Here’s wishing our local North Coast CO-OP a belated Happy 40th Birthday! My-oh-my what you have done for our community in the last four decades!
A cooperative is simply a group of people who own and run a business collectively. It’s a democratic approach and one that works very well. The North Coast Co-op’s philosophy is worth sharing: “Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.”
The concept of cooperatives dates back to over 100 years ago, when the first co-operative was established in England. Tradesmen pooled their resources and became the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, thus ushering in a sustainable business model that continues to thrive.
Throughout our country alone, there are approximately 30,000 cooperative ventures, that sell everything from food to camping equipment, art to hardware. Some of these enterprises act as credit unions, while others provide healthcare. All in all, nearly two million people are employed in cooperative commerce.
Co-operatives are an amazing and quite practical way to produce goods and services.