This document summarizes a presentation given at the 2019 NOFA Summer Conference about food co-ops and their role in democratizing human health and food security. It discusses the cooperative business model of being owned and controlled by members, with any profits reinvested in the business. Case studies are presented from the Franklin Community Co-op in MA and Brattleboro Food Co-op in VT, focusing on increasing access to healthy local food and building business ownership. The presentation emphasizes how co-ops can improve food security through education, local food purchasing, and programs that make healthy food affordable to more community members.

1. BONNIE HUDSPETH
RUTH GARBUS
SARAH KANABAY
FOOD CO-OPS: DEMOCRATIZING
HUMAN HEALTH & FOOD SECURITY
NOFA Summer Conference 2019
NUTRITION MATTERS | SOIL HEALTH BUILDS HUMAN HEALTH
August 10, 2019

2. ¡ Introductions
¡ The Co-op Model: People Over Profit
¡ Building Access to Healthy, Local Food & Business Ownership
¡ Case Studies:
§Franklin Community Co-op (MA)
§Brattleboro Food Co-op (VT)
¡ Bring It Home
¡ Questions?
¡ Discussion
NOFA Summer Conference 2019 1
OVERVIEW

3. ¡ Bonnie Hudspeth
Neighboring Food Co-ops (NE & NY)
¡ Ruth Garbus
Brattleboro Food Co-op (VT)
¡ Sarah Kanabay
Franklin Community Co-op (MA)
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INTRODUCTIONS: WHO WE ARE…

4. WHAT IS A CO-OP?
A co-operative is an
autonomous association of
persons united voluntarily to
meet their common
economic, social, and cultural
needs and aspirations
through a jointly-owned and
democratically-controlled
enterprise.
www.ica.coop
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5. ¡A business that is equitably owned
and democratically controlled by its
members for their common good,
the good of the community and to
accomplish a shared goal or purpose.
¡Any surplus (or profit) is reinvested
in the business or distributed among
members in proportion to their USE
of the business.
NOFA Summer Conference 2019
IN OTHER WORDS, A CO-OP IS…
4New Internationalist, 2004

6. “Co-operatives are voluntary
organisations, open to all
persons able to use their
services and willing to accept
the responsibilities of
membership, without gender,
social, racial, political or
religious discrimination.”
International Co-operative Alliance
Statement on the Co-operative Identity
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CO-OP = VOLUNTARY & OPEN MEMBERSHIP

7. VALUES BASED & USER FOCUSED
NOFA Summer Conference 2019
Co-operatives are based on the
values of self-help, self-
responsibility, democracy,
equality, equity and solidarity. In
the tradition of their founders, co-
operative members believe in the
ethical values of honesty,
openness, social responsibility and
caring for others.
www.ica.coop
6
Grand Opening of Urban Greens Co-op Market in Providence, RI, 2019

8. WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT CO-OPS AS BUSINESSES?
INCOME
From Members
& Other Consumers
EXPENSE
Achieve Member-
Defined Mission & Ends
NOFA Summer Conference 2019
A Co-op is designed to
meet purposes and ends
identified by its Members
— the Users of the
business who are are
transformed through
Membership into its
Owners. The success of
the business depends on
Member patronage —
their purchase of goods
and services.
Co-ops must be profitable
in order to serve their
Members over time.
However, expenses are
better described as value-
added.
The goal of the co-op is
not to maximize profit
for owners or outside
investors, but to achieve
its mission or ends and
operate at cost, with any
surplus (income less
expenses) reinvested to
further advance these
goals or refunded to its
Members.
SURPLUS
7

9. VALUE-ADDED: ECONOMIC IMPACT
INCOME
OTHER EXPENSE
NOFA Summer Conference 2019
SURPLUS
Refunded
Reinvested
When you shop at a
co-op, you are getting
more than just good
food.
You are contributing
to a larger mission and
impact through your
purchases…
Local Purchases
Organic Purchases
Fair Trade & Co-op Purchases
Member Discounts
Employment, Pay & Benefits
Healthy Food & Membership
Taxes
Community Donations
8

