The Co-op Food Stores

added 12/21/09

Board Report
by Kay Litten,
Board President

I am often asked by old friends and family not from New England what I do in my spare (that’s a laugh!) time now that I do not work full time. I reply that I am the President of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society, a grocery store. Folks then usually look stunned.

There is a stereotype of the co-op consumer: Birkenstocks, denim, beards for men and long, long hair for women, and a penchant for granola, tofu, and veggies. Once someone asked me, “Say, what do you co-op types do when you get together, sit around singing ‘Kumbaya’ and holding hands?” Those who have known me for years do not picture me this way, and rightly so.

Co-ops are relatively common in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. And our Co-op, 74 years strong and hybrid (meaning that it sells all of the traditional “crunchy,” all-natural stuff associated with co-ops as well as products such as Coke, Oreos, noodle casserole mixes, etc.) stands out among co-ops. This position of leadership is a direct result of the success of our co-op style and the innovative moves of the management.

Lots of co-ops never make it beyond the first five years. And knowing this and caring very much about the cooperative way of selling groceries, many of the co-ops in our tri-state region have joined forces in a group now known as the Neighboring Food Cooperative Association. This group works collectively for the success of all. If the co-ops are retail stores, the association gives them greater buying power with distributors; if the coops are producers/growers, there is aid from a variety of buyers and other producers to help to keep them functioning at a workable profit. And more…

There are twenty-some grocery co-ops in this association. It grew from thoughts expressed at a meeting of some co-op folks, including our General Manager, Terry Appleby, gathered in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 2004.

These co-op leaders were concerned that many co-ops were working in isolation, cooperating among members, but not among co-ops. So, about 50 “co-operators,” representing approximately a dozen co-ops, gathered at the Putney School in Vermont, in 2005. This meeting was the beginning of what became the NFCA.

In 2007, meetings involving co-op managers, presidents, and board members started occurring quarterly. Participants began to discuss improving the effectiveness of co-ops and enhancing the success of the cooperative movement. Finally, a group of cooperators from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont wrote “The Middlebury Manifesto,” a document officially creating this Neighboring Food Co-op Association. This manifesto, a copy of which is hanging in the Board Room at the Hanover Co-op, contains much of what being a cooperative is all about. But beneath its signatures are some quotes, among which are these two:

“A viable community is made up of neighbors who cherish and protect what they have in common.” –Wendell Berry, The Idea of a Local Economy

“Changing times make it critical to find new and renewed ways of understanding and expressing cooperative approaches to business and society … best developed on the basis of a deep comprehension of past and present experience. At the same time, imagination is critical.” –Brett Fairbairn, Three Strategic Concepts for Cooperatives

Eric DeLuca began his work as Project Manager for the NFCA this year. His task is to study the member co-ops and help them see how this organization can create better and more effective cooperatives in these neighboring states. The long-term desired outcomes of this group include 1)Healthy Food System Development; 2)Grassroots Community Sustainability;
3) Cross-sectorCo-op Collaboration.

So when you learn that members of the staff and Board of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society are meeting to talk about how best cooperatives can meet the needs of their communities, please do not picture us holding hands and singing.

Kay Litten is President of the Co-op’s Board of Directors. Reach her by emailing her at president@coopfoodstore.com.

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