Co-ops of all kinds are all around you. More than 800 million people around the world belong to cooperatives, and at least 100 million of them are employed by co-ops. And more often than you probably realize, co-ops play a vital part of your everyday life. Consider the cup of coffee and cranberry muffin you recently enjoyed. That premium Sumatra Siborong-Borog coffee was likely purchased from a grower co-op in Indonesia. The flour in the muffin started as wheat from a farmer-owned, grain elevator co-op in the Midwest, and those cranberries might be from Ocean Spray, a producer-owned co-op.
Why join a Co-Op?
Knowing the source of the foods you eat, the services you employ and the products you purchase are just a few of the benefits of joining a cooperative. As a member, co-ops invite you to take part in the way your favorite grocery store or financial institution is run, and share in any profits. This community approach to business is at the heart of the cooperative philosophy.
Rather than rewarding outside investors with its profits, a co-op returns surplus revenue to its members in proportion to how much they use the co-op. This democratic approach to business results in a powerful economic force that benefits the co-op, its members and the communities it serves.
Why do co-ops matter ?
Cooperation is defined as working together towards the same end, and joining forces to accomplish a task that one can't achieve alone. Simply put, co-ops provide the framework that allows people to get what they want in a way that better meets their economic, social and cultural needs. And because cooperation builds strong bonds between the people who use products and the people who supply them, co-ops offer a way to transform the way business is done. Co-ops give you the opportunity to get the products and services you need on a daily basis while strengthening the community around you.
Why join ENVIROCULTURE FARM Co-Op?
From the outside, our co-op looks like any other business, since our co-op provides products and services like conventional businesses do. But it's what goes on behind the scenes that makes it different. A cooperative exists to serve its members, but what makes our co-op unique is that our Village Residents and Local Members are also the owners. So, in addition to getting the products and services you need, you also have a say in the business decisions our cooperative makes.
We have the co-op values of concern for community, self help, self responsibility, equality, equity and solidarity.
So how are we going to get this started.
Generally, a group of people committed to starting a co-op forms a steering committee to guide the process of creating Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, mission and vision statements, member agreements, business and marketing plans, financial documents, etc., as well as to oversee an equity drive and the election by members of the first board of directors. The first step any group should take on the road to becoming a co-op is for all the prospective members to educate themselves about what a co-op is and is not. People exploring cooperatives may decide that they are ideally suited for a intended purpose or that a different type of association is a better fit for their goals. People exploring cooperation can benefit from a national network of co-op development centers as well as cooperative development funds with a regional or national focus, which offer substantial technical assistance as well as loans to start-up groups. Anyone interested in starting a grocery or food cooperative would likely be interested in the free manual for consumer-owned food stores available on the Web site of the Cooperative Grocers Information Network, while those interested in a worker-owned cooperative can find assistance from the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and the Democracy at Work Institute. Cooperatives of all sorts in the US are typically associated with the National Cooperative Business Association, which represents the United States in the International Cooperative Alliance.
Seven Principles that Guide our Co-Op
The seven principles are: 1. Voluntary and open membership - Anyone can join.
2. Democratic member control - One share and one vote
3. Member economic participation - the more you participate the more you get back in the form of dividends at the end of the year
Support from the world, cooperate with other small businesses
Cooperation among cooperatives
Education, training and information
Concern for communityPerfect role model for human cooperationCommunity Hub Permaculture Demonstration, Grey water, Solar Panel, Certified Kitchen.
So what are we doing next ?
This is our Goals for the next year.
#1 - Establish our Steering Committee #2 - Find our Location and purchase the land #3 - Erect our Mercantile Building #4 - Business Plan #5 - Membership Drive from locals (future customer/owners)