COOP Stories

www.cplf.coop

Caja Popular León Franco was founded on June 9, 1965, after having concluded the third stage of the missions in the City of Rioverde S.L.P., under the direction of Priest Juvenal Martínez Lara. The Society is named “León Franco” in honor of Father León Franco Cisneros, Director of the Mission.

The capital with which the cooperative began its operations was for the amount of $731.55 with a total of 43 founding members, who were mostly dedicated to cutting oranges. Initially, the cooperative provided its services in a room attached to the parish, in which it remained until January 12, 1977. Later, the address changed to rented premises on Hidalgo Street in this city.

With the passage of time and with the support material and morale of its partners, it was possible to build the first of its own premises, located on Madero Street in this city of Rioverde. The cooperative, with the support of its members, began to open branches that mostly occupied rented homes. The Madero branch was the main office until 1994 when the building located on Centenario Street in this city of Rioverde was acquired, where the Headquarters Office is currently located.

Services:
To be a Financial Cooperative Society, which meets all the expectations of the population through efficient resources and competitive excellence, with attachment to cooperative principles.

Mutual aid inspires the rest of the values and also the principles of cooperation. Helping is providing cooperation to those who need it and, in our case, it is reciprocal, waiting for the contribution of others because it has already offered its own. Mutual aid involves thinking about partners, being empathetic to their needs and aspirations, which encourages the spirit of service. That is why it opposes all forms of selfishness, the anti-value that induces the leaders and employees of the cooperative to procure only profits, personal or group.

We are a reliable Cooperative Society that provides products and services quality financial institutions, through committed staff, raising the level of life of our partners and contributing to the socio-economic development of the region.

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 Caja Popular León Franco on social media:

www.sheridanelectric.coop

1,851 members – 5 counties served – 2,677 miles of line!

During the depths of the Great Depression, American voters and politicians began to think of rural electrification as a good policy. Many government officials and social reformers believed that electricity had contributed greatly to improving the quality of urban life and that the lack of electricity in rural areas deepened the gap between urban and rural Americans. 

The federal government began to take concrete steps to bring electricity to rural areas shortly after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932.  The first big federal electrification project was the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), created in 1933. The new agency had multiple objectives: to build hydroelectric power-generating stations, transmit electricity to remote areas of the South, and foster economic development in rural communities.

By executive order of President Roosevelt, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was created in 1935. The REA was established with one objective: to bring electricity to farms. The $5 billion Emergency Relief Act passed by Congress in 1935 included $100 million for the construction of rural electric transmission lines. The REA administrator, Morris Llewellyn Cooke, had hoped to use the money for low-interest loans to existing private utilities for building transmission lines in rural areas, but the utilities were not interested. In 1936, Congress took the REA out of the domain of federal relief programs and made it an independent federal agency, and Cooke focused the agency’s attention on creating rural electric cooperative.

Services:
Our mission is to provide reliable electric service to members at a competitive price. It is also the co-op’s mission to continually seek ways to expand the customer base to benefit the overall economic condition of the cooperative service territory. It is the mission to accomplish this with a highly trained and efficient staff in conjunction with a well-informed membership. 

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 Sheridan Electric Cooperative on social media:

www.foodfront.coop

History:
In 1972, a group of neighbours in Northwest Portland joined together to sell groceries out of a little store on 23rd Avenue. Their mission was to provide their community with a place to buy good quality groceries that couldn’t be found in regular supermarkets.
Even though this first grocery store was small, the impact of people coming together to provide for themselves, and their community was immense. Over the year our store has moved a few times, is now owned by over 10,000 people, and is still committed to providing the finest quality wholesome foods for our community.

Services:
Food Front Cooperative Grocery helps to connect members of the co-op and the public to an alternative supply chain built upon the seven Cooperative Principles. Food front Cooperative aims to be thriving, sustainable cooperative grocery store in which all are welcome and remains free of all forms of discrimination. Membership is voluntary. 
Food Front Cooperative is owned by its members. Members help to shape cooperative policy and elect representatives that are accountable to the membership. Members have voting rights defined as one membership, one vote. As a thriving cooperative business in the heart of Portland’s Northwest District, Food Front promotes and builds long – term relationships with local producers and vendors, allowing vendors sustained representation in the marketplace ensuring local products remain abundant. Food Front strives to be healthy and affordable.
Food Front is committed to an open, approachable, and inclusive workplace that priorities care for employees. Management aims to hear and be responsive to employee’s needs, incorporating feedback into workplace policies and practices while having open – book management. Employees shall have access to timely information.

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 Aroundtheworld.coop on social media:

www.verka.coop

History:
The Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (MILKFED) came into life in the year 1973 to improve dairy farming in the state of Punjab.

