The Souktana plateau, high up in Morocco’s Sirwa mountains, is planted with purple fields of Crocus sativus, the flower whose dried stigmas are known as saffron, the world’s most expensive spice. Producing saffron is labour-intensive work. The flowers must be picked manually at dawn, while still closed, and the tiny stigmas are separated by hand. […]
Tailor-made job opportunities fitted to the needs of the individual.
Founded in January 1983 in the little town of Macomer on Sardinia, the “Progetto H” (PH) was created by a group of 9 friends. Their interest and aim was to create a cooperative that promoted the integration of disadvantaged and disabled individuals into the work environment by offering firsthand work experience and opportunities, ultimately resulting […]
Traditional Credit Union
In the wet you need a light plane to reach Darwin from many parts of Arnhem land. Even in the dry you have to watch for the tides and crocodiles. For the staff of the Traditional Credit Union – the only business offering banking services to 11 Indigenous communities in this remote region of northern […]
We are the cooperative!
Shops – especially local food suppliers – pubs and restaurants located in the downtown areas of small cities often cannot be run profitably and are therefore frequently replaced by malls and entertainment palaces on the edge of town. It is not only children, the older generation and people with limited mobility that are affected by […]
Ozark Natural Foods
Ozark Natural Foods is a locally owned consumer cooperative dedicated to participatory democracy. Our mission is to provide our owners and the Northwest Arkansas community with natural and organic products that encourage healthful living and a sustainable planet. We envision a world strengthened by cooperative economics and driven by concern for the health and well […]
Friends of the Rebel Army Society Ltd
Cork has a troubled history when it comes to football clubs. Various entities have tasted success and gone out of business over the years and a key focus for FORAS was to find a way to help maintain a sustainable football club in the county. Original proposals included training facilities or the creation of an […]
Cooperativa A.L.P.I. scs
In Trento, Italy, the Work Training through Individualized Projects Cooperative (A.L.P.I.) makes lifelong links with disadvantaged community members. A.L.P.I.’s mission is to prepare individuals who have mental and physical disabilities to participate in the workforce.To reach that goal, the cooperative provides guided, hands-on job training. A.L.P.I.’s business model is straightforward. It contracts with local firms […]
Lakewood fosters new beginnings (for its members)
This is the story of the birth of Lakewood Community Managed Co-operative, told by its builders, developers and members. Lakewood Co-Op is the first vertical community of its kind in Australia. It’s a community of social housing built on the shared values of respect, tolerance and responsibility, offering its inhabitants a fresh start and the […]
Organopónico Vivero Alamar – Cuba
Cuba used to have an industrialized agricultural system, exporting sugar and citrus to Russia and importing most of its food, as well as oil, machinery, fertilizers and pesticides. Then the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, which combined with a US trade embargo created a crisis that Fidel Castro named “The Special Period”. Suddenly cut off […]
Kokua Market
Last year, Hawaiis only food retail cooperative celebrated its 40th birthday. Founded in 1971 by a group of Honolulu residents who wanted access to high-quality, minimally processed, natural foods, Kokua Market has grown over the years and now operates a 4,400 square-foot retail space, with 3,500 member-owners, 43 employees and annual gross sales of $3.3 […]