The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

added 02/06/08

by Terry Appleby, Co-op General Manager

For the past three years, representatives of cooperatives in this region have been meeting to discuss how to work together more effectively. We (I have been part of the effort) call ourselves the Connecticut Valley Neighboring Co-ops, or CVNC for short. Boards of Directors of the individual cooperatives have been having internal discussion on how their work can foster regional cooperation as well.

Our own board has developed a compelling Ends Policy statement declaring that the Hanover Co-op exists to provide cooperative commerce for the greater good of our members and community. Now the CVNC and our combined boards are beginning to develop an emerging vision of a cooperative economy at the regional level.

From meetings this past summer and fall, our CVNC group has begun to take shape and develop direction. We are advocating that each member co-op consider financial investment in the organization so that resources can be allocated to the group’s work. At the fall meeting, a representative of the Cooperative Fund of New England offered that organization’s services as fiscal agent. Also attending the meeting was a representative of the National Cooperative Grocer’s Association who offered administrative assistance. In both cases, help is being offered to remove some of the early financial burdens on the individual co-ops so that the potential for regional cooperation can be explored and hopefully moved forward. These offers also represent beneficial collaboration among cooperative groups.

At the fall meeting, held in White River Junction and hosted by the Upper Valley Food Co-op, much of the talk was about support for the local economy. One project that became a priority for the group was to “map” the regional food system, with the idea that, once we better understand the local system, the better we will be able to cooperatively influence and strengthen it. A sub-group was formed to pursue the project. They will determine how the research is conducted, the questions to explore, and whether to use outside help, such as graduate students. Efforts will be made to use existing mapping resources if they are available.

At the last meeting of the CVNC there were also reports of new projects either planned or already in progress by member co-ops. To the north of us in Vermont, three co-ops —Middlebury, Hunger Mountain (Montpelier), and City Market (Burlington) — are collaborating on a private label milk program patterned on Hanover’s. Green Fields Market in Greenfield, Massachusetts, has taken the lead on a proposal to import organically grown produce from southeastern states during the winter months, thereby supporting sources in regions closer to our own.

The special challenges faced by smaller co-ops in our area is another topic of interest to our group. We agree that we want our regional collaboration to “raise all boats.” The co-ops in attendance at our meeting felt that the smaller co-ops need to communicate with one another to determine common needs and strategies that will allow each organization to not only succeed, but to develop its own cooperative identity.

With the exciting goal of a vibrant regional cooperative economy, the CNVC is now ready to explore scenarios to make that vision a reality. We believe that, as community-based organizations, our cooperatives are important to our local economies. We intend to educate ourselves and be able to quantify our importance so we can become even more beneficial to our communities. It is, after all, about the greater good of our members and community!