These are usually not sold in natural food co-ops because they do not have an organic or natural line. But even if you shop somewhere besides the food co-op, you can still support the cooperative economy by purchasing these brands; they include such household names as Welch's, Tree Top and Darigold.

Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative that imports and markets Fair Trade coffee and chocolate. The members of this co-op are the employees at their US facilities. They also purchase from growers' cooperatives whenever possible and they strongly support the creation of new cooperatives among their suppliers.

There are also a number of cooperatively made products available at Traditions Fair Trade. The store is privately owned, but has been very supportive of artisan co-ops in the US and abroad. Most recently, they brought in a line of shoes and shirts that are manufactured by Cooperativa Unidos por el Calzado, a worker cooperative in Argentina.

The South Sound is home to other co-ops, as well: There are cooperatively-owned electrical utilities in the Ohop Valley and Kitsap Peninsula. Cenex gas stations are a part of an agricultural purchasing cooperative. And believe it or not, the owners of many fast food franchises are also members of cooperatives (a separate organization from the chain whose name they bear), through which they purchase supplies.

Room for More

Of course, just buying things is not always the most festive way of celebrating (in spite of what your television might tell you). Hopefully you can take this month as an opportunity to look at other ways that we can support our community through new cooperatives. This can take a bit of focused effort, but the potential rewards are tremendous.

There are many ideas that might also be addressed through the formation of new cooperatives. One direction for expansion is to open new food co-ops in outlying areas: Eatonville opened its own store last year, and a food co-op is currently being planned for Yelm. There are also people who want to start co-ops in other nearby cities, including Shelton, Centralia and Tacoma.

We can also create other types of cooperatives. There are local groups working on providing cooperative housing, wireless internet access and biodiesel; hopefully these are just the start. We need a cooperative supermarket and department store, which would provide democratically-controlled sources for a wider variety of products than is available through OFC, while keeping its profits in the community. We also need a local distribution and production facility, which could be cooperatively owned by local growers, cooks and craftspeople; this would serve as a small business incubator, and help develop a sustainable economy that is less dependent on far-flung distribution systems. Cooperatives can also create affordable housing and better access to healthcare.

The cooperative economy will grow as more and more building blocks are added to the picture, and will eventually be strong enough to form a true cooperative economy. The speed with which this happens will be determined by the community's level of interest and dedication to creating cooperative solutions.

If you have a dream that your friends or neighbors share, this month is an opportunity for you to make it a reality. The Northwest Cooperative Development Center can help. We have resources to help you flesh out your ideas; and if you do decide to move forward, we can provide you with support to create a new co-op.

Of course, starting a cooperative is a major undertaking. So if you aren't ready to start your own this Co-op Month, you can help others get started with a tax-deductible donation to the Center or to the United Co-op Appeal (details at http://www.cdf.coop/uca.html ).

In any case, be sure to stop and appreciate all the work that has already been done to create cooperatives. Support them when you can. Think of how different our community would be without them.

Andrew McLeod works at the Northwest Cooperative Development Center. To learn more about the Center, please visit http://www.nwcdc.coop .

Co-op brands sold at OFC:

Alvarado Street Bakery (worker-cooperative)

Aura Cacia

Blue Diamond

Equal Exchange

Frontier

Mirembe Kawomera

Organic Valley

Other Cooperative Brands:

Cabot Creamery

Country Natural Beef

Darigold

Florida's Natural

Full Sail (employee-owned)

Land O' Lakes

Rose Valley

Sun Maid

Sunkist

Tillamook

Tree Top

Welch's

Ocean Spray