Co-operative Membership
Be a Member-Owner

What is a co-op?
A cooperative is a business controlled by the people who use it. It is a democratic organization whose earnings and assets belong to its members. By patronizing and becoming an active member of a co-op, you invest yourself with the power to shape that business.

Member control allows co-ops to be as varied as the people they serve. There are different types of co-ops: food co-ops, housing co-ops, arts and crafts co-ops, book co-ops, bakery co-ops, bike co-ops, farm co-ops, rural electric co-ops, financial co-ops (credit unions), and insurance co-ops.  Despite the diversity in type and tradition of co-ops, most have several things in common, particularly the ideals and principles from which they emerge.

LEARN MORE about co-operatives and the co-operative movement >

GO TO directory of food Co-ops in the U.S. >