The Co-ops Behind the Products You Love
October is co-op month! A co-op (short for cooperative) is a business owned and controlled by its members, usually employees, farmers, or consumers. We’re celebrating the cooperative businesses behind many of the products on our shelves. From fair trade coffee and fresh produce to high-quality dairy products, these fellow co-ops help bring delicious food and shared values to our stores.
Farmer-Owned Dairy Cooperatives
Burnett Dairy Co-op
Located just over an hour north of the Twin Cities, near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, Burnett Dairy Co-op has been around since 1896. This co-op is farmer-owned. Its membership is made up of all the dairy farmers that provide milk for the cheese it produces. Their board of directors consists of 7 farmers who are member-owners of the cooperative.
They make award-winning cheese. Burnett Dairy Co-op prides itself in being a Vertically Integrated Cooperative, meaning they are a part of every step of the cheese making process. They offer services and resources to their members, including fuels, grain, feed, animal health and nutrition services, and even run a General Store with farm supplies. This is the benefit of the cooperative – support in every step!
Organic Valley
Organic Valley is a farmer-owned co-op that supports rural communities by protecting the health of family farms while working toward economic and environmental sustainability. Founded over 25 years ago in Wisconsin’s Coulee Region at a time when small farmers were given the message to get big or get out, seven farmers came together on a mission to change the way people thought about food.
Today, the co-op has grown to include over 1800 family farms that produce some of the highest quality local dairy products available.
Co-ops Building Global Connections
Pachamama Coffee Cooperative
Founded in 2006, this farmer-owned coffee cooperative is owned by thousands of small farms in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Ethiopia. Each country has it’s own cooperative of farmers, and together they make up Pachamama. Their Board of Directors has one representative from each co-op whose members elect to represent them.
By being a cooperative, these farms get to keep a greater share of the retail value, which they are then able to put into tools and resources, sustainable farming methods and regenerative practices.
Frontier Co-op
Frontier Co-op is owned by its wholesale customers – stores and organizations selling their organic herbs and spices! In fact, we (Rivers Co-op Markets) are a member. While they are located in Iowa, they source from farms across the globe.
They are dedicated to responsible sourcing and knowing where your food comes from. Frontier supports their growers by providing technical expertise and financial support. They build relationships with their sourcing communities to create greater transparency and strengthen the resilience of the farmers and the supply chain.
Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange has delicious fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate. Their mission is to build long-term trade partnerships, foster relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate the contribution of worker cooperatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable world.
Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative. That means their employees own the company, and have a say in its operations. They even have a “Never Sell Out” clause in their by-laws that ensure that in the event of a sale of the company, all net proceeds would be donated to another company dedicated to fair trade.
Local Amish Farmer Cooperatives
Wisconsin Growers Cooperative
Wisconsin Growers Cooperative was founded in 2006 to help 20 local Amish families maintain ownership of their farmland and collectively market their fresh produce. Comprised of approximately 29 small family farms in Western Wisconsin, the co-op’s members are dedicated to using approved organic farming methods and practices.
The co-op’s pay-it-forward philosophy centers around building and maintaining soil health to grow high-quality produce. More than 40 acres of the co-op’s land is farmed without fossil fuels, instead using horses, horse machinery, and hand tools.
Find fresh produce from Wisconsin Growers Cooperative like Ground Cherries, Leeks, Winter Squash, and Jewel Yams at our St. Paul stores.
Pleasant Valley Community Farm
Pleasant Valley Community Farm stands out for its dedication to sustainable and organic farming practices. They offer a wide variety of fresh, organic, non-GMO vegetables and fruits, all grown by local Amish farmers. Find fresh produce from Pleasant Valley Community Farm like Green Beans, Cucumbers, Gourds, Shallots, Mini Sweet Peppers, Zucchini, Carving Pumpkins, and more at our St. Paul stores.