COOP Stories

www.radstock.coop

History:

We are one of the few truly independent co-operative retailers and sit at the heart of the communities in which we serve across our retail estate. We are totally committed to meeting the needs and wider aspirations of our members, customers and the people who reside within our trading area. Established in 1868, the Society currently comprises of twenty convenience stores, post office services and a 1,000 acre dairy farm.

Social responsibility is part of the fabric of the organisation which has its roots based on the founding principles of the co-operative movement.

Services:

To be the best community retailer, growing the business for the future and considering co-operative principles in everything we do.
We’re an independent, member owned co-operative retailer operating a number of community stores around Somerset.
As an ethical retailer we support Fairtrade and local suppliers. We have regard for animal welfare and take our responsibility for social and environmental matters very seriously. We endeavour to engage with the local communities within our trading areas.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Radstock on social media:

www.sikkimilk.coop

On the merger of Sikkim with the Indian Dominion in 1975, the then Governor of Sikkim – Shri B.B.Lal initiated the idea of forming a Co-operative Milk Union in Sikkim, probably being encouraged with the success that had been achieved in the State of Gujarat. Therefore, the matter was taken up with Late Dr..V.Kurien, the then Chairman of National Dairy Development Board(NDDB) who also paid a visit to Sikkim in 1977 as a guest of the State. After discussion with the State Government Dr.Kurien agreed to implement “Anand Pattern” Co-operative societies in Sikkim.

Accordingly, from 1978 the Spear Head Team of NDDB started working in the three districts of the State viz East, West and South. Prior to this, Sikkim Livestock Development Corporation (SLDC) had looked after the dairy business since its existence in 1977. Ultimately, on 1.7.1980, Sikkim Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited was formed after being registered under the State Co-operative Societies Act, 1978 and having taken over the project from NDDB, it started functioning at 5th Mile, Tadong Gangtok and at Karfectar, Jorethang with a Processing Capacity of 10,000 Ltr per day at Gangtok Dairy Plant and 5,000 per day at Jorethang Dairy Plant with effect from November 1981, as an apex level (two-tier) Organisation of the primary Milk Producers’ Co-operative Societies (MPCS) at village level. The Sikkim Milk Union came into being during the Operation Flood –II programme of the NDDB and was established through financial assistance by the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation (IDC) and technical guidance of the implementing agency, the NDDB.Organizational Philosophy

The primary aim of the Sikkim Milk Union is to provide remunerative market for milk producers in the far-flung remote villages and make hygienic milk and milk products available to the urban consumers at reasonable rates thereby achieving the following objectives:

•  Stabilize price of milk by connecting areas of surplus milk to the milk-deficient towns and cities.
•  Uplift the socio-economic condition of the rural poor by increasing their income through sales of their milk.
•  Provide year-round assured market for the milk of the farmers unlike other agricultural produce.
•  Provide rural employment both as dairy farmers and as employees of the Milk Producers Cooperative Society as Secretary/Tester/Helper.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Sikkim Milk Union on social media:

www.fecootra.coop

The Federation of Work Cooperatives of the Argentine Republic -FECOOTRA- was established on May 29, 1988. It arose from the unification within the democratic framework of cooperative thinking and the ideas of the working class, at a time when the general decline of the The economy was making itself felt, unemployment was growing, production was falling and inflation was increasing at exponential rates as a result of a deep economic crisis and a large external debt. 

In this framework, FECOOTRA was born seeking to represent and defend the rights and interests of workers associated in work cooperatives. At FECOOTRA we work every day so that our associated work cooperatives constitute much more than an economic means of subsistence. 

We aspire for these to be the mirror in which workers can observe how a company managed by its protagonists is being built, that they live the experience of owning their own source of work and demonstrate that they can manage it efficiently.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit FECOOTRA on social media:

www.nlfc.coop

Newfoundland & Labrador is home to an array of co-operatives ranging from grocery stores and markets to business solutions groups and activism collectives. Our credit unions span the province and provide unparalleled financial services from Labrador City in Labrador all the way to Bay Bulls on the Avalon Peninsula. As the unifying voice for co-operatives, we pride ourselves on our dedication to working together with our existing co-operatives and credit unions to further the development of the co-operative movement in our province. Together, we provide supports and resources for:

New Co-op Development
Accessible Educational Opportunities
Community Services

Services:

Our Mission is to promote the co-operatives business model wile supporting the growth and development of the overall sector. 

Our Vision is to create a common table around which our members can work together to address their collective needs.

Our Goals are to represent with devotion, promote with passion, educate with inspiration, and develop with pride.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit NLFC on social media:

www.spaziofamiglia.coop

History:
Spazio Famiglia is a cooperative society that operates in Amelia in the province of Terni in the field of disabilities, proposing both a space dedicated to housing, the Housing Community, and a Day Centre affiliated with the USL Umbria 2, where numerous workshops of creative and educational activities are held oriented to a real social and professional inclusion.

October 2013 the cooperative was born, the result of the enthusiasm of a group of young professionals in the social sector with a strong passion for the treatment of disabilities.
Spazio Famiglia is an idea that comes from the mind and heart of a group of people who directly know the universe of disability and has been structured on the need of many families in the province of Terni to be able to hope for a peaceful future for their children.

