What is a Co-op?
A co-operative is a legally incorporated enterprise owned by the members that use their products or services. Co-operatives are owned and democratically controlled by their members, using the one member/one vote system to ensure that people, not capital, control the organization. While each co-operative is unique, all are membership-based and guided by 7 principles (learn more here), including equality and solidarity.
At the Kitchen Collective, we decided to pursue the co-operative model in order to better serve the Hamilton Community. As a co-operative, the Collective is owned and operated by its members, ensuring that the services provided are always in line with the needs of the membership.
Some Facts about Co-ops
- Ontario co-ops provide more than 15,500 jobs (FTE), have $3 billion in assets and produce $2.1 billion in revenue.
- Hamilton is home to a car sharing cooperative, a worker’s bike delivery co-operative, a food co-operative a developing renewable energy co-op, and the Canadian Co-operative Association, among many others.
- There are over 9,000 co-ops in Canada, with more than 18 million members. Canadian co-ops (including credit unions) have more than $252 billion in assets. More on Canadian co-ops here.