Although co-operatives have been around for more than a century, there is renewed interest with the increase in demand for local and regional food and support of local communities. The Kootenay Country Store Co-operative is an example of a community success story with almost 40 years of history. It is a large, member-owned co-operative offering natural, organic foods and products in Nelson, BC.
“We began as a buying club in the early 1970s, and incorporated as a co-operative in 1975,” explains Jocelyn Carver, Marketing Manager of the Kootenay Co-op. “We’ve grown consistently over the last almost 37 years and now have more than 10,000 members in a town of 10,000 and a regional catchment area of 50,000. The Co-op has just purchased it’s own retail space in the downtown core to provide for much needed expansion.” Since its inception in 1975, the Co-op has taken a leading role in promoting natural, organic foods and products, sustainable living and supporting local, organic farms and businesses and fair trade organizations.
“All of our produce is either certified organic or certified Kootenay Mountain Grown,” says Carver. Kootenay Mountain Grown is the organic certification arm of the Kootenay Local Agricultural Society and the marketing label for local agricultural produce and products. “During the height of the local growing season, between 70 and 90 % of our produce is locally or regionally sourced. The Co-op is really a 7-day a week farmer’s market, although there is an abundance of really vibrant farmers markets in the areas as well.”
The Co-op also provides certified organic meats and fairly or sustainably harvested seafood products. “One of our famous local seafood suppliers is Brent Petkau, known as the ‘Oyster Man’,” explains Carver. “He divides his time between Nelson and his oyster farm on Vancouver Island. Brent is connected to a number of other small scale fishermen, which allows us to bring in some great seafood products that are only available because of that small scale farming connection we’ve established.”
The Kootenay area has been recognized as a co-op rich area and has attracted interest from the BC Institute for Cooperative Studies at the University of Victoria. “They have done research to try to determine why there are so many co-ops in this area,” says Carver. “We are also one of the founding members of the ground-breaking Upper Columbia Co-operative Council (UCCC), which was the first co-op of co-operatives, and came out of a workshop we had sponsored for other local area co-ops.” UCCC is a member of the provincial BC Co-operative Association (BCCA).
The community support and interest in co-ops continues to grow in the Kootenays. “At the regional level of BCCA, we are getting multiple requests every month for assistance by groups that want to form a co-op,” says Carver. “The requests are from a range of organizations from agriculture groups to athletic groups to different retail organizations. They are seeing the many benefits to co-ops, including the advantages of succession planning, many hands making light work and all of the things we know about co-ops.”
Celebrating the International Year of Co-operatives
The United Nations has declared 2012 “International Year of Co-operatives” (IYC) to recognize the contribution of this business model to economic and social development. Co-operatives have been in Canada for over 100 years, with more than 9,000 co-operatives contributing to local and international economic development today.
“We have plans for several activities to celebrate the IYC, including a big celebration and tailgate party in June to also celebrate our birthday, the purchase of our new location and the expansion of our Co-op,” says Carver. “We are also members of the BCCA’s IYC planning committee and a lot of our planning is actually happening at that level. We’re doing collaborative advertising and participating in a BCCA project, which is partnering youth with co-ops in the area. As part of that project, we have some every eager teenagers who are doing video documentaries of our co-operative, which will become part of a larger IYC art show that will travel through BC at the end of the year.”
There are also plans to co-sponsor events with other co-ops over the year, including a major educational event planned for Co-op Week, October 14-20, 2012. The focus of the event will be on agricultural issues, as well as a celebration of IYC. “As part of IYC, the Kootenay Co-op is launching a new $1000 education scholarship for post secondary education,” explains Carver. “The scholarship is open to any member or child of an active member, with a priority to support studies in agriculture, environment and co-operatives, but not exclusive to those areas.”
Carver believes the timing of the IYC is a perfect opportunity for co-operatives all over the planet to let their communities know that co-ops are the answer to many of the current economic issues. “With the economic downturn and people’s growing lack of faith in large financial and corporate structures, co-ops are the answer to that mistrust and disassociation,” says Carver. “The answer is to ‘own it’, and support the organizations that you can be an owner of while you are being a user of services and purchaser of products. Co-operatives provide a great way to support local communities, local growers and local businesses across the country.” Watch for IYC events across Canada over the coming months.
“We are definitely on the upside of another big co-op curve in this International Year of Co-operatives,” says Jocelyn Carver. “Co-operatives provide a proven, flexible and exciting alternative to our current economic woes and an opportunity to support our local communities.”
Contact:
Jocelyn Carver
Ph: 250.354.4077
Email: [email protected]