Services:
Spazio Famiglia is a revolutionary project and responds to a real circular business model. Our activities, in fact, do not end within the housing community in which our children live and share afternoon and night spaces and times. We aim for the inclusion of each of them.
It is a protected environment in which children can develop their identity and find the support to open up to the outside. The 24-hour presence of health workers and educators guarantees qualified all-round assistance. The projects of the operational team promote an individualized educational intervention, which respects the characteristics, potential, participation, and difficulties of each guest.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Spazio Famiglia on social media:

www.pollen.coop

History:
POLLEN is a Cooperative of Activity and Entrepreneurs, located in Ardèche That allows you to create and develop your business as an entrepreneur- employee with support and a collective framework that carries meaning and values.

POLLEN, created in 2001, is one of the very first CAE in France. As a pioneer, it has encounters and experiences, is for each pollen salaried entrepreneur a springboard for the future allowing him to live from his activity and to flourish there.

Services:
Choosing to work within POLLEN means making the choice to develop an economy with a human face where everyone ‘s professional project is a part of a collective and democratic approach.

POLLEN is based on 3 essential values that summarize and guide its activity: Democracy, Equity and Solidarity.

About Cooperatives and .coop
The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Pollen on social media:

www.newvision.coop

History:
With roots reaching back to 1901, New Vision Co-op Serves more than 2,000 member owners in southwest Minnesota, northwest lowa and eastern South Dakota from 18 location. Founded by farmers and based member ownership, our primary focus has always been the success of our farmers.

New Vision COOP’s roots can be tracked back to the early 1900s to our predecessor cooperatives.

These early cooperatives were capitalized by selling stock in order to secure financing to purchase the privately- owned elevator. They handled coal, twine, oats, barley, wheat, rye, flax, shell corn, ear corn, timothy, mustard, wool, buckwheat and made feed in their early days.

“New Vision Co-op is a progressive, ethical cooperative providing quality goods and services and innovative technologies, with the vision to remain financially strong, competitive in the marketplace and committed to its members’ success.”

Services:
New Vision CO-OP’S directors, management and employees continue to focus on customer service, providing modern technology and facilities that improve farmers efficiency and profitability.

Throughout New Vision’s history, our members have transitioned from horsepower to diesel power, candlelight to LED, party lines to Smart phones, haystacks to Triple Stack, disc markers to GPS and encyclopedias to the Internet. The application of technology in every facet of agriculture has advanced productivity. All of this requires capital to purchase the latest equipment, computers and software and provide employee training to capture value.

New Vision’s values drive how we conduct business every day:

Safety – Maintaining an environment that promotes the health and well-being of our employees and customers.
Integrity – Always do the right thing.
Unity – Working together as a team to produce effective results.
Ownership – Holding each other accountable and being proud to share our purpose.
Progressive – Providing innovative strategies and solutions for our stakeholders.
Community – Having a positive impact in the areas where we live and serve.

About Cooperatives and .coop
The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit New Vision on social media:

www.ahmc.coop

History:

Land to Market Australia is organized by the Australian Holistic Management Co-operative Limited. It began at the 2016 Dubbo Holistic Management Conference held by Hooves 4 Humus and the Australian Holistic Management Educators Group. 

Land to Market Australia is part of a global network committed to farming practices that measurably regenerate the land. We provide our members with training, mentoring and verified branding of their produce.

Services:

Holistic Management (HM) is a decision-making approach, that helps farmers move towards the future they personally hold dear through ensuring their actions are financially, ecologically and socially sound. Holistic Management helps famers deal with the complexity and risks of the natural and human systems they face.

About Cooperatives and .coop:

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Land to Market Australia on social media:

www.thelocalcrowd.coop

History:

The Local Crowd (TLC) is a rewards-based crowdfunding platform that specializes in funding for small businesses and organizations, especially in rural areas. The platform offers a coordinated suite of success-generating services such as education, coaching, research, and networking.

TLC has been helping rural businesses and communities grown since 2014. The platform offers a coordinated suite of success-generating services such as education, coaching, research, and networking.

Services:

The power of TLC’s crowdfunding platform is made more powerful because it is local- activated in communities through community development groups.
Each TLC community gets its own, branded platform to support residents, businesses, and nonprofits. Local features such as matching grants, in kind contributions and sponsored rewards make TLC a one-of-a-kind platform focused on rural communities.

We are currently transitioning to a member- owned cooperative which will enable local communities to share in platform management and revenues.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit TLC on social media:

www.incita.coop

History:
Incita is a workers’ cooperative co-founded by Laure Caillot, Amélie Côté and Mélissa de La Fontaine. Through the projects in which they collaborate, they wish to contribute to building a society respectful of nature and humans, in which the word challenge rhymes with solution. A place where their values are consistent with their actions.

The zero waste approach proposed by Incita is a positive solution to mobilize teams and communities through the concrete actions proposed.

Working with the Incita team:

Collaborate with a team of inspiring women who mobilize and raise awareness among your teams thanks to their expertise and their talents as communicators and popularisers. Learn essential levers to set in motion the socio-ecological transition.

We believe in a more just, ecological and inclusive society. We want our vision to be reflected in the organization in which we operate. As women engaged in the environment, we believe it is important that the structures in place facilitate horizontal management and engage stakeholders.

About Cooperatives and .coop

The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.

If you would like your cooperative featured, click on this link to submit your story.

Visit Incita on social media: