By Ben Sandel 182 January-February 2016 Gaining members quickly and efficiently is a major hurdle for most startup co-ops. A co-op is selling a dream when it has no store, minimal (if any) staff, and, when organizing in areas that don’t have other food co-ops, no credible examples to refer to. This can make membership growth slow and painful. Nevertheless, some startups have had [...]
By Bill Gessner 180 Sept-Oct 2015 Expansion projects for food co-ops fall somewhere between a labyrinth and a maze. With continuous improvement and development of best practices, expansion projects are moving closer to the one path of a labyrinth and further away from the messiness of a maze. We invite you to step into the expansion labyrinth. You will learn to navigate it through [...]
Say hello to Maine's newest cooperative grocer, the Portland Food Co-op! Board Member Chris Stacey takes us through their startup story, and shares valuable insights about what startups can teach all co-ops, new or established: Participation Matters.
Suzi Carter, Startup Co-op Consultant Food Co-op Initiative, Harrisonburg, VA Suzi shares the lessons that she has learned and some fresh perspectives on how startups (and established) co-ops can push their missions forward through active participation.
