As I make my way back to Wilmington, North Carolina, I am planning to continue my work with sustainable, healthy food systems. One way that I plan on doing this is by working part-time at Tidal Creek Food Cooperative (http://www.tidalcreek.coop/). According to the Cooperative Grocers’ Information Network:
A co-op is an organization that takes the idea of working together and puts it into a business structure. A cooperative is a business voluntarily owned and controlled by the people who use it—its members. It is operated solely for the benefit of its members, to meet their mutual needs. When groups of people have similar needs—such as the need for lower prices, more affordable housing, or access to telecommunications services—cooperatives offer great potential to meet those needs.
A co-op is a member-owned, member-controlled business that operates for the mutual benefit of all members and according to common principles established for cooperatives.
There are three basic types of co-ops:
Producer co-ops provide goods or services to members who are involved in producing products, such as farmers or artists.
Worker co-ops are owned and controlled on a democratic basis by their employees.
Consumer co-ops provide goods or services used primarily for personal consumption. Food co-ops are typically organized as consumer co-ops.
(http://www.cgin.coop/node/3055)
Tidal Creek is a consumer co-op with a vision of fostering individual, community and planetary health by providing:
High quality natural and organic foods and other environmentally sound products;
A comfortable, affordable place to shop and share knowledge;
Education and training to help people make informed choices towards well being; and
A sustainable and economical model which invests in the local and cooperative communities.
(http://www.tidalcreek.coop/about/mission.htm)
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