Cooperatives fall into four categories: consumer,
producer, worker and purchasing/shared services.
Consumer-owned Co-ops
Consumer cooperatives are owned by the people
who buy the goods or use the services of the cooperative. Consumer
co-ops include credit unions, child care cooperatives, electric
and telecommunications cooperatives, food co-ops, health care
co-ops, housing cooperatives, and many more. Some examples include:
Amalgamated Houses, New
York, N.Y.—a consumer-owned co-op providing affordable housing
for 1,500 families in 11 buildings in Manhattan.
Sumter Electric Cooperative, Inc.,
Sumter, Fla.—one of the nation’s leading electric
distribution cooperatives, which serves 125,000 consumer-owners
at homes and businesses in central Florida. www.secoenergy.com
Group Health Cooperative of Puget
Sound, Seattle, Wash.— a consumer-owned HMO with
more than 560,000 members. www.ghc.org
Hanover Consumers Cooperative,
Hanover, N.H.— a consumer-owned grocery co-op, with two
stores in the Hanover area. www.coopfoodstore.coop.
Navy Federal Credit Union,
Merrifield, Va. — with more than 2.4 million members, Navy
FCU is the nation’s largest credit union. www.navyfcu.org
PCC Natural Markets, Seattle,
Wash., — a consumer-owned grocery co-op with seven locations
in the Seattle area. www.pccnaturalmarkets.coop
Producer-owned Cooperatives
Producer cooperatives are owned by producers
of farm commodities or crafts that band together to process and/or
market their products. Examples:
Land O’Lakes, Inc.,
Arden Hills, Minn.— a food and agricultural cooperative
owned by 7,000 farmer-members and 1,300 local community cooperatives.
www.landolakesinc.coop
Florida’s Natural Growers,
New Wales, Fla. —a grower-owned cooperative that has built
a nationally recognized, leading juice brand. www.floridasnatural.coop
Other well-known farmer-owned cooperatives
include SunKist, SunMaid, Blue Diamond, Ocean Spray, and Riceland.
Worker-owned Cooperatives
Worker co-ops are owned and democratically
governed by their employees. Examples:
Cooperative Home Care Associates,
Bronx, N.Y.—a worker-owned home health care agency that
provides home care providers with livable wages and benefits.
Equal Exchange, Boston,
Mass.—a worker-owned, fair trade products buying and distribution
cooperative that pioneered fair trade in the U.S. www.equalexchange.com
Purchasing Co-ops
Purchasing cooperatives are owned by small,
independent businesses, municipalities or other like organizations
that band together to enhance their purchasing power. Examples:
ACE Hardware and TruServ,
Chicago, Ill.—national buying cooperatives of independent
hardware store owners that use a national co-op brand.
Carpet One, St. Louis, Mo.—a
national cooperative of 1,000 independent floor covering retailers
that is the largest floor covering retailer in the world.
