Starting an Online Food Co-op Workshop Presentations
Darryl Birkenfeld
For years, Ogallala Commons has worked to support local food systems in a variety of ways– hosting conferences on the topic, working to create Community Internships based on local food production, and providing education workshops and tools for gardeners. In 2011 OC began Project: Local Llano. Local Llano is a blog about all things local food in the Llano Estacado Region. It features nearly 60 stories about local food producers, gardening, recipes, restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture Programs, farmers markets and more. With support from Farm Aid, OC will begin the process of putting together a book about local foods in the Llano Estacado based on the Local Llano Blog.
12 pages, download 1.3 MB PDF
Untapped Potential?: Consumer Demand for Local Foods
Vincent Amanor-Boadu
22 pages, download 2 MB PDF
Cooperatives 101: Who, What, When, Where, and WhyRobert Mailander
We all have childhood memories of parents, teachers and others encouraging us to work together. A co-op is what "working together" looks like all grown up. From the outside, many co-ops look like any other business, since a 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 co-ops unique is that the 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 your cooperative makes. 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.
18 pages, download 157 KB PDF
Robert Mailander
Starting a cooperative is a complex project. It begins with discussions within the community about the economic need that will be addressed by the cooperative. Next, the group analyzes the feasibility of the proposed co-op. If the decision is made that the cooperative is feasible, the group moves into implementation and the start-up of operations. In his previous position as Director of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Development Center, Bob supported the High Plains Food Co-op during its development and implementation.
12 pages, download 154 KB PDF
Online Food Co-op Resources
Starting an Online, Local Food Cooperative
Northwest Cooperative Development Center, 2011
This guide provides a systematic approach to starting an online, local food cooperative. The approach follows the standard steps of cooperative development and supplements those steps with information specific to online food cooperatives. The guide describes key aspects of the online business model.
32 pages, download 1.7 MB PDF
Northwest Cooperative Development Center, 2011
This case study shares the experiences of Idaho’s Bounty members as they established and operated the online food co-op for local products.
Idaho’s Bounty is an online food cooperative electronically linking local producer members with consumer members through an internet ordering system instead of a physical store with the mission to build a community-driven, local food system. In addition to individual consumer members, the co-op serves numerous institutional purchasers and restaurants.
12 pages, download 1.3 MB PDF
Adam Diamond, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Rural Cooperatives, May/June 2012
A profile of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, established in 2003 to help consumers buy locally produced food and enable local producers to earn a greater share of consumer food expenditures through direct sales. Three core values inspired the creation of the cooperative, helped define its initial structure and continue to shape its development and growth. The co-op’s articles of incorporation explain that: “the activities of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative are governed by its core values of social justice, environmental stewardship and economic sustainability.”
12 pages, download 223 KB PDF
Online Food Co-op Websites:
Ellensburg Food Cooperative (WA)
High Plains Food Co-op (KS-CO)
Idaho's Bounty
Iowa Food Cooperative
Lake Co-op (CA)
Local Roots Food Co-op (VA)
Massachusetts Local Food Cooperative
Nebraska Food Cooperative
Oklahoma Food Cooperative
Olympia Local Food
SD Local Foods Cooperative
Six Rivers Market (ID)
Sun Coast Co-op (FL)
West Michigan Co-op
Online Food Co-ops in the News:
Ellensburg Food Cooperative (WA): KMIA, October 23, 2011
Idaho's Bounty: Idaho Public Television's Outdoor Idaho, July 2010
Iowa Food Cooperative: Des Moines Register, March 19, 2013
Lake Co-op (CA): Lake County News, January 16, 2012
Massachusetts Local Food Cooperative: Edible Boston, March 2011
Nebraska Food Cooperative: Grist, July 30, 2010
Producer Co-op Resources
Romance vs. Reality: Hard Lessons Learned in a Grass-fed Beef Marketing Cooperative
Annie Wilson, Kansas Rural Center’s Rural Papers, October 2001
Tallgrass Prairie Producers Co-op operated from 1995 to 2000, raising and marketing grassfed beef from ten Kansas ranches. It ceased active operation in 2000. This article shares the story of why and and how.
12 pages, download 1.1 MB PDF
SUBSCRIBING TO CHANGE Starting and Sustaining a Vegetable Subscription Service: The Story of the Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance
Bethany Spicher, Kansas Rural Center, 1999
This is the story of what may be the nation's first major Community Supported Agriculture cooperative, the Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance.
76 pages, download 8.8 MB PDF
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great site! We are revisiting the idea of an online store after 7 years offline and you've got some great resources including our former consultants NWCDC in Olympia.
I'd also like to get us listed on your site. How do we do that?
Tom Dewrell
Director, Yelm Cooperatrive
Yelm, WA 98597
yfcstrategy@gmail,com