WHAT IS A CO-OP?

CO-OPS: A USER OWNED, DEMOCRATICALLY OWNED BUSINESS

People form cooperatives -- user-owned, democratically-controlled businesses -- for many reasons. Co-ops can:

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  • address market failures where neither the private sector nor the government provide a needed service, 

  • help small players gain parity with large investor-owned competitors, or 

  • give consumers a deliberate choice of enterprise to better meet their common needs and aspirations.  

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Regardless of the reason, the very structure of a cooperative requires that it be responsive to its member-owners, and in turn to the local community. The nature of cooperatives is inherently both locally-based and participatory, embodying a direct connection between member needs and the services provided.

THE 7 COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLES

 

Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same core principles and values. Co-ops  trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England in 1844.

COOPERATIVE SECTORS 

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Cooperative businesses operate across virtually all industries or sectors and range in size from small, local stores, to $30 billion multi-national organizations:

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  • Agriculture

  • Education

  • Financial Services

  • Consumer

  • Healthcare

  • Housing

  • Industry Services

  • Insurance

  • Purchasing

  • Utility services

  • Worker

Cooperative Development
Foundation

1775 Eye Street NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20006

Email: info@cdf.coop

Phone: 202-442-2302​

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