The primary aim was to provide a lucrative milk market to the state milk producers by value addition and marketing of produce. Another of its objective was to provide technical inputs for the enhancement of milk production.
Though the federation was registered quite earlier, it came into its real form in the year 1983 when the milk plants of the former Punjab Dairy Development Corporation Limited were granted to the Cooperative Sector under Operation Flood.

Vision:
To become the most admired brand in the dairy sector and vibrant cooperative institution in the country, facilitating inclusive growth.

Mission:
Ensuring prosperity to the milk producers’ by ensuring milk procurement at remunerative prices around the year coupled with providing quality extension services for enhancing milk production as well as reducing costs. Ensuring quality processing of milk and production of milk products in a clean, hygienic manner and making them available to the consumers at reasonable prices through excellence in marketing.

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 Verka on social media:

www.communicators.coop

History:
Now known as the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA), this organization was formed following a communicators’ conference in 1953 at the University of Minnesota, United States. It was originally organized as the Cooperative Editorial Association (CEA).

Today CCA has a membership of 350 cooperative communicators that work for various cooperative businesses—such as agriculture, electric and service—from the United States, England and Canada.

Services:
CONNECT. CREATE. ACHIEVE.
Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) is an organization of 350 professionals who communicate for cooperatives. Our organization is unique in both its mission and membership. We work toward helping members excel in communications – from writing, photography, and editing to video, layout, and design. Just as important, we emphasize ideas and strategies aimed at making communications more successful for cooperatives. We understand cooperatives have a slightly different story to tell. And we appreciate the role communications plays in contributing to the success of the cooperative

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 CCA on social media:

www.medfordfood.coop

Medford Food Co-op is a community-owned grocery store and café located in the heart of Southern Oregon. As a cooperative, the business is owned and managed by local people who patronize the Co-op, and our profit remains here in the Rogue Valley with our owners.

Medford Food Co-op exists to sustain a vibrant, healthy community and a thriving local, organic food economy. We feature organic produce from local farms throughout the growing season, and offer a variety of local and regional products throughout the store year-round. Discover affordable organic and natural products in our Co+op Basics program, as well as weekly Fresh Deals and bimonthly Co+op Deals for even greater savings.

The grassroots effort to create a food co-op in Medford, Oregon started in 2005 and Medford Food Co-op was officially incorporated in 2006. Like many small businesses, our start-up was rocky and risky and took the passion and perseverance of leaders within the local cooperative community to make the second effort to open a store a success. Food co-ops are the lovable underdogs of the grocery industry, and we embody the power of a determined community. It took thousands of Southern Oregon visionaries – like you – to make our cooperative a success, and we depend on each of you to keep it going, each and every day.

In August 2011, Medford’s only community-owned grocery store dedicated to organic and natural products opened its doors. That’s more than 10 incredible years of cooperation, community, and good food.

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 Medford Food Cooperative on social media:

www.sharedservices.coop

History:
Allied Community and Co-operative Shared Services (ACCESS) is a shared service nonprofit co-operative specifically formed to provide professional administrative back-office support for civil society organizations, including co-ops, nonprofits, charities, childcare centers and social enterprises across Canada. It is an innovative, collaborative solution that fills service gaps and increases efficiencies, allowing civil society organizations to focus on what they do best.

In May 2021, the Government of Alberta provided the Alberta Community Co-operative Association (ACCA) funding through the Civil Society Fund. ACCA and its Executive Member Associations: Volunteer Alberta (VA), Econocoop and British Columbia Co-operative Association (BCCA), worked collaboratively to launch ACCESS. Their primary outcome is to build equitable access to qualified, co-aligned professional service providers through strategic collaboration with regional, provincial & national partners.

Our Board of Directors and Operational Team, comprised of provincial and national member associations, actively work to determine how to best combine critical corporate, legal and operational resources to share back-office infrastructure successfully.

Services:
Building a team of specialized service providers to share among nonprofits, co-ops, and social enterprises – reducing organizational pressures and filling operational gaps.

Our Vision
Collaborative and well-resourced nonprofit, co-operative, and social enterprise organizations strengthened through shared services.

Building collaboration and capacity in the nonprofit and co-operative sector through the development of a shared services model from which members can work together – smarter!

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 ACCESS on social media:

www.rekommenderas.coop

History:
Café Rekommenderas is a chain of work-integrating social enterprises (ASF), we exist to create jobs for those who have none. Café Rekommenderas is a non-profit labour cooperative company.
We have a social franchising concept together owned by Café Rekommenderas in Sweden, where we are all members. A smart way to work together, we think.

