Marilyn Scholl Recorded at The Cooperative Cafe Our cooperatives have made a difference in people’s lives. The food co-ops have made a difference in terms of creating a cooperative economy, and have changed the way Americans think about food. We’ve built a local agricultural system where farmers and local producers have a place to market their products. In these ways, cooperation is rooted in [...]
Terry Bowling, general manager, La Montañita Co-op, Albuquerque, N.M. La Montañita Co-op is a thriving retail and wholesale operation with six retail locations and a warehouse. Terry Bowling, the co-op’s general manager sees potential for the co-op to do even more by being a hub of community development. When the co-op decided to get into the distribution business, it has done a lot to [...]
At the Cooperative Café in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2013, participants discussed the question of growth and Sarah Christensen, general manager at GreenTree Cooperative Grocery in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., addressed the group about GreenTree’s approach to growth in the past and how they are addressing it now. The co-op had been founded in the 1970s and had stayed a small storefront for many years because [...]
Robin Seydel, Membership & Community Development Coordinator La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
Martha Whitman, Board President La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
Steve Nance, General Manager Oryana Natural Foods Market, Traverse City, MI
Sarah Christensen, General Manager Green Tree Natural Grocery, Mt. Pleasant, MI According to Green Tree Natural Grocery GM Sarah Christensen, planning for growth is not an option. You've got to 'Grow or Die'. This is an excellent short talk to incite and inspire.
Carol Collins, Central Corridor National Cooperative Grocers Association
Ever wonder how an economist would coach you to talk about growing your co-op? Now’s your chance! In this five-minute video=, Doug Hoffer, economic researcher and the State Auditor of Vermont, does a quick download of most of the key talking points supporting the opportunity to grow our co-ops. Hoffer points out that research supports the benefits of cooperatives in communities for the [...]
In this 13-minute video Bonnie Hudspeth shares some key strategies in launching the community participation efforts at the startup Monadnock Food Co-op and how those ideas relate to all our co-ops. Hudspeth, a startup champion from the Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene, N.H., and a staff member at the Neighboring Food Co-op Association thinks long established co-ops and startups both need to continue to [...]