10. …You’re also:
¡Keeping it Local
¡Supporting Good Jobs
¡Building a More Sustainable
Food System
¡Growing an Inclusive Economy
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YOU GET MORE THAN GOOD FOOD
WHEN YOU SHOP AT YOUR CO-OP…

11. ¡ Small, Medium & Large Food Co-ops
¡ Mature, New, Startup
¡ Natural Foods & “Hybrid” Stores
¡ Rural & Urban
¡ Varying Demographics
Growth
Innovation
Shared Success
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REGIONAL COLLABORATION FOR INNOVATION

12. ¡ Incorporated 2011
¡ Secondary Co-op of Co-ops
¡ 35+ Co-ops & Start-Ups
¡ 150,000 Members
¡ 2,340 Employees
¡ $343 Million in Revenue
¡ $93 Million in Sales of Local
Products
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NEIGHBORING FOOD CO-OP ASSOCIATION (NFCA)

13. STATE Population Participating in
SNAP 2010
Growth in Participation
2007-2011
CT 10% 55%
ME 17% 54%
MA 11% 86%
NH 8% 88%
RI 12% 136%
VT 13% 78%
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THE GREAT RECESSION & FOOD INSECURITY
Source: “The Role of Food Stamps in the Recession,” Communities & Banking, Fall 2013, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
http://www.bostonfed.org.

14. Co-op movements through history and
time: spring up in response to need
[There is] a continuous thread of
cooperative activity and development
among African-Americans over the past
two centuries, because of both need
and strategy...
These co-ops have often been a tool
toward the elimination of economic
exploitation and the transition to a
new economic and social order.
Jessica Gordon Nemhard (2015)
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THE CO-OPERATIVE LEGACY:
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & FOOD SECURITY
Detail from mural, Federation of Southern
Cooperatives Training Center, Epes, AL

15. ¡ Structure: Community ownership & control
¡ Focus on meeting needs before profit
¡ Develop local jobs, leadership skills, wealth
¡ Aggregate limited resources
¡ Difficult to move or buy-out
¡ Separate community wealth from stock markets
¡ Mobilize stakeholder loyalty
------------------------------------------------------------------
= Leaders in Food Security
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WHAT DO CO-OPS OFFER?
Hanover Consumer Co-op, NH & VT

16. § Increase access to healthy food and member-ownership
§ Support peer to peer collaboration among member co-ops
§ Raise profile of co-ops as partners for increasing food security
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FOOD CO-OPS & HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS

17. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 16
CO-OPS AS INCUBATORS
Co-ops have a long history of
supporting local agriculture and
responding to community need.
¡ Food co-ops of the 70’s
¡ Identifying gaps in market
¡ First to support small farmer/value added
¡ Investment in supply & co-op formation
¡ Healthy Food Access

18. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 17
FRANKLIN COMMUNITY CO-OP, MA
¡Access vs. equity: food insecurity that farmers face a producers
¡Partnership with farms
¡Case study: Kitchen garden farm
¡Case study: Local food clinic
¡Case study: Community Share!

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ACCESS vs. EQUITY:
WHAT’S RURALITY GOT TO DO WITH IT?
¡Access vs. equity: Who’s food insecure in Franklin County?
¡Why flexible partnerships matter to food producers when those
who grow are often food insecure
¡Addressing membership—why you have to move beyond pricing
structure in a rural environment
¡Representation matters—addressing diversity across multiple
levels, and why language is important!

20. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 19
HOW ACCESS CAN TURN INTO SUCCESS:
KITCHEN GARDEN FARM
• From Sunderland, MA
• Specialty vegetable growers that have
diversified into Value Added products
• Winner of the Good Food Award!
• Expanding into their own commercial
kitchen this year!

21. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 20
ACCESS IN ACTION: THE LOCAL FOOD CLINIC
¡ The Local Food Clinic in partnership with Just Roots Farm!
¡ It started with a CSA
¡ Partnering with other food organizations
¡ Local Festivals---Meeting folks where they are

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ACCESS IN ACTION: COMMUNITY SHARE PROGRAM
¡ Creating community inclusivity
¡ Breaking down barriers
¡ Meeting needs vs. dictating donations

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BRATTLEBORO FOOD CO-OP, VT
(Just to reiterate) We are explicitly guided by
our Ends Policies and the Cooperative
Principles to invest resources in education
and local food sources

24. In 2018, 2,849 students attended our free
classes, either in our Co-op Cooking Classroom
or at area schools
¡ Teaching kids and adults about food, healthy
eating, cooking, culture
¡ Learning about food insecurity, food and
trauma, staying current on community issues
¡ Building connections with kids, people who
face food insecurity, elderly, people with
cognitive disabilities, and others!
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EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AT THE BFC
making Polish stuffed cabbages in
“Fun Foods From Around the World”

25. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 24
HARVEST DINNER AT OAK GROVE SCHOOL

26. ¡ We’re working hard to stay current with
issues that our community is facing, like
food insecurity
§ ex: “Working with Food and Trauma” workshop
sponsored by the Vermont Foodbank,
Groundworks Collaborative, and Food Connects)
¡ This past year, Lizi has expanded her range
to include three low income housing
developments
¡ Reintroducing participants, with their help,
to their own food heritage
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LIZI, EDUCATION & OUTREACH COORDINATOR

27. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 26
REACHING…

28. ¡ We carry produce from around 25
local farms
¡ We’re different than
conventionally owned grocery
stores:
§ Willing to work with smaller farms
§ No minimums
§ Direct deliveries when possible
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WORKING WITH LOCAL FARMERS
Old Athens Farm

29. “His ultimate goal is to hit two markers…
One: Affordable and organic sweet potatoes;
Two: Farmers and employees make a livable wage.”
¡ Local farm in Pawlet, VT
¡ Organic sweet potatoes
¡ Switched from distributor to direct delivery
¡ Featured as Producer of the Month Nov ‘17
¡ As of 2017, we were their largest customer
¡ We support this and many other local farms and
vendors who may otherwise not have access to
such a large customer base
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LAUGHING CHILD FARM

30. ¡ “Co-op has measures in place to
make member-ownership more
accessible”
¡ “There are healthy international
foods representing the different
cultures/ethnic groups in your
community”
¡ “HFA signage and marketing
materials use accessible
language (6th Grade reading
level) and are translated into
other languages.”
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ASSESSING HOW TO MAKE OUR CO-OPS MORE INCLUSIVE
Healthy Food Access AuditFranklin Community Co-op, MA

31. ¡ Peer Dialogues
¡ Peer Audits
¡ 9 New “For For All” Programs Launched
in 1 Year
¡ In 2018:
ü 13 Programs
ü 3,665 Participants
ü $645,000+ in Discounts
NOFA Summer Conference 2019 30
PROGRESS TO DATE: A NEIGHBORING APPROACH
Franklin Community Co-op, MA

32. ¡Growth in Healthy Food Access programs
¡Growth in healthy, local food purchased à
More $ to local farmers
¡Perceptions re: co-ops’ role in food
security
¡Seeding national dialogue
¡Progress on diversity & inclusion work
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IMPACT & POTENTIAL
Putney Food Co-op, VT

33. ¡Co-op’s Mission, Community Ownership & Business Success à
Vehicles for building Inclusive, healthy & just food systems &
economies à Model for how to transform other systems
¡Accomplice vs. Ally
¡Access vs. Equity
NOFA Summer Conference 2019 32
BRING IT HOME

34. NOFA Summer Conference 2019 33
QUESTIONS, FEEDBACK & DISCUSSION
Bonnie Hudspeth
Bonnie@NFCA.coop
www.NFCA.coop
Ruth Garbus
RuthG@brattleborofoodcoop.coop
www.brattleborofoodcoop.coop
Sarah Kanabay
sarah.kanabay@franklincommunity.coop
www.franklincommunity.coop