Celebrate Co-op Month!
October is Co-op Month—a time to celebrate cooperation, community, and the collective power of people working together for shared success.
What Does It Mean to Be Cooperatively Owned?
A cooperative (or co-op) is a business owned by the people who use or work for it. These owners share in the profits, decision-making, and mission of the business and unlike traditional corporations (which exist primarily to benefit shareholders) co-ops focus on meeting the needs of their owners and communities. In practice, this can mean better prices for farmers, fair wages for workers, and ethical sourcing practices that prioritize people and the planet.
All Co-ops also follow 7 co-op principles, which you can find below this blog post!
Co-op Brands on Our Shelves
You might be surprised by how many cooperatively owned brands you already know and love! Here are just a few that you’ll find on the shelves at our co-op:
Tillamook – This farmer-owned dairy co-op from Oregon has been crafting high-quality cheese, butter, and ice cream for over a century. Their commitment to animal welfare and environmental stewardship ensures that every scoop or slice tastes as good as it feels to support.
Blue Diamond Growers – Founded in 1910, Blue Diamond is a cooperative made up of 3,000+ almond growers in California. Their mission is to bring the benefits of almonds to the world while maintaining a sustainable, grower-focused business model.
Frontier Co-op, Aura Cacia, and Simply Organic – These three brands operate under one cooperative umbrella dedicated to ethical sourcing and environmental sustainability. Frontier Co-op & Simply Organic work to supply high-quality herbs and spices and Aura Cacia focuses on pure essential oils.
Equal Exchange – A worker-owned cooperative that pioneered the fair trade movement in the U.S., Equal Exchange partners directly with small-scale farmers around the world. Their coffee, chocolate, and tea are sourced through long-term, transparent relationships that empower producers and strengthen communities.
La Riojana – Based in Argentina, La Riojana is one of the largest wine cooperatives in South America, owned by more than 500 small-scale grape growers. Their fair trade-certified wines directly fund community projects like schools, healthcare clinics, and clean water systems in their region.
Organic Valley – This farmer-owned dairy cooperative brings together more than 1,600 family farms across the country. By prioritizing organic practices and humane treatment of animals, Organic Valley helps keep small farms thriving and local food systems strong.
Each of these brands represents the power of cooperation in action—farmers, workers, and producers coming together to create something better for everyone involved.
Why Shop Cooperatively Owned?
When you buy from a co-op brand, your purchase ripples outward! Therefore you’re helping keep profits in the hands of the people who do the work, strengthening local and global economies, and you’re showing that there’s another way to do business that doesn’t rely on exploitation or short-term gain.
At a time when so much of our economy is dominated by corporate consolidation, choosing cooperation is a meaningful act of resistance. It’s a reminder that our dollars have power, and that together, we can build systems rooted in fairness and care.
So this Co-op Month, we invite you to shop cooperatively with us, whether it’s a pint of Tillamook ice cream, a bar of Equal Exchange chocolate, or a bottle of La Riojana wine. Each choice supports a web of people and values that make our world a little more just, connected, and delicious.
Because at the end of the day, cooperation isn’t just practical, it’s a powerful and radical way of doing business!