We are Fair Trade Cafés that are run as social enterprises, we thus create opportunities for jobs for people with work disabilities. It can be said that it is fair in a double sense as it both benefits producers in the South and creates work in Sweden. What is served in our cafés is Fair Trade, organic and locally produced to the extent possible.

Services:
Fair Trade aims to improve the conditions of those who produce the goods we consume. Many producers have limited resources and difficulty asserting themselves on the world market. In order to sell their products, they are forced to push down prices, lower the requirements for working conditions and sell through several intermediaries who take a large part of the profit. As a result, many are not paid enough for their work and thus unable to support themselves and their families or develop their local communities.

10 principles of Fair Trade according to the WFTO
The following 10 principles shall be followed to the best of our ability by all member organizations within the WFTO.

*Create opportunities for marginalized producers by supporting the poorest producer groups.
*Openness in the organization’s structure and in all activities as well as a developing dialogue between all actors in Fair Trade regarding products and marketing.
*Capacity building – support for product development, exports and market access for producers.
*Disseminating information, educating and conducting campaigns to educate and enlighten about Fair Trade.
*Payment of a fair price to producers.
*Equality, no discrimination and the right to collective organization.
*Good working conditions – ensure that producers work in a healthy and safe environment.
*No exploitation of children at work – ensure that the UN Convention on the Rights of the child is complied with.
*Environment – actively work to make operations and production more environmentally friendly.
*Long-term trade relations based on solidarity, trust and mutual respect that contribute to the support and growth of Fair Trade

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 Café Rekommenderas on social media:

www.westmillsolar.coop

Adam Twine dreamt up the Westmill project and farms the land where Westmill is based. He is an organic farmer and has farmed 1,200 acres at Westmill farm and as a tenant of the National Trust at Colleymore farm for over 25 years. Adam set up the Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit, a not for profit information sharing organisation, to engage with farmers about climate change and actions to reduce GHG emissions from farms. He was one of the driving forces behind Westmill Wind Farm for many years and a Founding Director of Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative Limited in 2004. He has been active in environmental and social justice campaigning for many years and was the 2007 recipient of the Schumacher award.

The aims of the project are to combat climate change by financing a reliable source of renewable energy, provide local people and other investors with a stable, reliable source of income, and help the area transition to a low carbon future economy.

The project generates 4.8 GWh per year of clean electricity, enough to power 1,400 homes. That’s equivalent to every home in Watchfield & Shrivenham.

As well as offering local people the opportunity to share in the direct rewards of the project, the solar farm provides a number of associated benefits for the area. These include boosting the local economy by making sure the profits stay in the area, encouraging visitors and raising the local area’s profile.

Research shows that community owned renewable energy projects deliver a host of benefits over conventional industry owned projects, and we believe it is right that the community share in the benefits of a significant local project – therefore we made it as easy as possible for as many people as possible, from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible, to invest. We also believe ownership should be equitable – so no matter the level of investment, each member has the same number of votes at each year’s AGM (though there is no obligation to take part in these).

As part of this community commitment the co-operative intends to make an annual contribution to a community fund, like WeSET (Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust), a local charitable organisation.

Community-owned renewable energy projects are not new, but Westmill solar is the first such solar park project. Community energy schemes are widespread in Europe, and in Germany 25% of all renewable energy is owned by community projects. A similar proportion is community owned in Denmark, and both countries have a larger share of renewable energy generation than in the UK. For example, in Denmark almost each town or village has its own community owned renewable energy project, including an 82 MW offshore wind farm that is cooperatively owned.

In this country, pioneer projects such as Westmill wind farm (located next to the solar park) have shown that the model is successful here too and creates numerous benefits for investors and communities. In the UK, most such schemes have mostly been wind farms. Westmill Solar has taken this model into a new technology by creating the country’s first, and the world’s largest, community-owned solar farm.

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 West Mill Solar Co-op on social media:

www.undergroundselfdefense.coop

Master Mary Murphy Edwards owned her first martial arts studio in 1984 in Montreal, Canada where she taught Fred Villari’s Shaolin Kempo Karate. In 1989, she opened our current studio on State Street. During her career she operated several schools, trained exceptional instructors who continue to teach in Madison and beyond, and launched one of the first local kickboxing programs in the 90’s.

A pioneer for women in the martial arts, she passed her legacy to her daughter Ali Treviño-Murphy in 2007, who soon after initiated the transition to cooperative ownership while pursuing her masters degree in social work. We officially became Villari’s Martial Arts Cooperative in 2013. Since then, we’ve deepened our expertise in Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD), an evidence-based violence prevention strategy.

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 Underground Self-Defence on social media: