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The spirit of mutual co-operation

Today is the 88th ICA International Co-operative Day and the 16th UN International Day of Cooperatives, which amount to the same thing. And this means more than just your local Co-Op, but certainly doesn’t exclude them, as one of the longest standing co-operatives in the UK.

The theme for this year is around how the cooperative model of enterprise can successfully empower women, but it is not excluding the men, as all of the community can benefit from these models. You only have to look at the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative behind Divine Chocolate to see the model in action, and benefiting all around them.

I also love the co-operatives has been one of the ways of keeping village shops alive, or bringing them back. In Cumbria, Alston Wholefoods is at the heart of the town, and is busy working with local producers to bring something different, as well as meeting the needs of the community.

My favourite example is Blockley Village Shop & Cafe. Blockley is an incredibly pretty village in the Cotswolds, but when Dr T and I stayed there in 1998 it was obvious that it was somewhat blighted by second home ownership (which we were contributing to by renting one) and the guts of the village was gone. Several types of champagne by the glass in the pub, but no village shop. Well, the community has obviously decided to fight back  and this place looks fantastic, but also is there for the people of Blockley, not just visitors. There’s a loyalty bonus to encourage people, and I love that how they are doing is very transparent on the website. I wish them continued success.

And then there’s the Co-Op. What can you say? Huge supporters of fairtrade, banning the sale of eggs from caged birds, the greenest grocer, and the country’s biggest farmer apparently, as well as having a commitment to improved animal welfare. Whilst I am sure they are not perfect (we’ve had some issues over labelling of chickens, which I think Hugh highlighted) it’s surely a step in the right direction. And they’ve been doing it for quite a while so pretty good at it.

As always, just one of the other things to think about when you spend your money on food. And if you can’t buy local, supporting a co-operative feels like your money will have wider spread benefits that just institutional shareholders in the big supermarkets. Which sounds like an idea I could truly co-operate with!

I love this photograph by NovriWahyuPerdana from Flickr. It’s worth heading over there to read the story, as the title really is The Spirit of Co-Operation.

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